CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
4 June 2007
Implementation Investments
Zygote Develops Heart, Skeleton, Rest of Anatomy in 3D CAD Using SolidWorks Software
Zygote Media Group is using SolidWorks ® 3D CAD software to ensure the term "anatomically correct" applies to the products its customers develop. A SolidWorks solution partner, Zygote is building hyper-accurate 3D models of the human body, including skeletons, the heart, arteries, nerves, and muscle tissue for customers to develop better products in the biomedical, entertainment, athletic gear, and video gaming industries.
Founded in 1994, Utah-based Zygote has delivered compelling 3D CAD models that have appeared in movies such as "Hollow Man," commercials for such giants as Coca Cola, television networks such as The Discovery Channel, and a host of textbooks, university classrooms, trade journals, corporate training videos, pharmaceutical research, marketing materials, and educational software. Biomedical companies, for example, use heart models to develop stents to place in damaged arteries and skeletal models to design a brace that may straighten a crooked spine. Increasing demand from medical device manufacturers for anatomy models generated in SolidWorks prompted Zygote to adopt the 3D CAD software. Being a SolidWorks Solution Partner, Zygote and the Zygote Human Anatomy and Skeletal Data are featured on the SolidWorks partner Web site.
"Biomedical research and development is a fast-growing market, and SolidWorks is clearly the 3D CAD software our customers use the most," said David Dunston, Zygote executive partner and designer. "The software allows us to apply detailed MRI and CT scan data we've generated to create extremely precise solid models. Its surfacing capabilities are crucial when dealing with complex forms such as the heart muscle."
Zygote models designed in SolidWorks save companies the time, effort, and cost of creating accurate models from scratch or relying on rapid prototyping, which can cost thousands of dollars and delay development.
Canadian medical device manufacturer Pega Medical, Inc. uses Zygote tibia and femur models to develop orthopedic pins and devices that aid in treating brittle bone diseases. "We immediately experienced a decrease in the amount of time it took to design and develop our products," said Enrique Garcia, Pega Medical's director of engineering. "The Zygote models worked exceptionally well within SolidWorks software, and we were able to easily scale the models for product development. The Zygote solid models took weeks off of our development time and helped us design better products."
Customers also use Zygote models to develop shin guards for children, athletic shoes, and walkers for the elderly. One customer used models of human ribs to design the fork for a custom-built motorcycle.
"The possibilities for these models are almost endless," said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks vice president of worldwide marketing. "Developing them in SolidWorks will help our customers refine their product development. Congratulations to Zygote for blending true innovation and a drive for accuracy to further our understanding of anatomy."
The Zygote online store can be found at ( http://www.3dscience.com/ ).
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