Dyesol Limited, Australia
Dyesol Limited is an Australian company based in Queanbeyan, New South Wales. It has a research and manufacturing facility for Dye Solar Cells, solar panels that absorb light through artificial photosynthesis to produce green power. The company also supplies equipment, materials and components for Dye Solar Cell technology to research institutions such as universities.
Dyesol first implemented SolidWorks Office Professional in mid-2005 to design a suite of machines to produce its Dye Solar Cells and assist with additional research into the technology. To date, the company has manufactured eight machines and has expanded its design team and SolidWorks licences considerably.
Challenge:
- Lengthy design cycle when using contractors to design, test and manufacture machines and components
- Difficulty communicating design intent and design changes to contract staff
- Disjointed information flow between Dyesol and design contractors meant a lack of control over designs
- Finding a CAD system that was easy to use but also offered extensive training and technical support
- Finding a CAD system that was scalable and could be upgraded as design needs increased
SolidWorks Benefits:
- Design cycle for machines reduced from two months to two weeks
- SolidWorks visualisation capabilities means the end product reflects the original concept more accurately
- In-house design team has design information at their fingertips and can work closely with scientists and management to meet design objectives
- Intercad’s Fast Track training program ensures designers get the most out of the 3D software, and technical support is available for more complex design issues
- Additional functionality is readily available from Intercad, when required for add-on software to tackle more advanced design and analysis tasks
“Previously our design cycle was time consuming and expensive, introducing SolidWorks has reduced it from two months to two weeks.”
Niall Howe
Senior Design Engineer
Dyesol