Tigercat Speeds Up Forestry Equipment Design With SolidWorks Software; Canada-based Manufacturer Builds Better Machines in Record Time Using Leading 3D CAD Software

    CONCORD, Mass.--Sept. 4, 2001--Tigercat Industries, Inc. has purchased SolidWorks three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) software to design its entire line of forestry products, SolidWorks today announced. Tigercat plans to standardize all of its production design throughout its facilities in Canada and Sweden on SolidWorks within the next year. SolidWorks software enables Tigercat engineers to automate complex sheet metal calculations and conduct detailed stress load analyses so the company can accelerate design time and production while ensuring that each product meets strict quality standards.
    Based in Paris, Ontario, Tigercat makes a wide variety of heavy-duty equipment including:

    --  feller bunchers, which cut and accumulate trees, laying them
        in bunches to be later collected by transporting machines;

    --  forwarders and skidders, which collect the bunches and
        transport them to roadside; and

    --  loaders, which sort the timber at roadside and load it onto
        trucks.

    Tigercat's goal is to build machines that are tough, reliable, and productive. To that end, Tigercat incorporates a significant amount of heavy-duty welding into its forestry product designs. The company's previous CAD software could not calculate changes in the sheet metal plates when production teams bent them according to design specifications. Until they began using SolidWorks software, engineers would have to calculate those changes by hand.
    "We deal with sheet metal design every day," said Brad Boehler, Tigercat's engineering administrator. "If you're making a bracket with a bend in it, the plate you bend to make that bracket actually stretches a bit. You've got to be able to calculate how much it will change so you can make sure the bracket fits into the assembly. Doing that by hand is tedious, time-consuming, and increases the risk that the bracket won't fit. SolidWorks can automatically calculate how sheet metal changes during the fabrication process. This saves us time, money, and the headaches of fixing production errors."
    Boehler and his team evaluated three different software packages, but chose SolidWorks because of the sheet metal module, its ease of use, and its integration with finite element analysis programs. With the previous CAD software, the Tigercat team would have to analyze the properties of different sections of a boom on a loader, for example, and then try to compile those separate reactions into an overall analysis. That approach gave them a fragmented view of how different levels of stress on different sections of the boom affected its overall structural integrity. Now, Tigercat can get a better simulation of how the boom would perform in the woods using SolidWorks, in conjunction with its partner Structural Research and Analysis Corp.'s stress analysis application, COSMOS/Works.
    "Tigercat's products involve complex sheet metal design," said John McEleney, chief operating officer for SolidWorks Corp. "The powerful sheet metal capabilities in SolidWorks enable Tigercat to create, cut, bend, and unbend sheet metal parts with just a few mouse clicks, saving time, increasing performance, and reducing manufacturing errors. SolidWorks allows Tigercat to design durable, reliable, and safe equipment, quickly and easily so the company can stay ahead of the competition."
    Tigercat is working with SolidWorks' reseller, Javelin Technologies for ongoing software implementation, training, and support.

    About Tigercat

    Tigercat Industries designs and manufactures premium quality forestry and off-road equipment with manufacturing facilities in Canada and Sweden. The diverse forestry line includes complete full-tree and cut-to-length harvesting systems. For more information, see the company's web site at www.tigercat.com.

    About Javelin Technologies

    Javelin Technologies is a leading SolidWorks Value-Added Reseller (VAR) based in Canada, and an authorized and certified SolidWorks training and support organization. Javelin supports customers from various industry segments including automotive, aerospace, machinery, electronics, medical, and industrial design, and serves Ontario and the Canadian Atlantic provinces. For more information about Javelin, see the company's Web site at www.javelin-tech.com or call 1-877-21-WORKS.

    About SolidWorks Corporation

    SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systemes S.A. company, develops and markets mechanical design software solutions. Founded in 1993, SolidWorks' mission is to deliver the power of 3D to everybody in design and manufacturing. In 5 years of shipping product, SolidWorks has shipped more than 145,000 total seats of software consisting of over 81,000 commercial seats and more than 64,000 educational seats worldwide. SolidWorks has offices worldwide and distributes its products through a network of resellers selling in 70 countries. For the latest news, information, or a live online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

    SolidWorks and the SolidWorks logo are registered trademarks of SolidWorks Corporation. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2001 SolidWorks Corporation.