Automating SOLIDWORKS for Pool Liner & Cover Design

Article by Eric van Essen updated December 31, 2014

Article

SolidWorks has been and still is an amazing design tool for any industry that has similar or repetitive design work but when some industry specific programming is done, it can be mind blowing how much time and effort can be saved.  A project that we took on this year was to create a SolidWorks Add-in specific to the Pool liner and cover industry.  The goal of the add-in was to leverage the common data inputs and to automate as much of the design process as possible.

Pool & Cover Design Workflow

These screen shots below show the workflow for importing data from the IOS app “Pool Measure Pro” that is widely used by contractors to measure pools and generate pool geometry.

Import Pool Measure Pro Data

Import Pool Measure Pro Data

CSV file selected

CSV file selected

When possible, it’s nice to have other people input data, which is why the contact info is automatically loaded in from the Pool Measure Pro data file.  Simple things like this can be significant contributors to the overall time savings but it can also lead to a reduction in quality issues by eliminating unnecessary transcribing.

Creating a new Pool Project

Creating a new Pool Project

One important thing I learned when working on this project was the use of AB points for measuring pools.  PoolWorks has the ability to convert them to XY points as one of the first steps in the automated modelling that was completed with the results below.

Pool Data Points Imported

Pool Data Points Imported

For this specific industry, PoolWorks has the ability to save over 20 minutes of design work per pool liner or pool cover in comparison to using native SolidWorks by itself.  With hundreds of thousands of pool liners being designed and replaced each year in north america, this Javelin developed application could save businesses millions of dollars of wasted resources each year.

Pool Liner Functionality

Pool Liner Functionality

Automation for your industry

Javelin Technologies has taken on many industry specific automation projects in the past.  If you believe your industry could benefit from some industry specific tools or automation, please reach out to us to see if there is an opportunity to help you take your organization to the next level of productivity.

Pool Liner completed in SolidWorks

Pool Liner completed in SolidWorks

 

For more information about our PoolWorks SolidWorks Add-in product, please visit: http://solution.javelin-tech.com/poolworks

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Eric van Essen

I have been working with Javelin for 10 years and now have the role as director of products where I oversee the ramp up of new solutions for our customers or potential customers.