Libbey is making "SolidWorks" software the 3D design standard for its engineers worldwide, it announced Nov/05. Toledo-based Libbey has purchased 21 licenses of SolidWorks software for mechanical & mould engineers who design products, machinery & tooling for the company's 6 manufacturing plants around the world. "A Libbey team looked at all the major 3D computer-aided design packagings, including Autodesk products & interviewed many users," said Robert Harder, a machine design engineer for Libbey & resident software expert who has used CAD software since the 1970s. "Our research team kept coming back to SolidWorks' ease of use, & we can now confirm that finding based on our own experience." The Libbey engineering group has already used SolidWorks to transform a set of architectural drawings first created in AutoCAD software into a working, virtual 3D model of a new Libbey plant in China. The 3D renderings enable more people to make better decisions on cost-effectively outfitting the plant.
