Success Story

1. AXILONE
PLASTIQUE
The Challenge
To meet customer demand for unique cap and case shapes with
a software solution flexible enough to handle production
requirements associated with these complex designs. To face
fierce competition from Asian and Eastern European countries,
be able to lower development costs but still maintain or increase
its high level of quality. Axilone’s objectives were to:
Satisfy its customers’ marketing development requirements. For
example, to provide 3D models with dynamic color presentations
or finished products. Customer Quote
Unite its products’ design and technical requirements
“thinkdesign...has many features
Combine its tools’ design and technical requirements to build curves and especially to
Reduce or eliminate inefficiencies caused by disparate systems check their quality, and is idea
for surface construction. GSM
enables designers to apply very
The Solution
late-modifications to any kind of
Axilone Plastique chose to implement numerous seats of thinkdesign, data whether native or imported,
thinkshape and thinkteam. They also added think3 third party software for parametric or not. This saves us
mold design and HyperMILL (CAM software developed by OPEN MIND), considerable time when making
which is fully integrated with thinkdesign. the modifications requested by
our customers.”
- Marc Chenel, MCAD Manager
The Story
Axilone Plastique is a leading European injection molder of cosmetics
packaging. It also designs and manufactures highly stylized plastic
containers: perfume bottles, bottle stoppers, compact cases and tubes for
the world's leading cosmetics companies.
Axilone handles injection-molded plastic packaging for such well-recognized
brand names as L'Oreal, Givenchy, Dior (LVMH Group), Yves Saint Laurent,
Key Results
Clarins, Bourjois, Yves Rocher, Chanel, Guerlain in Europe and Mary Kay
Saved over 20% in design
and Parelux in the United States.
time
Axilone often submits up to a dozen patterns to clients before receiving final
Improved overall
approval. Because styling is usually an iterative process, fast turnaround is productivity by 20%
imperative. Axilone Plastique formerly designed with Strim 100 (3D CAD),
Improved product quality
which was satisfactory but was only a quot;partial solutionquot; because it did not
by 20%
have any CAM features. In addition, Strim was expensive (supported on
Industry
UNIX) and old (no solid functions). Axilone Plastique wanted to work with
Industrial Design
Windows-based products that would allow them to use parametric design
functions, and provide automatic 2D drawing creation from a 3D model. Location
These features were not supported by Strim 100. Headquarters located in
Nanterre, France. Factories
To maintain its competitive advantage, Axilone Plastique knew it needed
in Auray (Brittany) France,
lower costs than its competitors, but still had to deliver higher quality. To
Guidel (Brittany) Farnce and
achieve this goal the company decided to invest in new technology. It Berlin (Connecticut) USA
Industrial Design Customer Success Story

2. AXILONE PLASTIQUE
The Payoff
decided to consolidate on one CAD/PDM solution
to reduce inefficiencies caused by disparate
Standardize design, production and mold
systems. Axilone chose the think3 product suite
production process using an integrated
of thinkdesign, thinkshape and thinkteam. The
CAD/PLM software solution
think3 solution not only provides seamless
Track project, from part design to numeric control
integration between 2D, 3D and PDM, the Global
(NC) programming
Shape Modeling (GSM) feature of thinkshape
Fully integrated 2D/3D allows users to design as
offers advanced shape design capabilities and
preferred in 2D or 3D, and move seamlessly
unparalleled surface/solid interoperability.
between 2D and 3D design modes
Axilone's new approach is to generate fillets, Leverage investment in 2D, with the ability to
holes, and protrusions from the solid model. reuse and modify legacy 2D drawings
Then they explode the solid into a surface to Improve ease-of-use, learning and
create complex, lofted and rounded shapes. implementation. Using thinkdesign in the design
office and in the tool office for CAM helps the
Once modeling is complete, designers create an
company quickly modify a model between these
inverse solid for the mold design. A built-in library
two areas
of commonly used plastic parts speeds the work,
thinkdesign Smart Objects allow the creation of
serving as a reservoir of objects available for
standard functions that simplify and shorten the
quick drag-and-drop into designs under
process of designing tools. For example, frames
construction. Last-minute changes are no longer
have similar features but are not exactly the
a problem, thanks in part to software features
same. With Smart Objects, there is a library of
that help create even freeform organic shapes.
standard frames that can be adapted based on
While leveraging the software's capabilities to
specific requirements of the tool being designed
shorten turnaround time, Axilone can provide
customers with more design alternatives,
resulting in dramatic improvements in product
quality and customer satisfaction.
think3 Inc., 312 Walnut St., Suite 2470, Cincinnati, OH 45202, www.think3.com
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