San Rafael, CA—It used to take Ulysse Nardin four years to develop the complex insides of a new watch that can contain as many as 400 moving parts. The process has been cut in half using Autodesk Inventor software.
Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) has named Ulysse Nardin as the Inventor of the Month for May 2009 for bringing its innovative and artistic watches to market in 50 percent less time with fewer physical prototypes.
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Few products pack so much mechanical complexity into such a small area as fine watches. Working with a 3D model in Inventor, Ulysse Nardin designers can visualize how the gears and springs fit with other components as they design.
This capability makes it much easier to identify and fix interferences early in the design process. Designers can also optimize the position of mechanical parts that integrate with external portions of the watch, such as the case or the watchband, which are initially drawn in 2D by a conceptual designer.
The Inventor of the Month program recognizes the most innovative design and engineering advancements made by the extensive community using Inventor software—the foundation of the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping.
A digital prototype is a 3D digital model of the entire end product, used to virtually explore and validate a product before it is built to reduce the necessity of constructing physical prototypes.
“Having a clear 3D view is a significant advantage,” says Loic Pellaton, technical manager at Ulysse Nardin.
“Autodesk Inventor helps us to place parts and explore different options very quickly. It has significantly accelerated the most complicated aspects of watch design.”
Digital Prototyping Speeds Product Development
By using Inventor software in collaboration with Autodesk reseller and training partner HURNI ENGINEERING SARL to explore and hone digital prototypes, Ulysse Nardin has reduced the need to produce multiple rounds of physical prototypes.
Because watch movements are largely refined during the design phase, the company produces just one physical prototype instead of three. This streamlining helps Ulysse Nardin realize its vision twice as quickly when developing and introducing new product lines.
To help refine its watch cases, Ulysse Nardin designers also use Autodesk Showcase software to create accurate, photorealistic images of digital prototypes created in Inventor, enabling more efficient decision making.
“From the beautiful case to the movement Ulysse Nardin watches are renowned for, Digital Prototyping helps us to create the kind of watches people dream of owning,” says Pierre Gygax, executive vice president of production at Ulysse Nardin.
“Ulysse Nardin is successfully using Autodesk Inventor to move beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping and continue its tradition of innovation in the art of mechanical watchmaking,” says Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk.
For more information visit www.ulysse-nardin.com and www.autodesk.com