The Problem
The manufacturer relied on a manual process to design and document custom workstations. Sales teams struggled to quickly visualize configurations, while engineering teams had to recreate designs in CAD—causing delays, errors, and duplicated effort.
Constraints & Challenges
- Experience: Providing an intuitive 3D configuration experience for non-engineering users.
- Rules: Enforcing design rules related to size, load, and compatibility.
- Validation: Preventing invalid or overlapping accessory placements.
- Accuracy: Generating production-ready engineering outputs from sales configurations.
- Security: Integrating securely with existing enterprise authentication systems.
Our Approach
FDES designed a full-stack engineering platform connecting web-based configuration with SolidWorks automation.
- Secure login using Microsoft Azure Active Directory with role-based access.
- Step-by-step web configurator for selecting profiles, dimensions, and accessories.
- Real-time validation of fitment and design rules.
- Visual feedback for valid and invalid accessory placements.
- Seamless handoff from sales configurations to engineering workflows.
What Was Automated
Interactive 3D workstation configuration in the browser
Real-time visualization and fitment validation
Generation of 3D PDFs (isometric, front, side, top views)
Automatic Excel Bills of Materials and profile cut lists
SolidWorks integration to generate 3D models and drawings
Synchronization between web proposals and engineering systems
SolidWorks Integration
FDES also developed a custom SolidWorks plugin for the engineering team.
- Fetch proposal data created in the web configurator.
- Open and review configured workstation designs.
- Automatically generate 3D CAD models, 2D drawings, and BOMs.
- Eliminate manual re-modeling of sales configurations.
Impact
Fast Turnaround
Reduced sales-to-engineering turnaround time dramatically.
No Rework
Eliminated manual recreation of designs in CAD.
Accuracy
Improved accuracy and consistency across configurations.
Scalability
Enabled scalable customization without increasing engineering load.