Bowe Bell + Howell Accelerates New Automated Mail Sorting System Design with SolidWorks Software
Thursday, 11 May 2006
Bowe Bell + Howell Company, one of the largest automated mail processing systems manufacturers in the world, is using SolidWorks(R) software to customize the systems that help organizations like the United States Postal Service, presort customers for the commercial mailing industry, and private institutions such as Duke University sort and handle mail quickly, efficiently, and affordably.
Since 1936, Bowe Bell + Howell has delivered the automated sorting equipment that helps mail rooms of any size properly route documents each day. Its systems can measure 14 feet wide by 285 feet long and process up to 48,000 pieces per hour. Based in Wheeling, Ill., the company had been using Autodesk(R) Inventor, but standardized on SolidWorks Office Professional software for all new product designs.
"We use a lot of sheet metal, weldments, and fasteners to assemble our products. Our former system didn't handle these features well," said Bowe Bell + Howell Vice President of Engineering Brian Bowers. "SolidWorks handles all of our design requirements and is stable, so we don't worry about losing hours of work. It is easy to use and allows us to work in both 2D and 3D environments to meet customers' design needs. In addition, we use the 3D models to create our assembly and maintenance documentation utilizing the same models. This reduces our time to production significantly."
SolidWorks also allows the company to develop new products as much as four times faster than with its previous software. Engineers use the software's design tables to quickly customize standard product designs to customers' exact specifications. Using SolidWorks, Bowe Bell + Howell has identified and fixed errors from older product designs that were unchecked in the company's previous CAD software.
The company uses SolidWorks COSMOSXpress(TM) to ensure its sorting machines will stand up to the everyday rigors of processing large volumes of mail. SolidWorks' physical simulation capabilities, COSMOSXpress, and the software's intuitive interface have helped Bowe Bell + Howell reduce the amount of engineering rework associated with errors and engineering changes by nearly 40 percent.
Bowe Bell + Howell is also deploying SolidWorks PDMWorks(R) product data management software to securely store all of the design data it generates while allowing engineers to work concurrently on projects. The company will also link PDMWorks to its enterprise resource planning system to connect SolidWorks' bills of materials to costing and other functions to automate accurate billing and assembly instruction production.
"Automated mail sorting systems enable billions of pieces of mail to arrive at the correct destination every day," said SolidWorks Chief Operating Officer Jeff Ray. "BOWE BELL + HOWELL has driven this technology for nearly seven decades. SolidWorks software provides the functionality and value to ensure the company continues to pioneer new systems that further streamline the process."
Bowe Bell + Howell relies on Fisher/Unitech for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.