Featured Inventors

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  November 2011: A-dec

  Autodesk, Inc. has named A-dec, Inc. — a leading manufacturer of dental chairs and equipment — as Autodesk Inventor of the Month for November 2011, recognizing its use of Autodesk software to more effectively design and develop products and generate technical documentation, such as user manuals and service guides, for its popular dentistry products. A-dec’s award-winning dental equipment can be found in the White House, ships at sea, more than 100 countries and 90 percent of dental schools throughout the United States and Canada. Founded in 1964, the family-owned, Oregon-based company is one of the world’s leading dental equipment solution providers and a one-stop shop for cutting-edge, configured to order dental equipment systems. To design new products and help ensure all parts operate smoothly within a dental system, A-dec relies on Autodesk Inventor Digital Prototyping software that allows the company to validate product designs prior to physical prototyping, integrate system components easily with the use of assembly simulations and cut time to market significantly. Using Inventor software, A-dec engineers can bring innovative ideas to life in a 3D model. And given the complex and integrative nature of A-dec’s dental equipment, Inventor helps engineers quickly determine whether and how one component will work within the greater equipment system. For example, before a single part is manufactured, engineers can look at digital prototypes of entire assemblies and systems to help ensure all parts connect and move smoothly. “The digital prototype is our primary design tool,” says Patrick Berry, staff engineer in product development at A-dec. “With Inventor software, we can integrate everything in one place and see a complete prototype before anything is built. We’re getting to a more perfect physical prototype much faster. Also, now that we have incorporated Autodesk Product Design Suite, it has enabled us to further enhance our workflow.” Read more on Autodesk.com or visit A-dec's website to see more about the company.