Facilities Layout with Solidworks

[SoledWorker]

Our IT department is pushing towards a common platform for all engineering endeavor, and is proposing the use of SolidWorks (or other 3d Cad) for facilities work. The Industrial Engineers are currently using "Microstation" (2d) in conjunction with "Aperture" to do plant floor layout and office space management. Does anyone out there use SolidWorks for facilities work or know of anyone who does? Any thoughts or recommendations on how to do this or whether it makes sense to attempt it?

 

[Demojock]

Hi

Solidworks can integrate with microsoft visio, which is a schematic package, ideal for factory layouts and process diagrams. it doesn't come as standard (although existing SW users had the oportunity of a free copy when upgrading to sw 2001) but is not a substansial sum ($400'ish). it works by embedding a Visio drawing within a solidworks drawing, a great way to mix and match solid modelling and 2D info.

hope it helps.

demojok

 

[SBaugh]

I have always thought about making something like that and I would love to give it a try sometime. But I don't have a need too.

One thing that you must be aware of:
1) The largest area in cubic Feet is 1640. Anything larger will require a second part.

How big is the plant and office space combined?
What kind of plant is it?
Do you have conveyor systems or is it all just molding machines placed on the floor?
????
Since I don't know what kind of plant it is I don't know if it is feasible or not. If it has a conveyor system in it. It would be harder to model that quickly, unless your just looking for basic shapes. Then with basic shapes it could probably be done fairly quickly. But I don't know what you do so it's hard to say.

I'm sure most people here and most other NG would suggest some other CAD software. But I enjoy pushing SW to it's limits. I do it everyday. Finding new ways to get a job done. I enjoy a good challenge, and doing a plant layout would definitely be in that category.

So for you to decide to do it in SW:
1) Know your overall size of the entire plant?
2) Know your limitations?
3) What would be involved to make it look the way you want it?
4) Are you willing to accept a large challenge such as this or are you looking for the easy way out?
5) Plan it out before you make your first part!! Because down the road your going to have issues come up and you don't want to spend all your time trying to figure it out along with planning your next move.

I think I am just rambling now! LOL

One last thing though, you might want to ask this question at comp.cad.solidworks NG. I believe there are some people that has made chairs and stuff like that. That you may be able to use in your design.

Hope that helps, Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com

 

[SoledWorker]

The plant here is "huge", with many different types of machines, and hundreds of them, in addition to the office space. The SW folks suggested that a "configuration" of each machine could be saved that represents just the envelope of the machine.

What, specifically is the 1640 limit that you mentioned?

 

[SBaugh]

Ecutright,

<Snip>
The plant here is &quot;huge&quot;, with many different types of machines, and hundreds of them, in addition to the office space.

:-0

<Snip>
The SW folks suggested that a &quot;configuration&quot; of each machine could be saved that represents just the envelope of the machine.

That would save on overall file size and help in speeding up your plant design.

If you make everything in a basic shape or form including your office area. That will definitely help speed up the process. Don't in-context anything (not that I think you would need to do that). But it sounds like you have covered a lot of this already. I think I would give it a try.

<Snip>
What, specifically is the 1640 limit that you mentioned?

Part Specific
Make a box in SW and tag two dimensions on it Hori. & Vert.. Now make those dimensions 1640' (Feet) now extrude it to 1640' (Feet). That's as far as I can make mine go. I didn't try to see how many inches and decimal points I could go. I just tried to find a round number to work with.

Hope this helps, Scott Baugh, CSWP
George Koch Sons,LLC
Evansville, IN 47714
sjb@kochllc.com