Practical Resources for Modern Teams

The Benda engineering department relies on custom iLogic code to automate some of their Inventor® operations. One feature of the company's iLogic code required an employee to manually select "enter" after each part generation. With one assembly potentially containing over a hundred sheet metal parts, this minor annoyance added up to a significant time-management issue.

Project Goals:

After some creative attempts at solving the problem, the Benda team called upon Hagerman & Company to help update and revise the iLogic code. Benda engineers also needed help addressing some error messages popping up since the upgrade to Inventor 2023.

Solutions:

Hagerman & Company consultants were able to make changes to the code, removing unnecessary function and allowing for a more efficient workflow.

Business Outcomes:

Streamlining the process has allowed Benda Conveyor Solutions to increase efficiency and take on more projects, boosting profitability.

Conclusion:

Through their relationship with Hagerman and Autodesk, the engineers at Benda were able to update and solidify the iLogic code and make other needed improvements to the workflow. 

Customer Challenge

As a custom machine builder, early approval of the design concept is very important for Planet Tool & Engineering. At Hagerman & Company, we looked for ways to explain and illustrate machine functionality to the customer so they can make knowledgeable decisions based on their end needs. Simulation software is a great way to effectively demonstrate operational characteristics and obtain design verification. Once it is obtained, the detailed design is completed and sent to production.

Project Goals

The main goal is always to meet the SOW the first time, thus eliminating redesign and rework. Obtaining early design verification utilizing a virtual simulation of machine functionality is one of the tools used to mitigate that risk. It serves as a communication tool to ensure that the product, as built, will function to meet the requirements, eliminating costly redesign and rework.

Solution

Training and technical support allowed Planet Tool & Engineering to utilize the software to its potential, making for an effective simulation.

Business Outcome

The simulation software reduced the amount of time required during product validation (run-off) thanks to the machine operation virtually on the computer. There are no "surprises" when the machine is built and operational. All interested parties were able to watch it function before it was built. Additionally, Autodesk Inventor Nastran stress analysis software allowed the customer to utilize less material in the design, reducing cost and increasing production efficiency.

Conclusion

The user-friendly interface of Inventor made the engagement fun and faster. It is exciting to get to see and show machine functionality prior to building it and then see it physically work after it is built.

About Planet Tool & Engineering

Since 1965, Planet Tool & Engineering provides innovative solutions to a diverse manufacturing industry. They continually upgrade and automate their machining capabilities in order to operate more cost effectively and efficiently.

"It is exciting to get to see and show machine functionality prior to building it and then see it physically work after it is built."

Customer Challenge

Vanair developed a new separator tank design for their PTO-powered compressed air system. The CEO then requested a new pre-heating system for cold weather applications. Previous systems used heating blankets which took too much electricity and time. The new system directs the hot engine-cooling fluid through the separator tank and control manifold, enabling the system to warm up before reaching the job site. Vanair needed to show customers with cold-weather applications how the new system worked.

Project Goals

The goal was straightforward: Create a video/animation indicating that hot coolant fluid flows through a heating element submerged within the tank’s compressor oil and within the air control manifold. The process needed to show that the heat transfer is direct - as opposed to working through a cold steel tank and valve body before beginning to heat the compressor oil and valve’s internal working components.

Solution

After taking Autodesk Inventor training with Hagerman Solutions Engineer Kendred Cooper, John Cunningham with Vanair knew if anyone could help them with this, Kendred could. "We discussed my specific need in detail and he created a video showing the fluid flow process within Inventor. You don’t see that level of customer service very often. But you get that every day with the folks at Hagerman." -John Cunningham, Vanair

Business Outcome

Autodesk Inventor enables Vanair to show processes, components, and the inner workings of equipment not possible with a video camera. They can digitally showcase a single piece of equipment, its key components, and how the unit works. With fewer physical trade shows, they’ve used Inventor to create a digital tradeshow booth to showcase several pieces of equipment for an ever-growing web-based audience. When time is critical, Inventor enables them to design and model parts and assemblies quickly.

Conclusion

Vanair received excellent training with Hagerman and has called on them for subsequent support. “This particular engagement definitely had a great impact on my company. But it was really just Hagerman’s people doing what they do best. That type of customer service, the talent pool of personnel and the services they provide are something I appreciate more than I can express.” - John Cunningham, Vanair

About Vanair Mobile Power Solutions

With over 44 years of experience, Vanair® provides the best-in-class product offerings, installation and service training. With well over 70 standard products, Vanair offers the most comprehensive line of Mobile Power Solutions™ in the industry.

M.D. Henry Company, Inc., a leading Alabama-based provider of transmission and distribution (T&D) products for the electrical power industry, supports a broad customer base with equipment such as batteries, chargers, regulators, and substation components. With nearly four decades of experience, the company has built a reputation for reliability and innovation in the utility, municipal, and industrial markets—both in the U.S. and internationally.

Customer Challenge

M.D. Henry’s engineering team relied on an application integrated with SolidWorks® to generate part models. However, as the company moved toward standardizing its design processes around Autodesk Inventor®, the existing toolset needed to be updated to function within the new CAD environment. The goal was to transition from Solidworks to Autodesk Inventor for part creation and streamline their processes by eliminating redundant steps.

The Hagerman Solution

After evaluating M.D. Henry’s legacy application and understanding the repetitive nature of their part creation process, the Design Automation team at Hagerman & Company proposed a solution to leverage iLogic capabilities inside Autodesk Inventor to automate key workflows. By redesigning the application logic to fit within Inventor’s framework, Hagerman delivered a solution that eliminated unnecessary manual inputs and introduced rules-based automation to streamline model generation.

Results and Business Impact

The redesigned application—now fully integrated with Autodesk Inventor—eliminated multiple manual steps and reduced the need for repetitive data entry. As a result, M.D. Henry reported a 25% reduction in the time required to process each part, significantly improving engineering productivity. Additionally, the new iLogic-driven automation gave engineers greater flexibility and control over how parts are generated and modified, enhancing their ability to respond to design changes quickly.

Long-Term Benefits

By partnering with Hagerman & Company, M.D. Henry not only completed a successful migration from SolidWorks to Inventor, but also gained a more efficient and scalable design environment with the adoption of iLogic automation. M.D. Henry is now positioned for future growth with faster part development and a reduced risk of human error.