Customer Stories
Clean Tech
Vigor Wave Energy AB: Energy Conversion
e-Wolf: Electric Cars and Utility Vehicles
BioLite, Inc.: Biomass Stoves
Freiezo, LLC: Wind Turbines
ElectronVault, Inc.: Innovative EV Battery Systems
Kjellgren Kaminsky: Gothenburg, Sweden, Architect Firm
Novacem: Autodesk Clean Tech Partner
enbreeze GmbH: Low-Wind Turbines
IT Power Ltd
Vehiconomics
ecoduna produktions-GmbH: Autodesk Clean Tech Partner
TimberTower GmbH: Wind Turbines (Germany)
Hexicon breathes life into renewable electricity plant with Autodesk Inventor.
Novoflow GmbH
Tembra GmbH: German Wind Turbine Engineering Firm
Green Structures: Autodesk Clean Tech Partner
SunPods: Modular Solar Arrays
General Compression
Green Lite Motors: Hybrid Cars
Enventix: Clean Energy Company
Tesla Motors: Electric Cars
PearlLED: LED Lightbulbs
General Biodiesel: Energy Recycler
Marine Innovation & Technology: Offshore Platforms
Pi Mobility: Electric Bicycle Maker
APTwater, Inc.: Advanced Water Treatment Processes
Fiberforge: Lighter, Stronger Materials
Utility Scale Solar, Inc.
Micromidas: Microbial-Based Wastewater Treatment
Springboard Biodiesel: Vegetable Oil Processors
Green Ocean Energy
Syncromatics
Vindby
Building
AECOM: Roseisle Distillery
Shanghai Tower Construction & Development Co. Ltd.:
Building Design, Construction and Management
SERA Architects
Aedas Interiors
Stephenson&Turner: New Zealand Government Building
New Complex at USC School of Cinematic Arts
NASA Sustainability Base
NOAA Research Facility
Taco Inc./Vanderweil Engineers: HVAC for MEP
KLH Engineers: Hebrew Union College Klau Library
el dorado inc.
China Construction Design International (CCDI)
SHP Leading Design
Stevens & Wilkinson/Beck Group: Courthouse Annex
HNTB/Turner Universal: Human Resources Center
Grange Insurance Audubon Center
ARBA Studios
Glumac
KlingStubbins & Tocci Building Companies
West Hills Construction: Green Energy Management
Infrastructure
4Site, Inc.: Improved Productivity
China Construction Design International (CCDI)
CISPDR: Water Reclamation Project (China)
Snohomish County Public Works
Plant
Environmental intellect: Environmental Compliance Software
Consumer Products
Stanford University: ME 310 Project
Fiberforge: Lighter, Stronger Materials
Indesit Company: Appliance Manufacturer
Industrial Machinery
Fiberforge: Lighter, Stronger Materials
Unverferth
Agricon Pelleting Machines
HTC
Automotive & Transportation
Green Lite Motors: Hybrid Cars
Tesla Motors: Electric Cars
ADEPT Airmotive
Autodesk Case Study
Autodesk: Data Center Upgrade
ADEPT Airmotive Designs Engine That Uses 30 Percent Less Fuel
|
ADEPT Airmotive is a leading developer of general aviation engines for the light aircraft market. The company is based at Virginia Airport in Durban, South Africa, where it has its design and administration offices and an R&D and testing facility.
ADEPT used Autodesk® Inventor® design and engineering software to develop its 320T —a 320 horsepower general aviation engine with a compact design that offers low vibration levels and high structural integrity. The 320T weighs about 28 percent less than a traditional piston engine of comparable horsepower and provides a fuel savings of about 30 percent, which decreases environmental impact.
The motor architecture is entirely different from that of traditional general aviation engines. The 320T is a 120-degree V6 engine, which makes it dimensionally short and ensures high crankshaft stiffness. The result is great balance, which reduces vibration and materials fatigue. In addition, the 320T drives the propeller through an integrated PSRU (propeller speed reduction unit), which allows the engine to rev higher, thereby increasing efficiency. At the same time, each piston stroke is much shorter than in a conventional engine, so the piston travels less distance for each engine revolution. This low piston velocity and the reduced mass of the moving components improve reliability and longevity.
Despite being a relatively small company, ADEPT produced a working prototype of the 320T in just two years, with a core project team of only three designers. In contrast, typical engine development requires two to four years to reach production—with design teams that are significantly larger.
This speed was primarily due to the time savings of Digital Prototyping, which enabled ADEPT to explore its product virtually before building it. Processes that once took hours—such as changing the wall thickness of an engine component—were completed almost instantaneously with Inventor. As a result, engineers were able to spend less time constructing geometric models and more time creating a more efficient general aviation engine.
