Running Rings Around the Competition

Creators of an eye-catching sculpture depicting the Olympic rings in Sydney's Homebush Bay have praised Solid Edge software from Unigraphics Solutions for its performance in the design and manufacture of the giant work of art.

The aluminium structure, standing 25 metres high and 45 metres wide, has attracted much attention at Sydney's Olympics hub since its erection on a high-profile hill in Australia Avenue.

The sculpture's creators, Kurnell-based Design and Survey Neon, used Unigraphics Solution's Solid Edge design package to design and manufacture the aluminium rings with a deadline from start to finish of just five weeks.

''We couldn't have done it using traditional methods,'' Design and Survey Neon's fabrication engineer, Tim Dyer, said. ''We did not have one error in the cutting and fabrication phase of the project, which was critical because given the short time frame, we had absolutely no room for error.'

The three dimensional rings were cut from six tonnes of aluminium sheet and stand 30 centimetres at the base, rising to 1.5 metres at the top of the structure.

The tapering of the rings was an extremely difficult design feature made easy using Unigraphics Solutions software, Mr Dyer said.

''To design and manufacture this type of structure manually would have been near impossible given the development of the side skirtings at an angle of 22 degrees,'' Mr Dyer said.

The Solid Edge package was also used to superimpose drawings of the original design onto a photograph of the site to give a realistic impression of the finished product, he said.

And drawings made directly from the software package were sent to engineers for structural approval.

''It (Solid Edge) saved us so much time in terms of the tasks it could perform and the flexibility it gave our designers at each stage of the process,'' Mr Dyer said.

The rings had been very well received by the general public since their installation, he said.

''The response has been great. We've had people climbing over them and kids playing around them.''

Unigraphics Solutions managing director Ray Michalski said the Olympic rings sculpture was yet another innovative application of his company's software products.

''It is fantastic to see our products pushed beyond the realm of traditional manufacturing and design to create what is essentially a giant work of art,'' Mr Michalski said.

''Designers are discovering that apart from the more traditional applications such as designing automotive parts, consumer products, tools and so forth, Unigraphics Solutions software can be used in the design and manufacture of almost anything.''

 

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