Reifenhäuser - 25 Years of Project Success with MEDUSA4

Plasticizing Machinery and Plant Design with MEDUSA4

“MEDUSA4 has been and remains the best 2D system for us. Its parametric functionality, comprehensive interfaces, extremely compact data format, and a transparent data structure are all big advantages. MEDUSA4 offers drafting freedom and flexibility with a myriad of design options; at the same time, it is easy to create a clear and mandatory structure for users to work within, drastically reducing errors and ensuring standards compliance.”

– Joachim Bremer, Technical Services Manager at Reifenhäuser –

Reifenhäuser Group, a global leader providing innovative technology, machinery and plants to the plastics processing industry, recently marked the 25th anniversary of its adoption of CAD Schroer’s MEDUSA4 CAD software for fast and effective project planning, design and delivery.

Reifenhäuser Group Worldwide

Reifenhäuser Group is one of the world’s leading providers of machinery and plants for plasticizing thermoplastic materials, headquartered in Troisdorf, Germany, near Cologne. With subsidiaries such as Reifenhäuser EXTRUSION, Reifenhäuser KIEFEL Extrusion, Reifenhäuser REICOFIL, Reiloy Metall, Polyrema and Reimotec, the Group is perfectly placed to meet the most diverse and exacting requirements of its national and international client base. The Group draws on decades of experience and expertise in the development and economical deployment of new plastics processing technologies. The technological edge provided by Reifenhäuser’s highly efficient and reliable products is practically legendary.

Over 25 Years of Successful Teamwork

Innovation has always been key to Reifenhäuser’s R&D projects. Technical Services Manager Joachim Bremer remembers his 1985 remit to acquire a future-proof CAD system. The company chose the MEDUSA software, which even then distinguished itself through its advanced parametric capabilities, its coherent data structure and compact data format. What started as a five-seater pilot project soon developed into a long-term technology strategy and partnership.

MEDUSA’s flexibility made it easy for Reifenhäuser to grow its software portfolio to optimise corporate processes. When the 3D product development software Pro/ENGINEER® was introduced in 1999, MEDUSA remained highly competitive as one of the few drafting systems to offer a comprehensive Pro/ENGINEER interface. A high quality DXF/DWG interface also ensured seamless data exchange with customers and suppliers.

Today, over 25 years after the pilot implementation, Reifenhäuser deploys 34 floating MEDUSA4 (Fourth Generation) licenses across 50 workstations. Its requirements for innovative, reliable software have continued to be met with each new release. “MEDUSA4 has been and remains the best 2D system for us. Its parametric functionality, comprehensive interfaces, extremely compact data format, and a transparent data structure are all big advantages,” Joachim Bremer explains, “MEDUSA4 offers drafting freedom and flexibility with a myriad of design options; at the same time, it is easy to create a clear and mandatory structure for users to work within, drastically reducing errors and ensuring standards compliance.”

A Long-Term Partnership

As a CAD Schroer customer, Reifenhäuser benefits from the multi-faceted support offered by a long-standing, successful engineering solutions provider. More than a software supplier, CAD Schroer will rise to any technical challenge, and offers comprehensive training, consultancy and customer-specific development and integration services. One of the special features of the relationship between Reifenhäuser and CAD Schroer is their technical partnership in support of MEDUSA4’s continual development. Reifenhäuser is one of a select group of customers which regularly conducts beta tests of the latest MEDUSA4 releases, ensuring that development efforts always remain customer-driven. Over the years the company has frequently contributed to the development of new – and the improvement of existing -functionality.

From Detailed Design to Layout Drawings

Because of MEDUSA4’s versatility, Reifenhäuser can deploy the software in the most diverse stages of its design and development process. MEDUSA4 is used in conjunction with Pro/ENGINEER for product design. This is where the software’s interfaces come into their own. “Integration with other CAD systems is essential for us,“ Joachim Bremer explains, “and MEDUSA4 offers exceptionally high quality interfaces.“

All assembly and layout drawings are created exclusively with MEDUSA4, which is used to amalgamate project data from all other systems during this part of the design process. Reifenhäuser’s sales engineers also use MEDUSA4 as a presentation tool on their laptops during customer visits, where client feedback can immediately be integrated into the design, and project data amended accordingly.

The year 2010 is a special marker in the longstanding, successful partnership between CAD Schroer and Reifenhäuser. After 25 years of project success, MEDUSA4 remains pivotal to the relationship – a fact that was celebrated by both companies on September 1, 2010 at Reifenhäuser’s headquarters in Troisdorf, Germany.

For more information about Reifenhäuser, please visit www.reifenhauser-group.com