Surface modelling cuts design by 50%

ICEM's 3D surface modelling software, ICEM Surf, has been used from concept, through virtual and physical prototyping, all the way to production tooling. Says Wayne Morgan, manager of vehicle geometry: "It enables us to integrate the design and engineering processes so we can deliver the design intent and design quality economically. "It's a given that, with the tools for diagnosing surface quality, we know that the highlights and reflections we see in a visualisation are what we will see in the product." But Land Rover has gone further: the firm's optical quality process begins when vehicle development reaches design freeze – when style has been agreed. Data from ICEM Surf becomes the master, and the process draws together surfacing engineers, manufacturing staff, detail design engineers, suppliers, toolmakers and designers to agree critical interfaces. During this process, functions, such as ICEM's Reference Manager and Renderer, enable high quality visualisation of digital models, combining both surface data created in ICEM Surf and detailed design engineering data from Land Rover's Catia CAD/CAM system. The combination is created and viewed in ICEM Surf, allowing the team to refine the vehicle's interfaces. A good example is the meeting point between the headlight, wing, bonnet, bumper and grill. The software was used to ensure that the design intent was maintained while engineering and manufacturing issues were considered in parallel. Exterior, interior and door shut-face reviews and design refinements were also all performed during this process. "It's the optical quality process that gives the final production vehicle its overall look and feel of quality," says Morgan. That, and the fact that ICEM Surf data can be used for machining of the components for assembling the 'function cube' physical prototype of the complete vehicle – and in production tooling – ensures that what is designed is what's manufactured, and that it looks good. "The function cubes are a safety net for engineering and the business," he adds. "We try to divorce engineering from style development. In the past, engineers always complained that they couldn't get on with the design work because they had to wait for the latest style version. Now, we do things much more concurrently." And to get a picture of the scale, he makes the point: "There's no need for section engineering now. We get our suppliers in to look at full assemblies projected in 3D onto large screens. We run a series of optical reviews to focus on interfaces in the vehicle. Suppliers are there too to agree final models and component assemblies." Key benefits

• Cut surfacing lead times by 50%
• Cut the number of physical prototypes
• More design iterations allowed
• Able to accept design changes much later
• Surface engineers can spend more time on feasibility