Designed in SolidWorks, Foster Refrigerators Take a Licking and Still Keep Chilling.U.K. manufacturer halves development time, cuts prototyping costs by a third while designing better refrigeration refrigeration, process for drawing heat from substances to lower their temperature, often for purposes of preservation. Refrigeration in its modern, portable form also depends on insulating materials that are thin yet effective. products used in industrial kitchens CONCORD, Mass. -- One of the largest commercial refrigerator manufacturers in Europe is using SolidWorks([R]) 3D CAD and COSMOS([R]) design analysis software to develop units that take a beating every day in industrial kitchens and other foodservice environments around the world. Foster Refrigerator has cut development time by as much as 50 percent, and reduced prototyping costs by as much as 30 percent after standardizing on SolidWorks software. For more than 40 years, Foster Refrigerator has set new benchmarks for a broad range of products including blast chillers and freezers, refrigerated re·frig·er·ate tr.v. re·frig·er·at·ed, re·frig·er·at·ing, re·frig·er·ates 1. To cool or chill (a substance). 2. To preserve (food) by chilling. storage cabinets and counters, walk-in cold rooms, refrigeration systems, prep stations, ice makers, water coolers, and special refrigeration and temperature monitoring equipment for professional bakers. The company standardized standardized pertaining to data that have been submitted to standardization procedures. standardized morbidity rate see morbidity rate. standardized mortality rate see mortality rate. on SolidWorks to speed new product design and reduce costs for the hundreds of different customized models it sells. "Our products don't get much respect in the average restaurant kitchen," said Andrew Hodges, senior development engineer at Foster. "Kitchen staff only care that they work. So we have to make sure they're durable, that they perform as we say they will, and that they meet the unique space and temperature needs for every customer. SolidWorks gives us the accurate design visualization, sheet metal capabilities, and table-driven modeling to constantly improve our products so they continue to perform to our customers' demanding expectations." Using SolidWorks has enabled Foster to cut sheet metal design time in half and reduce the number of prototypes it builds from three to one for most every project, streamlining time to market and significantly reducing costs. The software also makes it easy for Foster to generate the geometry and other data needed for manufacturing, accelerating production and reducing the typical back-and-forth between designers and manufacturing engineers The profession of manufacturing engineer is defined as a person having the education and experience to understand and control manufacturing systems such as processes and/or automation, including industrial processes and equipment used to produce goods. . "SolidWorks paid for itself in less than two years. That ROI (Return On Investment) The monetary benefits derived from having spent money on developing or revising a system. In the IT world, there are more ways to compute ROI than Carter has liver pills (and for those of you who never heard of that expression, it means a lot). , along with a rich feature set, is why we chose SolidWorks after an intense evaluation," said Hodges. Foster uses COSMOSXpress([TM]) design analysis tool to test the load strength of brackets and similar features to make sure they can stand up to the hundreds of times doors are opened and shut in restaurant kitchens. The company also uses SolidWorks PDMWorks([R]) Workgroup product data management software to securely store all design information, maintain version control, and allow multiple engineers to work concurrently on one design. "Refrigerators may seem like an afterthought af·ter·thought n. An idea, response, or explanation that occurs to one after an event or decision. afterthought Noun 1. in industrial kitchens, but their reliability and durability are absolutely crucial," said SolidWorks Marketing Manager, Europe Simon Booker. "Foster refrigerators have an industry reputation for performing at their best day in, and day out, despite the constant use. That's attributable to quality design, and a passion for getting it right every time." Foster Refrigerators relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller Solid Solutions Management for ongoing software training, implementation, and support. About Foster Refrigerators Headquartered in King's Lynn King's Lynn, town (1991 pop. 37,323), Norfolk, E England, on the Great Ouse River near its influx into The Wash, an inlet of the North Sea. Its large harbor serves foreign as well as coastal trade and is the base for a fishing fleet. , Foster Refrigerators is the U.K.'s largest manufacturer of commercial refrigeration products. It is at the forefront of new technology, pioneering new standards in temperature control, hygiene, efficiency and appearance. Premier products, together with support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services , enable the company to maintain long-term relationships with clients in leading restaurants, fast food outlets, hotels and airports, as well as being the government-approved supplier of equipment to non-profit organizations A non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "non-profit" or "not-for-profit") is a legally constituted organization whose primary objective is to support or to actively engage in activities of public or private interest without any commercial or monetary profit purposes. including colleges, hospitals, and the armed forces in the U.K. and abroad. For more information, visit the Web site (www.fosterrefrigerator.co.uk). About Solid Solutions Management Founded in 1998, Solid Solutions focuses on providing industry-leading software and services. This philosophy has helped Solid Solutions gain respect, recognition, and awards as an established and high-capability supplier of SolidWorks software. With main offices in Warwick and Fareham, and regional training facilities throughout the U.K., Solid Solutions supports thousands of customers encompassing all industry sectors and ranging in size from single-person operations to large multi-national organizations. For more information, visit the company's Web site (www.solidsolutions.co.uk). About SolidWorks Corporation SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Syst[c]mes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV, which is the second largest exchange in Europe behind the London Stock Exchange. : #13065, DSY DSY Drum Storage Yard .PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. , call +1-978-371-5000). SolidWorks, PDMWorks, and COSMOS are registered trademarks, and COSMOSXpress is a trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2007 SolidWorks Corporation. Bookmark A stored location for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses (URLs) of favorite sites. Most electronic references, large text databases and help systems provide bookmarks that mark a location users want to revisit in the future. with de.li.cious Submit this story to digg Submit this story to slashdot Technorati tags SolidWorks, CAD, 3D CAD, MCAD MCAD Microsoft Certified Application Developer MCAD Mechanical Computer Aided Design MCAD Medium-Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase (inherited metabolic disease) MCAD Minneapolis College of Art and Design , Design, Tech, Autodesk, AutoCAD, SolidEdge, COSMOSWorks |
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