DEVELOPER TOOLS

A leading California product design company is using SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software to create a wide range of market-defining products - including body density chambers, wireless networking equipment, and biopsy devices - while cutting time to market by as much as 40 percent. Innovative products that COMPASS Product Design of Pleasanton, Calif., has recently created with SolidWorks include: * The BodPod, a body density chamber that quickly and accurately calculates a person's lean body mass using a patented air displacement technology. BodPod, targeted for health clubs, is an especially valuable tool when integrated with a diet and exercise program. * The first completely automated, completely self-contained, handheld breast biopsy device. * An always-on, intelligent networking appliance that provides wireless last mile access to broadband, voice, and application services. * An electronics communications device that brings real-time monitoring to residential electrical power users. The product is mounted outdoors and must endure moisture, temperature extremes, ultraviolet exposure, and pests. * The SmartBox II, the latest addition to OnWafer Technology's suite of self-contained mobile metrology solutions for computer chip manufacturers. The design meets demanding cleanliness requirements for chipmakers worldwide and helps them optimize performance and increase manufacturing yields. "We work around the clock to deliver projects on or ahead of schedule, and SolidWorks software supports us every step of the way," said Curt Anderson, president of COMPASS Product Design. "SolidWorks is intuitive and easy to use. Our engineers and a good number of our customers prefer it by a wide margin to any other mechanical design software. SolidWorks deftly handles complex surfaces like contours, dips, cuts, bows, and bumps. And the eDrawings(tm) e-mail-enabled collaboration tool makes it easy to give customers the 10,000-foot view of our designs, or the manufacturer a preview of a how an assembled product will come together." COMPASS reduces time to market by 40 percent COMPASS Product Design's newest design is a first-of-its kind laser skin rejuvenation system that delivers all the benefits of other companies' high-impact laser peeling and burning systems without the risk, pain, trauma, and extended healing period. SolidWorks software helped move the product, called the Fraxel(tm) SR, from concept to introduction in four months, about 40 percent of the time it typically takes. "Innovations like the Fraxel SR are the result of technical ingenuity, creativity, and the power of SolidWorks to quickly bring great ideas to reality," said Ilya Mirman, SolidWorks vice president of marketing. "COMPASS is using SolidWorks software to relentlessly innovate and speed its products to market, keeping clients and partners completely informed of designs and their progress. With SolidWorks, COMPASS is building a foundation of success for decades to come." COMPASS Product Design relies on SolidWorks reseller HawkRidge Systems in Oakland, Calif., for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.