Custom Shop Designs Automation Solutions for Consumer Product Manufacturing Clients

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — March 29, 2010 — RND Automation & Engineering LLC uses Autodesk Inventor software to effectively design customized automation solutions for a wide range of customers including manufacturers of hydraulic valves, contact lenses and insulated beverage containers.

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) named the Sarasota, Fla.-based RND Automation as the March Autodesk Inventor of the Month for the company’s work with clients to manufacture and assemble products more efficiently and precisely with less waste.

“When you’re building a custom automation machine for a client, there’s no template to work from because you’re creating something that’s never been built before,” said Sean Dotson, president of RND. “ Digital Prototyping becomes absolutely essential to creating a workable design for a production-ready machine that can operate in a factory environment. With Inventor software, we can test our concepts and make sure that they’re going to work before we start cutting any metal or procuring parts.”

Digital Prototyping Simplifies Challenging Projects

With the assistance of Tampa, Fla.-based Autodesk reseller Tata Technologies, RND has successfully used Inventor software since its first release on a wide range of projects, tapping almost every area of the software’s functionality:

• For a hydraulic valve manufacturer, RND created an automated assembly machine that was 22 feet long and 8 feet wide, with 16 different assembly stations and four articulated robot arms. RND designed, visualized and simulated the entire machine using Inventor, enabling them to fully visualize and analyze operation of each assembly station before any materials were purchased.
• To create a portion of a machine that manufactures disposable contact lenses, RND needed to design mechanism that was capable of moving heavy weights up and down at rapid speeds. RND used Inventor software’s finite element analysis (FEA) functionality to analyze the forces placed on the linkages to help ensure the overall design was strong enough to withstand the pressures of daily operation.
• Tervis Tumbler is the leading manufacturer of insulated beverage containers for hot and cold drinks. RND used Inventor software’s animation capabilities early in the design phase to show Tervis how each assembly station would function and at what precise location the fully assembled product would exit the machine.

“Inventor software is helping RND move beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping. In helping bring the benefits of automation to clients in a broad array of industries, RND is competing and winning against competitors with its custom automation machine designs,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk.

About the Autodesk Inventor of the Month Program

Each month, Autodesk selects an Inventor of the Month from the users of Autodesk Inventor software, which takes manufacturers beyond 3D to Digital Prototyping. Winners are chosen for engineering excellence and groundbreaking innovation. For more information about Autodesk Inventor of the Month, contact Email Contact.

About RND Automation & Engineering

RND Automation & Engineering is a manufacturer of custom factory automation, robotic work cell, packaging and material handling equipment. RND has over 17 years of experience in the design of automated machinery. For additional information, visit www.rndautomation.com.

About Tata Technologies Limited

Tata Technologies Limited, founded in 1989 and a part of the Tata group, is a global leader in Engineering Services Outsourcing (ESO) and Product Development IT services solutions for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) to the world’s leading automotive and aerospace manufacturers and their suppliers. For more information, visit www.tatatechnologies.com.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality, and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.

Editorial Note:

An interview with RND Automation is available on the Autodesk YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxajjbwgMXQ .