ZW3D Helps the Eurecat Technology Center Nurture Catalonia-Based Businesses

With 11 offices in Catalonia, Spain, the Eurecat technology center brings together the expertise of 650 professionals who generate an annual income of 51 million euros. As the main technological partner of more than 1,000 local companies in industries such as medical and automotive, Eurecat is involved in over 200 R&D projects and has nearly 100 patents.

Figure 1. The Eurecat headquarters

More Powerful yet Affordable 3D CAD for More Profitable Business

At Eurecat, more than 100 people handle CAD information that mostly comes from different providers and clients daily. Besides assisting associates including Dicomol, Rogasa, Tecsymold, Servitecmold, Talleres Fiestas, etc., they develop their own plastic injection mold products and projects with around 20 users focused on the 3D design of different parts.

Figure 2. Ultrasound injection mold products by Eurecat

According to Mr. José Marfil, the manufacturing laboratory manager, a flexible 3D CAD solution with full capabilities to achieve any requirements and with the best support was needed for them to help associates be more profitable. “From MecDATA, a long-time software supplier who happens to be one of ZWSOFT’s Spanish partners, we learned about ZW3D whose price-performance ratio is favorable. What’s more surprising is that they were willing to donate some licenses to us on behalf of ZWSOFT to support our role as the bridge between the world of applied research and the economic fabric.”

Depending on current projects and training needs, around 25 professionals work with ZW3D at Eurecat. As Mr. Félix Torres, a robotics technician pointed out, they hoped that they could create new projects with fewer resources devoted to CAD and allocate more of the time and money to different areas. “ZW3D has a huge range of features that meet most of the customer needs at a low price. This combination of capability and affordability allows us to create big projects without investing a big quantity of money in 3D CAD software. Compared with using other software, we cut the cost by up to 10 times, for similar features! This advantage can be extended to the yearly maintenance quote and new seats in the future.”

Figure 3. Ultrasound injection mold models created with ZW3D by Eurecat

Satisfying All Technical Needs from Easy Learning to Powerful Repairing

From the technical perspective of Mr. Torres, ZW3D has a bunch of practical advantages. First, it is easy to use. “We like the ZW3D interface, which is very similar to other products and predictive. In general, the training curve is short. We were able to grasp ZW3D in around 2 weeks using the integrated tutorials and timely technical help from MecDATA.”

Plus, ZW3D boosts their productivity from mold design to assembly. “A wide range of file formats of solutions like CATIA^®, NX^®, and SolidWorks^® can be imported and exported with ZW3D so that we can modify and develop external geometries. Our most frequently used functions are related to mold design. We find the mold library and the powerful repairing to fix surfaces and solids very useful. We also appreciate features like associative assembly.”

Figure 4. Over-injection mold models created with ZW3D by Eurecat

Figure 5. The machining of over-injection mold products by Eurecat

Opening up New Possibilities via ZW3D

Eurecat aspires to show their associates how to improve the performance of their companies by making them more reliable and more profitable. “Thanks to this donation of ZW3D licenses, we had an opportunity to learn about a new solution that can change the CAD market in a few years. Our associates got to develop a better perspective on the available choices in the market and make a comparison with the common ones as well,” concluded Manager José Marfil.

(Images courtesy of the Eurecat technology center)