Inventor of the Month - May 2012

Autodesk has named German manufacturer Feige Filling as the Autodesk Inventor of the Month for May 2012. The company uses Autodesk Factory Design Suite software to not only design innovative filling machines, but also the layout of the factories that house them.

Feige leverages Autodesk Inventor software and other Digital Prototyping tools in conjunction with Factory Design Suite to create equipment for its customers and then optimize the factory layout before any equipment is installed. As a result, Feige now serves as a “turnkey” solution provider to its customers, giving the company a powerful advantage in the marketplace.

Feige has a wide range of filling machines that are used by companies from the food, chemical and petrochemical industries to fill containers with liquid. A typical customer factory includes not just the filling equipment, but also storage areas, conveyor systems, stacking technologies and cleaning systems that all must efficiently work together. Feige had successfully been using Inventor software, AutoCAD Mechanical software and Autodesk Vault collaboration software for several years to design its equipment before adding Factory Design Suite.

Factory Design Suite enables Feige to create 3D digital factory layouts that incorporate digital models of the various machines and factory components, making it easy to digitally explore different layout scenarios to find the optimal layout solution. Feige also leverages Autodesk 360 Cloud capabilities to share layouts and assembly designs for customer review. In doing so, the company can spot clashes and space constraints before they become on-site problems - helping customers avoid the expense of after-the-fact repairs.

Additionally, factory-specific visualization tools enable Feige to provide potential clients with immersive 3D layout proposals rather than multilayered 2D drawings that can be difficult to interpret. By providing this “virtual factory visit,” the company is able to more effectively communicate design intent and enhance the attractiveness of its bid.

Feige Filling

Inventor of the Month - May 2012 Official Press Release

Here is a YouTube video about Feige Filling.


Image Credits: Autodesk, Feige Filling