A robust CAD/CAM engine is capable not only of developing cutting-edge products for the future, but in some cases, re-creating a beloved product from the past. Recent indications show CAD/CAM functionality gaining incredible traction in the automotive sector, helping develop various products capable of ushering in a new era of safety and performance.

At the core of any sound product development initiative lies the beating heart of a robust CAD/CAM engine, capable of not only developing cutting-edge products for the future, but in some cases, re-creating a beloved product from the past. And as recent news indicates, CAD/CAM functionality is gaining incredible traction in the automotive sector, helping develop various products capable of ushering in a new era of safety and performance.

Bikernet News picked up on an interesting story about Toronto-based Crocker Motorcycle Company, which has contracted with Accurate Engineering to resurrect some of its classic brands. Through reverse engineering, they now have a complete set of more than 1,300 CAD/CAM drawings that will make a new motorcycle, the Crocker, a duplicate of the original:

The 1936 Crocker enjoyed the distinction of being the first production motorcycle in the US to use an “over head valve” engine, beating Harley-Davidson to the punch by 4 to 6 months before their launch of the 1936 “Knucklehead.” From its first appearance on the road in Los Angeles and for many years to come, the Crocker was the fastest production bike in the world.

The new Crocker Big and Small Tank models will be visually identical to the original but will be updated internally, according to Bikernet.

The need for CAD speed continues a report from Japan Corporate News Network, which says Sumitomo Metals is in the midst of developing the world’s largest and fastest Drop Weight Test machine, a gizmo that evaluates crash energy absorption performance. The new device holds the potential to reproduce and evaluate crash performance of the body of a vehicle with unparalleled precision, thanks to the aid of computer-aided engineering (CAE):

[By] constructing highly accurate CAE (computer-aided engineering) technology based on acquired data, Sumitomo Metals has developed new technology for evaluating the crash performance of components and systems. Going forward, Sumitomo Metals will recommend to automotive manufacturers components and structures to maximize the performance of steel materials, as well as provide technical assistance for the development of next-generation body structures that will offer higher crash performance.

And according to a recent announcement from Mentor Graphics Corporation, automaker Ford Motor Company will standardize worldwide on Mentor Graphics Capital Harness System (CHS) flow for the design of vehicle electrical systems. CHS will be used by the entire Ford group, including Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda and Volvo brands. This new functionality boosts engineering productivity by automating time-consuming tasks. More important, CHS’s generative design flow promotes component and system reuse, thus consolidating purchasing volumes, and provides a rules-driven correct-by-construction paradigm that eliminates wiring integration errors, according to the announcement. By capturing and acting on the complex configuration relationships during the electrical design flow, CHS allows this complexity to be properly managed.

“The electrical system is a high impact aspect of a modern automobile,” said Martin O’Brien, general manager of Mentor’s Integrated Electrical Systems Division. “By standardizing on CHS, Ford will achieve cost, reliability and time-to-market advantages in terms of part number control, design error reduction and architectural optimization”

EE Times dives a little bit deeper into what makes Mentor functionality work. By utilizing Internet-based integration technologies and a data-driven graphical styling engine, the Mentor tool enables design companies who serve different organizations across multiple locations to work with the same tools and processes. EE Times says:

Developed in close consultation with major OEMs and tier one harness makers, Capital HarnessXC leverages both Mentor’s experience as a supplier of harness design tools and the modern software architecture of the Capital Harness System (CHS) family of products. Though spanning a wide flow, CHS tools must typically integrate with other enterprise applications. Historically such integrations have been hard to maintain, but CHS employs a modern service-oriented architecture to ensure integration longevity.

And isn’t that what CAD/CAM tools and processes are all about? Dependable design and longeviity?

Resources

Crocker Motorcycle Company Teams with Accurate Engineering to Produce Engines for the All New Crocker Motorcycle
Bikernet News, Sept. 11, 2006

Sumitomo Metals Develops Technology for Evaluating Crash Performance of Components and Systems
Japan’s Corporate News Network, Oct 20, 2006

Ford Standardizes On Mentor Graphics ‘ CHS Electrical Design Tools Worldwide
Business Wire (via MCADCafe), Oct. 17, 2006

Mentor introduces Capital HarnessXC
by Gabe Moretti
EE Times, Oct. 19, 2006