CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
13 June 2007
Implementation Investments
BorgWarner Thermal Systems Uses SolidWorks Software to Cool World's Hardest-Working Engines
BorgWarner Thermal Systems, part of the $3.2 billion BorgWarner Engine Group, is using more than 40 licenses of SolidWorks 3D CAD software to design and manufacture cooling systems that make passenger vehicles and commercial trucks run cleaner.
BorgWarner Thermal Systems is the leading designer and supplier of cooling and thermal management systems and components for passenger car, SUV, light truck, medium-duty truck, heavy-duty truck, and off-highway applications. The company supplies fans, fan drives, engine-mounted ring shrouds, and radiator shutters to global automakers as well as the biggest names in heavy-duty trucks, such as Volvo, PACCAR, Peterbilt, DaimlerChrysler, Navistar International, MAN, and Scania.
"SolidWorks software helps us design better products that make engines run cleaner, longer, quieter, and more efficiently, improving fuel economy and helping vehicle manufacturers meet rigorous emissions control regulations," said Chris Reniger, CAD designer and Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP). "By exchanging data effectively with other CAD packages and processing complex geometry, it helps us accelerate new products to market and deliver accurate designs the first time, avoiding the retooling costs that can run some companies into the millions."
BorgWarner Thermal Systems designers receive engine, radiator, and other part files from automakers in any of half a dozen CAD formats, then use SolidWorks to create thermal systems that interface with them. The company must deliver those designs in whichever CAD file format the customer requires.
"SolidWorks software speaks very well with every other CAD package," said CAD administrator Benjamin Sprygada, also a CSWP. "It gives us the biggest bang for the buck in file translation power and in overall performance. It's the easiest-to-use package, so we can train our people fast, yet it handles the complex designs and complex surfaces in our fan assemblies. We do push the limits with curves often bending in three different directions on one blade. The bottom line is that SolidWorks helps us do more with less."
Sprygada singled out new administrative tools that enable him to roll out software updates without having to scramble from "desktop to desktop" to configure each one - an important benefit because he has dual responsibilities as a CAD designer and administrator. The 40-plus licenses at BorgWarner Thermal Systems are part of a total of over 100 licenses at BorgWarner Inc. as a whole.
"BorgWarner is synonymous with reliable, high-quality auto components," said SolidWorks Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Rainer Gawlick. "The company serves the who's who of auto and truck makers, and we're proud that SolidWorks software is a key link in the company's design chain."
BorgWarner Thermal Systems works with authorized SolidWorks reseller DASI Solutions for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
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