GAMING

Daka Designs Ltd. is using SolidWorks and COSMOS software to develop new dive propulsion vehicles (DPVs) - similar to those used in James Bond movies - in half the time and at half the costs of other design software. The group's most recent product, the SEA-DOO SEASCOOTER DOLPHIN (DOLPHIN), is the first DPV geared toward the multi-billion-dollar swimming pool and family recreation market. Users over eight years old can glide through pools, lakes, or oceans embarking on new adventures as if they were Jacques Cousteau. As much a swimming aid as a DPV, the DOLPHIN weighs about 12 pounds, floats, and can carry users to almost 15 feet under water. To establish and compete in the family-oriented DPV market, Daka needed to develop the product, test it, and manufacture it in a short timeframe. The group chose SolidWorks 3D mechanical design and COSMOSWorks design validation software to speed the product development process and to reduce prototyping costs. The DOLPHIN is now available at Toys 'R Us, Sharper Image, and Canadian Tire (one of Canada's top retailers, which initially ordered 20,000 units). "We had half the time to develop the DOLPHIN that we had for the original SEA-DOO SEASCOOTER, which took 13 months," said Alex Kalogroulis, managing director of Daka Research, Ltd., the group's design team based in the U.K. "That meant we had no margin for error. For example, we only had a month to refine the original design so that it would be easy to manufacture. Since SolidWorks is intuitive, we could check for part interference on the screen with just a couple of mouse clicks without having to go through extra design steps. COSMOSWorks let us troubleshoot problems such as gear tooth strength prior to production so we could reduce time spent on prototyping and develop the product faster." Kalogroulis and his team finished the DOLPHIN development in just a little more than six months. SolidWorks and COSMOSWorks allowed the engineers to dramatically reduce prototyping costs because they identified and fixed problems prior to building expensive prototypes. "We had enough confidence in COSMOSWorks that we only needed to build one prototype. In the past, we had to build two for the SEA-DOO SEASCOOTER using our previous CAD system, and the product development process took twice as long," Kalogroulis said. SolidWorks eDrawings e-mail-enabled design collaboration tool also helped accelerate time to market. With the engineering team based in the U.K., the group's headquarters in Hong Kong, and the toolmaker and product manufacturer in China, design collaboration was a challenge. But eDrawings allowed Kalogroulis to e-mail solid models to the toolmaker so its engineers could understand the nuances of the design. "With eDrawings, we sent the toolmaker models of the design in progress. So its engineers not only provided feedback, but also let us know if the design could be manufactured cost effectively," said Kalogroulis. "eDrawings also provided the toolmakers a chance to anticipate what queries we were going to raise, thus they could prepare accordingly. As a result, they could conduct mold analyses and suggest design changes, all of which saved time and eliminated the potential for rework." This streamlined collaboration allowed Daka to cut development costs by 50 percent, reducing the time to build and test a rapid prototype to just three weeks. The DOLPHIN won the Consumer Product Design Award at the 2004 Hong Kong Awards for Industry. "Consumer product design emphasizes both style and function, and the DOLPHIN capitalizes on both," said SolidWorks Chief Operating Officer Jeff Ray. "Daka wanted to create a new market, and SolidWorks, COSMOSWorks, and eDrawings helped them accomplish the goal." Daka relies on SolidWorks reseller Cadtek for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.