Innovative Manufacturing Services, Inc. (IMS) provides high-quality manufacturing, material handling, and automation system solutions to manufacturing customers across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Founded in 2003, the company became the master North American distributor for Swedish conveyor systems manufacturer Carryline AB in 2006 through the establishment of IMS’ Carryline USA Division.
With a background in project management, mechanical design, electrical design, and controls engineering, IMS President Mike Goad supervises the development of manufacturing and automation systems that utilize Carryline conveyors and components from the company’s Kentucky headquarters. The IMS Kentucky facility also serves as a stocking, build, and factory acceptance testing center.
IMS engineers have used SOLIDWORKS® 3D mechanical design software in recent years—since switching over from AutoCAD® 2D design software—to create custom manufacturing and automation systems using Carryline conveyor products. However, the company had continued using AutoCAD 2D software to access legacy design files and create electrical panel schematics until Goad learned about a 2D application from Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS called DraftSight®.
IMS added DraftSight Professional software to its existing SOLIDWORKS implementation because it offers these benefits:
- Is easy to learn and use, and works seamlessly with SOLIDWORKS
- Provides access to the software’s Toolbox, its library of industry-standard hardware that can easily be inserted into drawings
- Drives the company’s CNC mill
- Supports legacy users and automation routines
“At IMS, we’re half controls engineers/PLC programmers and half mechanical engineers,” Goad notes. “DraftSight Professional gives us a more compatible, cost-effective 2D design solution that everyone can use.”
Accessing Legacy Data
With DraftSight Professional, IMS engineers can easily create new 2D factory floor layouts for its conveyor, automation, and manufacturing system implementations, as well as open and modify legacy designs that were created in AutoCAD, at a fraction of the price of maintaining the company’s legacy system. “We have many pre-existing designs and layouts that we frequently open and modify for new installations,” Goad explains. “DraftSight Professional gives us the speed and flexibility that we need to handle 2D requirements easily and efficiently. If it’s a DWG file, DraftSight will open it,” Goad continues. “Plus, at such a low cost for each license, it’s a lot more affordable to provide everyone with a seat of DraftSight Professional than it would be to maintain a single seat of AutoCAD. We looked at AutoCAD LT®, but it didn’t do everything that we needed. With DraftSight, we have the 2D capabilities that we need at a substantially lower price.”