Altair Case Studies OptiStruct Technology Streamlines Production and Maintenance for CLAAS Harvester Reel Assembly

	OptiStruct Technology Streamlines Production and Maintenance for CLAAS Harvester Reel Assembly Altair

OptiStruct Technology Streamlines Production and Maintenance for CLAAS Harvester Reel Assembly

Altair

Technology Category	Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)
Applicable Industries	Equipment & Machinery
Applicable Functions	Maintenance Product Research & Development
Use Cases	Traffic Monitoring
Services	System Integration
Challenge	CLAAS, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery, was facing the challenge of reducing production and serviceability costs of their harvester reel hub assembly system. The existing system, although successful and field-proven, was identified as a candidate for redesign to improve profitability and customer satisfaction. The primary objective of the redesign was to increase serviceability by making an individual reel hub easier to replace without compromising the rigidity of the existing assembly design. The incumbent design had numerous welded lap joints that provided enhanced stiffness, which was a critical factor to maintain in the new design. The challenge was to find a unique reinforcement bead pattern that would meet the redesign objectives while using the same material stock and package envelope. Read More
About Customer	CLAAS is a Germany-based company that ranks among the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery. The company is the European market leader for combine harvesters and the number one producer of forage harvesters globally. CLAAS operates in more than 140 countries, offering a diverse product line to meet the varied needs of the agricultural industry. The company is committed to continually improving its products to enhance performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction while reducing production and serviceability costs. Read More
Solution	To meet the redesign objectives, CLAAS turned to Altair OptiStruct design optimization software. OptiStruct’s topography optimization capabilities were leveraged to define the optimal reinforcement bead pattern that would meet the stiffness objective. The software provided the optimal bead pattern layout for the new reel hub design, which was then used by CLAAS die engineers to create a release level design. The new design significantly reduced the assembly from eight parts to just two, thereby cutting costly welding processes from production and increasing assembly efficiency. The new design also simplified in-service maintenance, as each reel hub could now be removed independently without the need to dismantle the entire system. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

Applicable Industries

Equipment & Machinery

Applicable Functions

Maintenance

Product Research & Development

Use Cases

Traffic Monitoring

Services

System Integration

Challenge

CLAAS, a leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery, was facing the challenge of reducing production and serviceability costs of their harvester reel hub assembly system. The existing system, although successful and field-proven, was identified as a candidate for redesign to improve profitability and customer satisfaction. The primary objective of the redesign was to increase serviceability by making an individual reel hub easier to replace without compromising the rigidity of the existing assembly design. The incumbent design had numerous welded lap joints that provided enhanced stiffness, which was a critical factor to maintain in the new design. The challenge was to find a unique reinforcement bead pattern that would meet the redesign objectives while using the same material stock and package envelope.

About Customer

CLAAS is a Germany-based company that ranks among the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural machinery. The company is the European market leader for combine harvesters and the number one producer of forage harvesters globally. CLAAS operates in more than 140 countries, offering a diverse product line to meet the varied needs of the agricultural industry. The company is committed to continually improving its products to enhance performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction while reducing production and serviceability costs.

Solution

To meet the redesign objectives, CLAAS turned to Altair OptiStruct design optimization software. OptiStruct’s topography optimization capabilities were leveraged to define the optimal reinforcement bead pattern that would meet the stiffness objective. The software provided the optimal bead pattern layout for the new reel hub design, which was then used by CLAAS die engineers to create a release level design. The new design significantly reduced the assembly from eight parts to just two, thereby cutting costly welding processes from production and increasing assembly efficiency. The new design also simplified in-service maintenance, as each reel hub could now be removed independently without the need to dismantle the entire system.

Impact #1	The implementation of OptiStruct technology brought about significant operational improvements for CLAAS. The new two-piece assembly design not only reduced production costs but also increased assembly efficiency. The redesign eliminated the need for numerous welded lap joints, simplifying the assembly process. In addition, the new design greatly simplified in-service maintenance. Each reel hub could now be removed independently, eliminating the need to dismantle the entire system for maintenance or replacement of a single hub. This resulted in significant time and cost savings for both CLAAS and their customers, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

Impact #1

The implementation of OptiStruct technology brought about significant operational improvements for CLAAS. The new two-piece assembly design not only reduced production costs but also increased assembly efficiency. The redesign eliminated the need for numerous welded lap joints, simplifying the assembly process. In addition, the new design greatly simplified in-service maintenance. Each reel hub could now be removed independently, eliminating the need to dismantle the entire system for maintenance or replacement of a single hub. This resulted in significant time and cost savings for both CLAAS and their customers, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

Benefit #1	The new design produced displacements that were 70% lower than the existing eight-piece assembly.
Benefit #2	The assembly was reduced from eight parts to just two, significantly cutting production costs.
Benefit #3	The new design eliminated the need for costly welding processes, further reducing production costs.

Benefit #1

The new design produced displacements that were 70% lower than the existing eight-piece assembly.

Benefit #2

The assembly was reduced from eight parts to just two, significantly cutting production costs.

Benefit #3

The new design eliminated the need for costly welding processes, further reducing production costs.

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Overview

OptiStruct Technology Streamlines Production and Maintenance for CLAAS Harvester Reel Assembly

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit