British Antarctic Survey named Autodesk Inventor of the Month

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Published 4:14 pm, Fri 1 Aug 2008

BAS uses Autodesk Inventor design tools (supplied by Micro Concepts of Cambridge) to enable their research in the Antarctic region – research that addresses key challenges of the 21^st Century, such as climate change, ozone depletion and rising sea levels.

The organisation’s engineering team is charged with producing equipment for operation in the harsh Antarctic environment. This ranges from a rugged digital camera used to monitor sea ice activity, a star-pointing telescope measuring atmospheric ozone, to a drill capable of extracting ice cores that are thousands of years old.

The BAS engineering team relies on Autodesk Inventor software to create these instruments. By generating models that are accurate 3D digital presentations of the finished product, BAS engineers are able to validate design and engineering data as they work - minimising the need for physical prototypes and reduceing the need for costly engineering changes that might not otherwise emerge until manufacture. Andy Tait, BAS mechanical design engineer, says:

“Autodesk Inventor has proved invaluable in checking for interferences and making sure all the components fit together. Just as important, it allows us to present very realistic 3D models to the scientists so that we can gather their input on the device before we produce a solid model. Sometimes it could be something simple, like the device being the wrong size to handle when wearing gloves, or that the device needs to be more modular and easier to assemble and take apart in icy conditions”.

“BAS is carrying out research of the most timely kind,” says Robert Kross, senior vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. “Digital prototyping allows them to carry out their mission more effectively.  We are pleased to name them as our Inventor of the Month for July 2008.”

www.antarctica.ac.uk/

www.microconcepts.co.uk/events