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Delphi Automotive MicroStation expert
ensures design file integrity using FileFixer.
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KOKOMO, INDIANA, USA —
Do you have a Delphi XM satellite radio in your car? Or maybe
you are one of the hundreds of thousands of motorists whose
life has been saved by an air bag? If so, then you are already
familiar with Delphi Corporation, a worldwide leader in the
manufacturing of automobile electronics and safety devices.
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Bob Corwin, 24-year CAD veteran and FileFixer
user. |
In this month's MicroStation user showcase, MicroStation
Today would like you to meet Bob Corwin. Bob is the CAD
administrator at the Delphi Electronics and Safety facility
in Kokomo, Indiana. "Kokomo" is not only the title
of one of the catchiest songs in pop music history (Beach
Boys), but it also the birthplace of the rubber tire, the
aluminum casting process, stainless steel and the first push-button
car radio (source: www.inkokomo.com). A CAD veteran of 24
years and an Axiom tools user for just over five, Bob has
been using MicroStation since just after version 5.0 was released.
Before that he was running Intergraph IGDS. [Editor's note:
definitely a veteran.]
Amidst the automotive industry's mandatory two-week summer
shutdown — a time when ironically Bob's Facilities Department
has its busiest time of the year ensuring the facility is
in top shape while everyone else is gone - he took some time
to chat with MicroStation Today about his work, life and productivity
tips.
MicroStation Today: Tell
us more about Delphi and its products?
Bob: Delphi Electronics and
Safety manufactures automotive parts. We make the sensor that
determines whether the air bags need to deploy or not. We
build the computers that control the cars and trucks sold
by many of the automakers around the world. We build many
of the radios that are in GM cars and trucks.
Another pretty cool item we manufacture is the Passive Occupant
Detection Sensor (PODS). PODS senses whether or not a person
is sitting in a seat, and if so, how large the person is or
if it is a child car seat. The PODS then adjusts the force
at which the air bags deploys. It's pretty cool.
MicroStation Today: Don't you
need to have an extremely sterile environment to manufacture
high-end electronics?
Bob: Yes. Our facility was
at one time the largest of it's kind. It has 60,000 square
feet of Class 100 cleanrooms, which are cleaner than hospital
operating rooms. (Note: Cleanrooms are contamination-free
environments where high-tech manufacturing and assembly take
place. The class number refers to the maximum number of particles
bigger than one-half of a micron (a micron is equal to one
millionth of a meter) that would be allowed in one cubic foot
of cleanroom air. A Class 100 cleanroom, for example, would
not contain more than 100 particles bigger than half a micron
in a cubic foot of air).
MicroStation Today:
How does MicroStation fit into all this high-end cleanliness?
Bob: We use MicroStation
to manage the equipment and furnishings in our three million
square feet of office and manufacturing space. We also use
MicroStation for our mechanical, electrical and communications
systems, as well as to produce drawings for renovations and
relocations within the facility. We then place that data back
into a database, so we always know where all the systems are
located.
MicroStation Today: How do
Axiom tools fit in your workflow?
Bob: At the end of a project,
before the design files go back to the database (where they
keep track of changes and modifications to the files), I always
run FileFixer and Duplicate Element Remover
on every file. I also use CellManager to assist me
in maintaining our cell libraries, and when reference file
attachment paths change, I use RefManager to update
them.
Sometimes we do presentations showing proposed changes to
a facility. In these presentations, we block out and fill
areas of the design file. To ensure elements don't get lost
behind these filled elements, I use SequenceEditor.
I also use SpellCheckerPlus everyday.
MicroStation Today: Do Axiom
tools save you time and money?
Bob: Yes. Actually, Axiom
tools have saved my bacon many times. Most times the problem
involves getting AutoCAD files to work properly in our MicroStation
environment. Other times, the problem involves spending many
hours fixing several different drawings that have been manipulated
by different designers. You can't tell who or what caused
a problem in a file, but when a file breaks, it has to be
fixed. FileFixer always comes to the rescue. I used
to use EdG to fix broken MicroStation files. It was slow and
painful, even with 80 hours of training in EdG. FileFixer
finds the problem and just fixes it. It's a great product.
Duplicate Element Remover is a great tool as well.
Imagine a new user, a fence operation left on around several
thousand square feet of equipment and utilities and the copy
command gone amuck… duplicate elements are created everywhere!
With the old pen plotters, this mistake wipes out a pen and
a piece of paper quickly. We would have to manually remove
all the duplicates. Without Duplicate Element Remover,
the task is long and slow.
MicroStation Today: It
sounds like you and Axiom tools keep your department in tip-top
shape. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Bob: No problem. Thank you.
More about Bob Corwin
Bob enjoys playing golf and building furniture in his spare
time. He is fan of NASCAR racing and has been married to "the
same wonderful lady" for over 26 years. They have two
children who are both in college.
Call now!
For more information on Axiom tools, contact an Axiom MicroStation
Consultant today! Call 727-442-7774 extension 9061 or e-mail
9061@axiomint.com.
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