According to the much-quoted Steve Jobs, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
Modelers and designers know that the design process depends on details. This requires full concentration and machines that make the process easy and not over-complicated. This is exactly the approach taken by Wenzel Design Studio Solutions – milling machines that facilitate the daily work and specially designed for the requirements of design studios.
We at Wenzel agree with Mr. Jobs, I guess.
In our other two blog postings this month we discuss the need for a clay model as part of the vehicle design process (here) and some of the equipment needed to bring the development of these clay models to completion(here) .
We accept that maybe not as many full-size clay models of vehicles are made today, per project, as less ‘stylish’ prototypes can be eliminated from consideration in the digital world. However, the public demands new models and facelifts more often, so there are more projects than in the past. We still see a very high demand for clay model production. Assuming we are right about the continued need to build full-size models before final management sign off of new designs and facelifts, then we are also right to continue to develop our solutions for modelers and when in front of them, convince that the Wenzel ideology will make the most impact in their process in terms of start to finish speed and in terms of the quality of the finished model.
So what is different about the Wenzel solution?
There are two different approaches to clay milling and the iterative process of modifying a clay model.
Move the model to different stations (milling machine, floor plate, scanner). Particularly in the milling phase the individual process will be fastest, but in our view the process is not fastest overall. Logistics are also needed to move the model around and the model has to be realigned and set up each time it is moved. This is particularly time-consuming when small refinements are being made and there is then a need, in each iteration to update the opposite side of the model and update the CAD. There is a variation of this process where the model remains stationary and the milling machines and scanners are moved to the model. We classify this as a similar process and a great deal of logistics and set-ups are needed. Fast individual processes, delays from logistics and set-up.
The second approach is to have a long, flush-floor, cast iron plate with a number of arms on each side providing a numbers of locations for models/projects. The models remain in the same place throughout the project. The arms can be used for many different functions as and when needed by each model/project. No logistic delay and no set-up time.
Wenzel Design Studio Solutions follow the second path. There are some competitors in this area too, but the key difference for the Wenzel solution is that we provide everything – the CMM Mill machines, different milling heads, cubes, measuring heads, laser scanners, scribing tools, controllers mounted on the arms, wireless joysticks, simple touch panel interfaces and sophisticated software to cover all tasks in the styling studio.
All of this from Wenzel and supported by Wenzel.
Another Wenzel differentiator is our flexibility. So if you need a plate 200” or 2,000” long, you can have it. If you want one arm per side or 10 arms per side, you can have it.
We look forward to showing you how our design solutions really work. In the meantime, take a look at the beautiful design of our new generation of CMM based milling machines.
We like the look and feel and the way they work. We hope Steve would have liked them too.