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Solution · Gantries & equipment supports

Substation Structure
Design Automation

One substation project means dozens of structures: gantries, bus supports, breaker and CT supports, marshalling structures. Each passes analysis fast, then waits days for models, fabrication drawings, erection drawings, and MTOs drafted by hand. We build automation that produces the documentation in minutes, on your CAD platform, to your standards.

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Gantries · Supports · Bus Structures Fabrication + Erection Drawings + MTOs Inventor · AutoCAD · SolidWorks & More 19 Years in Design Automation

The problem

The Analysis Passes in Hours. The Project Waits on Drawings for Weeks.

Substation steel is repetitive by design: the same gantry logic, the same support families, resized project after project for new bay layouts, equipment, and loads. The engineering rules are stable. The documentation is redrawn every time.

Dozens of structures per project

A single 220 kV substation carries gantry towers and beams, equipment supports for every device, and cable and bus structures. Each needs its own model, drawings, and MTO. The drafting queue becomes the project schedule.

Every project shifts the details

New bay spacing, a different breaker, a revised phase clearance: small input changes ripple through every affected structure, and someone updates each drawing by hand and hopes nothing is missed.

Errors reach site, not just the shop

A wrong anchor bolt layout or a mismatched splice doesn't just scrap steel. It stalls an erection crew standing on site with a crane on the clock.

Our solution

Everything Between Analysis and Erection, Automated

We build the automation on the platform you already run, around your structure families, your drawing templates, your numbering, and the fabrication systems your data has to reach.

STRUCTURE PARAMETERS IN → COMPLETE 3D MODEL OUT

3D Models Without the Modelling

Enter the structure parameters once: geometry, member sections, connection types. The system builds the gantry, support, or bus structure as a complete assembly with plates, stiffeners, and hardware. Change a parameter and the model rebuilds.

3D MODEL IN → FABRICATION + ERECTION DRAWINGS OUT

Fabrication and Erection Drawings From One Source

Shop drawings with weld symbols and hole patterns, and erection drawings with marks and setting-out data, generated on your templates as IDW, DWG, SLDDRW, and PDF. Both always agree, because both come from the same model.

MODEL DATA IN → MTO · BOM · PART NUMBERS OUT

MTOs and Marks Without Data Entry

Material take-offs, bolt lists, galvanizing weights, and erection marks come straight from the model, exported to Excel or your ERP. Nobody retypes a member schedule again.

DESIGN DATA IN → SHOP FLOOR OUT

A Straight Line to Fabrication

Design data flows into fabrication and ERP systems without re-entry. When a bay layout changes, every affected structure's outputs regenerate on their own.

The workflow

From Structural Analysis to Shop-Ready Documentation in Minutes

STEP 1

Structural analysis

Run analysis in STAAD.Pro, PLS-CADD, or your tool of choice, to ASCE 113, IEEE 605, IS 800, or your governing code. Nothing changes upstream.

STEP 2

Input parameters

Carry the verified design into the tool: geometry, member sections, connection selections, layout data.

STEP 3

Automated generation

3D models, fabrication drawings, erection drawings, MTOs, and marks generate in minutes, not weeks.

STEP 4

Review and release

Your engineers check the outputs, adjust where needed, and release to fabrication and site.

STEP 5

Fabrication data

ERP, cutting schedules, and production planning receive the data directly, with no re-entry.

Typical results

The Numbers Substation Steel Fabricators See

80–90%Faster documentation, weeks per project become days
Near ZeroDrawing errors, rule-based validation stops mismatches at the source
99.9%MTO accuracy, manual data entry is out of the loop
60%Capacity freed, engineers back on engineering, not drafting

Run the Numbers for Your Project Volume →

Proven results

Deployed for Utility Structure Manufacturers

"The automation reduced our design cycle from weeks to days. Drawing errors dropped to near zero. Our engineers now focus on engineering, not repetitive drafting." Engineering Manager · US-based Utility Structure Manufacturer
  • Design-to-fabrication cycle reduced from 2 weeks to 2-3 days
  • Zero fabrication errors from drawing inconsistencies
  • 60% of engineering time freed from repetitive documentation
  • Direct data flow to fabrication systems eliminated manual re-entry

See the Full Case Study →

Custom built

Built Around Your Structure Families and Your Shop

The automation is shaped around how you already design and fabricate. Every one of these is configured to your practice:

Structure types

Gantry towers and beams, equipment supports, bus supports, marshalling and cable structures

Construction

Lattice, tubular, and rolled-section structures; bolted and welded connections

Connection details

Base plates, anchor bolt layouts, splices, cleats, stiffeners

Design codes

ASCE 113, IEEE 605, IS 800, or the standards your projects govern by

Drawing templates

Your title blocks, annotation standards, and view layouts

Numbering and marks

Your part numbering, assembly marks, and erection mark conventions

Output formats and integration

IDW, DWG, SLDDRW, PDF, Excel MTOs, ERP

How we work

From Audit to Production in 8-16 Weeks

1
Workflow auditWe map your analysis-to-fabrication workflow end to end. Free, no commitment.
2
Solution designArchitecture, parameter flow, and output integrations are agreed before code is written.
3
DevelopmentThe automation is built on your CAD platform, with your team reviewing it as it grows.
4
TestingValidated against your real structure designs, not sample data.
5
DeploymentHandover with source code, documentation, and training. It's yours.

Why FDES

Why FDES Technologies

  • 19 years building design automation and CAD customization
  • Utility-structure domain fluency, from transmission poles to substation steel
  • Fluent across platforms: Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and more
  • In production today with US-based utility structure manufacturers
  • Custom engineering, not a generic product that almost fits
  • One team, end to end, from workflow audit to production-grade automation

FAQ

Asked on Nearly Every First Call

Does this work with STAAD.Pro or PLS-CADD output?
Yes. The automation picks up where your structural analysis ends: the verified design drives model, drawing, and MTO generation in Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, or another CAD platform.
Can one system cover all our structure types?
That's the goal of the build. Gantries, equipment supports, and bus structures are configured as parametric families, and new structure types can be added to the same system as your product range grows.
Does it produce erection drawings as well as shop drawings?
Yes. Fabrication drawings for the shop and erection drawings with marks and setting-out data for site both generate from the same model, so they never disagree.
What CAD platforms do you support?
Autodesk Inventor, AutoCAD, SolidWorks, and other platforms. The automation is built for whichever CAD platform your team already uses.
How long does implementation take?
Typically 8-16 weeks, depending on how many structure families need covering and how complex the connections are. We build iteratively, so you see working automation early.
Do we own the source code?
Yes. This is custom engineering, not a licensed product. You own the system outright, operate it independently, and pay no per-user licensing and no annual subscription.
What does it cost?
It depends on scope: how many structure families, how complex the connections, and what integrations are required. The free workflow audit comes first and produces a detailed proposal with real numbers.
Can we try it before committing?
Yes. The free workflow audit analyzes your current analysis-to-fabrication process, identifies what's automatable, and gives you a detailed assessment. No cost, no commitment.

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Free assessment · no commitment

The Structures Repeat. The Drafting Shouldn't.

Bring us your analysis-to-fabrication workflow for substation structures. We'll map what automates cleanly, flag where the risk sits, and show you what a production-grade system would look like for your structure families. Free, with no commitment.

  • Your current workflow, mapped end to end
  • Automation opportunities, ranked
  • Risk and feasibility, assessed honestly
  • Projected results, in your numbers