Nov. 4, 2003

Industrial and Mechanical Technology department
partners with software company

ArtiosCAD software, donated by the company, is the industry’s most popular computer aided design (CAD) packaging software. It provides structural designers a tool for conceptual design, product development and “live” prototypes. It also provides users with an extensive library of blank layout that can be used for box designs, or users can create their own box layouts. It is ideal for packaging and folding board concepts.

Marion Schafer, chairperson of the Industrial and Mechanical Technology Department and associate professor of packaging technology, explained that ArtiosCAD also allows users to import graphics and place them where desired, create cutouts or other features on the package that will help with the use and marketing aspects.

The software includes computerized manufacturing software. Once a design is generated in the program, it includes commands that can be downloaded to the machine that will then create the package.

Because ArtiosCAD is the industry’s standard software package, it proves to be very beneficial to students.

“Knowledge of ArtiosCAD will give our students a leg up on other students who haven't been exposed to it,” Schafer said. “The software also allows students to work more in the industry and helps them with design and redesign on packages. Students get to work on real industry projects by partnering with companies, which can create internships or jobs in the future,” he said.

Graduate student and packaging lab manager Alex Hagedorn agrees.

“Having access to this type of software in the packaging environment is a necessity when dealing with corrugated or paperboard.”

Students enrolled in packaging technology and master’s of industrial technology programs will conduct a comprehensive review of ArtiosCAD software and conduct analysis and development of parametric designs, or background information that accelerates the design process and prevents manual errors.

For each packaging machine — cutter, folder, creaser, gluer — there are specific design constraints. When ArtiosCAD software is aware of the machine on which a package will be produced, it can alert the user or automatically design around the parameters of the machine’s constraints, thus creating a more efficient packaging design.

Packaging technology students will expand the sets of parametric designs to satisfy certain packaging machines. The new designs will be added to the ArtiosCAD Parametric Design library.

Tad Foster, dean of the School of Technology, said it is this research component of the relationship with ArtiosCAD that is especially exciting.

“ISU has been developing stronger expertise in diverse areas of research,” he said. “We actively seek partnerships with companies that create leading-edge technology, so our students stay on the cutting edge. We called Esko-Graphics, asking them if they were willing to connect a product donation to substantive collaborative research that would truly be of value to them. I was delighted that they were willing to donate five seats to our cause.”

Simon James, Esko-Graphics U.S. general manager, said the company is pleased that its software will be subject to the “strong rigors of the academic environment at ISU. Their research will enable future ArtiosCAD users to take advantage of more efficient, and a greater variety of, parametric designs. This relationship truly benefits everyone involved in the project.”

The industrial and mechanical technology department will also be receiving a Kongsberg Sample Table to use with the software. It is being purchased by the International Corrugated Packaging Foundation and will be given to ISU in late November. Students can then draw designs of shipping containers using ArtiosCAD and send them to the sample table where they can be cut out.

Esko-Graphics is a leading global supplier of digital prepress and pre-production products and services to the graphic arts and packaging industry.

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Contact:
Marion Schafer, chairman, industrial and manufacturing technology,
(812) 237-3352 or imschafe@isugw.indstate.edu

Writer:
Megan Weinheimer, public affairs intern, (812) 237-3773 or megan_weinheimer@yahoo.com

ISU Public Affairs:
(812) 237-3773 or http://isunews.indstate.edu