Project Log

Arjun Technologies embraces 3D

Arjun Technologies has been able to execute projects better after making the shift from 2D to 3D CAD. This has resulted in productivity rising, improved modelling capabilities, better visualisation and fewer errors in drawings. S. Soundarajan, General Manager, Projects and Engineering, Arjun Technologies talks to Abhinav Singh about the project and how it has made a difference

The shift from a 2D to a 3D software platform has brought in significant changes when it comes to the way in which projects are executed at Arjun Technologies. The engineering drawing approval mechanism has been expedited and more accurate drawings are being generated.

The trouble with 2D

We are a medium-sized engineering company supplying process plants for the pulp and paper industries. We had been using a 2D platform for a decade and there were many issues with it the biggest of which was that in a multi-user environment there are chances of human errors creeping in. The designs that we do here are inter-disciplinary including civil, architectural, piping and mechanical design. We have executed over 30 projects in India, South Asia, South-East Asia and the Middle East including those funded by multinational funding institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and bilateral funding institutions such as the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF).

We undertake extensive design and engineering of process plants for which we develop complete equipment and piping layouts as well as cable tray routings. We also do component drawings for our manufacturer.

The engineering designs have to follow a sequence. For instance, if a change has to be incorporated this has to be done in a sequence. The problem we were facing with the 2D software was that there was no interlinking of drawing sequences leading to a lot of human error. If a change was not incorporated in one drawing sequence, it did not get reflected in other sequences, leading to inaccurate production.

While working on 2D, changes needed to be incorporated and updated in every related drawing, which was time consuming and had an effect on the completion of our projects. It used to takes a week to incorporate any changes on a 2D platform, slowing down the project lifecycle. As a result modifications of drawings became time consuming as was the process of assembling components to build equipment.

Additionally, revision and updation was an uphill task on 2D. Visualisation of new products under development was not possible as product simulation features were not available on the platform and it was not possible for us to view a project holistically.

From 2D to 3D

We needed a solution that would allow us to communicate and manage design data, enable faster production and optimise workflow so that we could finish designs faster. We also needed software that would eliminate error-related reworking.

Keeping all these issues in mind, we looked for a solution that would improve our productivity and embarked upon a program to upgrade our design facilities. The aim was to speed up design cycles and deploy a system that would help us incorporate changes in a drawing sequence from a single location. A change is reflected in all the drawing sequences in a 3D environment, helping shorten the design cycle.

We decided to choose Autodesk Inventor 3D as we had been using the company’s AutoCAD product for many years. That said, we did evaluate other products such as PTC’s Pro/E, CATIA and HiCAD but found Inventor 3D to be best suited for our requirements. By turning to Autodesk, we have protected our investment in 2D drawings and the knowledge developed in AutoCAD even as we made the transition to 3D. Design engineers are now able to explore design options, easily update design files, and automate previously manual tasks.

By moving from 2D to 3D, engineers are reducing design errors while developing detailed, production-ready designs. We are now able to store and manage all designs from a central location that can be accessed by our design teams.

The software has a low TCO and is easy to learn and use. Many users learned the software on the job as we had a majority of the users on AutoCAD and migration from it to Inventor 3D went smoothly.

To begin with, we took two licences of Inventor 3D in order to evaluate the product for a year. The shift from the 2D environment to 3D was a gradual one, as our people were not trained on the 3D platform. We have decided that all new product development will be done on Inventor 3D. The switchover is complete and we are currently using nine user licenses of Inventor 3D. The implementation was completed in August 2005 and our design engineers were thoroughly trained on the new platform.

Where 3D scores

Autodesk Inventor helps create 3D equipment and piping layouts. We have even designed some plants completely using Inventor. The project completion time has reduced dramatically as changes can be incorporated in a design sequence almost immediately and there is ease of visualisation for plants at the design stage. We can also check the interface of pipes thoroughly in a virtual environment using the 3D platform, which was not possible earlier. With its virtual modelling capabilities, a user doesn’t need to waste time interpreting plans. We are now delivering the final product in less time.

In a new project, incorporating change takes only about one or two days—an improvement from the earlier five days. This has helped us significantly improve our productivity and modelling capabilities. It is also easier to understand the project as to how the plant will look after the project is completed and the superior visualisation makes it easy for us to give product demos. All this has also led to better product and project quality.

Human error is almost nil in a 3D environment as the changes are reflected immediately and if changes are incorporated in a single design they are automatically propagated to other designs in a project.