3D Parts Catalog Design Challenge Inspires Engineers and Manufacturers Alike

In 2012 Otto Ganter Co. and CADENAS PARTsolutions announced the first ever “Engineering Challenge” for PARTcommunity users. The idea is to see what kind of unique creations our users could design utilizing standard CAD parts from our 3D parts catalogs. Engineers had until the end of November 2012 to enter their most exciting design in order to win a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.

The only rule: Component 3D parts must come from the Ganter PARTcatalog. Sounds easy, right?

Design Effort and Creativity Blows the Judges Away

Ganter’s technical “Jury” picked the lucky winner from over 45 engineering entries.

“Our challenge was a resounding success. We were amazed at the number of applications entered. For Ganter this was a convenient way of receiving ideas and concepts for the advance development of products directly from engineers”, Axel Weber, head of marketing at Otto Ganter GmbH & Co. KG.

An automatic contour miller (above) designed by a Singen, Germany -based engineering group ultimately won the competition. The machine automatically contour-mills plastic or wooden window construction profiles. The sections are automatically shaped after inserting the profiles and setting the depth stops.

The skilled designer received a Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 for his Efforts

The Ganter team was excited to meet the winning designer in person and present his prize and first place certificate. Visiting their engineering office in Singen, head of marketing Axel Weber and area manager Christof Kuss handed over the well-deserved prize for the most interesting “use case” built from the Ganter 3D parts CAD catalog.

Check out the current design challenges

About Ganter:

With over 50,000 readily available products, Ganter is a world leader specializing in standard 3D parts. Handles, hinges, hand-wheels, clamp handles, knobs or clamping devices – all these are components which are needed virtually everywhere, in mechanical engineering as much as in laboratories, in plant equipment and in the transport sector. Components, many of which come from the Black Forest, directly off the high-rise shelves of the market leader: Otto Ganter GmbH & Co. KG. Established in Furtwangen in 1894 as a small mechanical workshop,

Company founder Otto Ganter hit on the idea in 1912 to standardize operating elements – years before the German Industry Norm (DIN) came into being. An idea thriving and growing into a sustained model of success: today, the family-owned company in its fourth generation is present worldwide and keeps on growing.

Over 270 people at the company‘s Black Forest headquarters permanently develop new elements, manufacture with ultimate precision and quality and ensure the fastest possible shipping. 85 percent of all orders leave our plant within 24 hours – a speed which sets standards. And with over 50,000 available variants, Ganter offers an unrivalled range and variety of standard parts.

What became known as the Ganter Standard after its launch 100 years ago eventually turned into an indispensable feature in many engineering and construction offices – and with it the Ganter catalogue, showing the entire range of products with all their characteristics on around 1,300 pages in the most recent 15th edition. The Ganter catalogue has long been a much sought-after manual which has successfully helped and accompanied generations of designers and developers. Additionalls, all the data are also available online and can be loaded into all common CAD programs. If, by any chance, there is a standard part that you need and cannot find in the extensive range of products, the people at Ganter will set to work to close the gap and develop a customized solution.

Check out the current design challenges

Component manufacturers take note!

In addition to the benefits engineers see, by gaining access to PARTcommunity downloads. Manufacturers see increased exposure, lead generation and sales by offering digital CAD Downloads.

What are you waiting for? Get your product catalog “Designed In” to projects today.