The Internet has changed the way companies do business. No longer a
series of on-line brochures, the Internet has become a marketplace that
connects buyers and sellers from across the globe. A new service from
Imaginestics, called VizSeek, lets manufacturers market their parts in a way
that allows sellers to find them with just a shape concept and a doodle.
Seeking the Possibilities
Imaginestics was founded in December 2002
in West Lafayette, Ind. at the Purdue Research Park. Since the beginning,
Imaginestics has focused on helping “companies leverage their 2-dimensional
and 3-dimensional product information for current and future application,”
according to its web site. Nainesh Rathod is the president & chief executive
officer of Imaginestics.
Rathod describes VizSeek as “the first
online 3D shape search engine that allows designers, engineers, and buyers
to find suppliers based on the shape of the parts they manufacture or have
the capability to produce. VizSeek can take a doodle (freehand sketch), 2D
drawing, or 3D model as a search input.”
“Once the shape is input, VizSeek takes
the search for products to the next level in terms of speed and accuracy by
overcoming the limitations of text-based searches and database queries that
are contextual in nature,” said Rathod.
Rathod also explains that since shape is
the lowest common denominator for any part/product, the shape search engine
is not hampered by traditional text-based search engines and can
successfully address the challenges posed by variations in specifications of
products or services available from suppliers across the globe.
How it Works
How does it really work? To put it simply,
VizSeek associates parts with capabilities. But what does that mean?
Manufacturers have invested billions in
Product Lifecycle Applications such as PLM (PDM, CAD, CAM, and CAE), ERP,
SCM, and MRO. The PLAs promised efficient storage and retrieval of product
information, but in reality, their biggest disappointment is the lack of
ability to search and retrieve accurate and relevant information. A major
flaw was discovered in the way manufacturers searched for information,
especially part data. Information stored by manufacturers relating to part
data was being searched using text descriptors based on a person’s perceived
description of that part or feature. Research also showed that text
description is often not consistently interpreted. Other techniques also
have been used to structure content, but billions of terabytes of data still
remain unstructured.
However, since CAD was invented, most
product data is associated with 2D and 3D geometry. Eighty-one percent of
mold makers are receiving 3D data electronically from their OEMS, according
to CIMdata. Manufacturers and software developers of PLAs are even realizing
that 3D geometric information is reliable and accurate. They saw a potential
to reduce design and manufacturing cycles by using a 3D technology.
VizSeek, an online 3D search technology,
uses shape as an input, so that a graphical object of similar shape can be
retrieved. It also can go one step further by doing a secondary search. This
search “can be conducted using structured objects such as attributes or
domain-specific knowledge to retrieve information such as machining and
process costs, scheduled production dates, maintenance records, product
assembly or work instructions, and maintenance history,” according to the
Imaginestics web site. It took researchers from Purdue University’s Precise
Lab three years to solve the problem of shape-based data searches.
Imaginestics quickly teamed up with Precise Lab to commercialize the
process.
In the first six months of 2006, the web
site had 1.6 million hits, which consisted of about 140,000 people visiting
the site.
Who Should Use It
Imaginestics is providing this service
free to MAPP members in hopes that members will see the benefits of this new
technology. Members can explore this technology directly from MAPP’s web
site, www.mappinc.com, by clicking on “Find A Supplier.”
This new technology, according to Rathod, is for manufacturers, suppliers
or anyone else involved with technology, engineering, and manufacturing.
Manufacturers can use VizSeek to find suppliers, while suppliers can use it to
market their products or services to manufacturers.
Imaginestics is committed to teaching
users to access the technology effectively. For MAPP members, Imaginestics
will set up a webinar to walk new users through the site and educate them on
how VizSeek can help those looking for solutions and those who can supply
them.
The first option on the site is to search
using the doodle of a manufacturer or designer to match the requested part
with catalog inventories. The VizSeek catalog contains more than 6,000 parts
and continues to grow as suppliers upload their own files. Users also can
search by tracing, using a 3D Model or a 2D drawing. Whichever search option
users choose, they will receive step-by-step instructions on how to search,
so everyone can find what they are looking for. As a supplier, your own
product files can be uploaded - an excellent way to get your products online
for potential users.
How it Can Help You
The new search technology is more than
just a parts finder, according to Rathod:
It gives you a competitive edge. It will
also help you reach the engineers early in the decision making process,
which is often difficult. The mold makers are often the third or fourth
people in the chain. The decision making happens early, so mold makers don’t
usually have the ability to influence them. But, with our technology, we
also have a product area, which gives you access to i-advisor software. This
software gives the person advice on if the part is actually manufacturable,
and ties it to VizSeek. It also gives advice on how to change the design, so
a mold maker can reduce cost. This information makes the mold maker
competitive, and also reduces the production time. This technology allows
them to search 3D products and educates them.
Rathod also mentioned that VizSeek helps
promote the manufacturing capabilities of MAPP members by accurately linking
the search user, either from CAD applications or the online portal, directly
to the MAPP member.
An Experience with VizSeek
Scott Adams is a sales engineer at Metro
Plastics Technologies, located in Noblesville, Ind. Metro Plastics is a
privately owned custom injection molder and rapid prototype service bureau.
The company has five stereolithography machines for rapid prototyping
services and has the capability to produce urethane castings from the SLA
models or master samples. Metro Plastics also has custom thermoplastic
injection molding capabilities with presses ranging from 60 to 750 tons.
Adams heard about VizSeek through a
notification from MAPP regarding a training session that would be used to
teach interested parties the ins-and-outs of the program. Adams’ initial
reaction to the training session was that the technology was very
user-friendly, very straightforward, and easy to work with. He thought
VizSeek was a great tool.
After the initial training experience with
the site, Adams learned as he went. According to Adams, the site is so easy
to use that you don’t really need help learning how to use it. You just need
to take the time to explore it yourself. However, Rathod actually called
Adams and walked him through a few steps on the phone, so he could maximize
what he was getting from VizSeek. Before this technology was available,
Adams knew that getting potential customers to understand the company’s real
capabilities were a problem. However, VizSeek technology helps counteract
that problem.
“The major benefits, from my perspective,
would be to allow other companies in every industry to actually visualize
our capabilities through the 3D feature, simply by going to the part they
need and having our company queried for the manufacturing of the part,” said
Adams. “It gets our name out there more. I do foresee a tremendous potential
for a program like this,” said Adams. “With the help of Imaginestics and
Purdue University, technology seems to never have its limits.”
Metro Plastics has a web site on which the
company utilizes online quoting and an FTP site. The new 3D search
technology is just one more step the company can take to help its business
grow.
By continuing to explore new and
innovative ways to use the Internet, companies will reach new markets with
existing product components. Technologies like VizSeek, a free service to
MAPP members, connects suppliers to existing and potential customers in an
exciting way.
“This is a new way of connecting suppliers with customers, not in the
traditional yellow pages approach, but in a new innovative approach,” said
Rathod. “It doesn’t just list your name, but puts your company directly on
their desktop.” |