GFI Innovations Inc. is the industry leader in ink formulation dispensing. The patented Mx Series technologies have allowed printers all over North America to capitalize on the utility inherent in mechanical automation. Combining GFI’s products essentially creates an in-house color lab for offset printers, which in turn permits the printers to detach themselves from relying on their ink manufacturers and the premium prices they charge for spot-color inks. GFI’s employees designed their products with the printer in mind, and the result of this effort has meant significantly increased efficiency and substantial cost savings.
GFI Innovations’ success with SolidWorks Simulation started when they encountered a field failure issue with one of their products. As part of GFI’s ongoing and continuous quality improvement process, GFI invited Graphics Systems to demonstrate how the SolidWorks’ Simulation Product Line (FEA) could be used to solve their field failure issue. GFI also hoped to proactively identify these issues during upcoming product designs and to limit future recall occurrences.
"By performing pilot projects and with the assistance of the GXSC FEA team, GFI Innovations was able to simulate the complex mechanism in SolidWorks Simulation and easily perform complex FEA analyses."
Graphics Systems and GFI used the SolidWorks Dynamic Motion and FE Structural Analyses studies to identify the field failure issue. By performing pilot projects and with the assistance of the GXSC FEA team, GFI Innovations was able to simulate the complex mechanism in SolidWorks Simulation and easily perform complex FEA analyses.
"This process allowed GFI Innovations to analyze many designs and design functions in a short period of time, thus cost-effectively identifying and solving the failure issue."
This process allowed GFI Innovations to analyze many designs and design functions in a short period of time, thus cost-effectively identifying and solving the failure issue. The new design also resulted in a significant noise reduction for the machine which was immediately noticed by GFI customers as well as the president of GFI. The marketing team at GFI also saw an opportunity to gain market share with this environmental advantage.
" The new design also resulted in a significant noise reduction for the machine which was immediately noticed by GFI customers"
In addition to the engineering advantages, GFI also used the Simulation software to generate customer reports explaining why the upgrade was necessary, as well as the benefits that would be achieved for their customers. GFI’s customers were impressed with GFI’s quick response and detailed communications, thus turning a potential problem into a positive for the company.
GFI plans to redesign the entire machine using SolidWorks Simulation products to reduce their costs, improve quality, and provide their customers with the best products on the market. By using design validation on a daily basis, GFI Innovations is able to optimize their design, while saving on traditional product development costs, scrap, and rework.
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GFI Innovations Inc. is the industry leader in ink formulation dispensing. The patented Mx Series technologies have allowed printers all over North America to capitalize on the utility inherent in mechanical automation. Combining GFI’s products essentially creates an in-house color lab for offset printers, which in turn permits the printers to detach themselves from relying on their ink manufacturers and the premium prices they charge for spot-color inks. GFI’s employees designed their products with the printer in mind, and the result of this effort has meant significantly increased efficiency and substantial cost savings.