The definition and the tuning of a new methodology based on virtual design for achieving the TTM and costs reduction is the main result for the Carcerano S.r.l. The development of the project involving new technologies and appropriate software and hardware, together with the advanced design techniques, give the possibility to reach this aim. Carcerano S.r.l. is developing the new methodology and has already begun to apply it to the products were considered in CLEAN PLAST project.
The virtual prototyping approach allows very detailed verification activities reaching high quality level standards for the new products, with lower development cost, due to the saving of money and time avoiding building physical prototype. By the use and the development of virtual prototype, Carcerano S.r.l. has reached a very high realistic perception feeling in the simulation and visualisation of objects, without making any physical prototype. Besides, using the virtual prototype is possible to detect project errors or ergonomic problems before starting with the equipment production, avoiding committing errors on tools.
The aim of Virtual Design as project methodology, is the optimization of the complete development of a new project regarding a new plastic material product of industrial design. This system permits:
- Reducing the time for defining the style thanks to the opportunity of visualizing the ''object'', reproduced very similarly to reality.
-To reduce the length of the realization process and as a consequence the development costs, comparing to traditional procedures, which at present need expensive experimental activities using the traditional physical prototyping while, with virtual design, is possible to realize in ''real time'' the study of kinematics mechanisms, assembling phases and installation, interferences analysis, minimum distances checks.
To obtain an increase of the project quality level, thanks to the opportunity offered by the system to represent faithfully and adequately the reality, to foresee problems, nowadays faced only during experimental prototyping phases.
The total informatisation of the project where the analysis and the information coming from every process step are immediately available as input data for the other phases, generating a permanent control feedback on project data.