Modify the existing installation in 4 steps
Vicoma's head office is located in Hoogvliet, Rotterdam, where some ninety technical employees are active in the execution of the various projects. About twenty of them form the Piping branch of the company and in that capacity regularly have to deal with so-called brownfield projects, in which the owner/operator of a process-technical installation wants to make an adjustment to his plant.
Peter de Jonge, mechanical manager at Vicoma, explains how this works. "In principle, there are four steps that need to be taken when adapting to an existing installation. It starts with a feasibility study, because the client naturally first wants to know whether an investment is profitable. If the feasibility study yields a satisfactory result, it is time for the basic study, in which we map out exactly what needs to be done and what the timeline is for the project. The next step is the detailed engineering, in which the adjustments to the installation are worked out by our engineers. Finally, if desired, we also take care of the construction management , managing the contractors and supervising the construction of the new parts."
3D scan as a frame of reference
A common brownfield project is the expansion of a process installation with, for example, a pump and a vessel. After the work schedule has been drawn up, the as-built location is first scanned with a FARO laser scanner. Depending on the sightlines and dimensions at the location, a required number of scans are made that are linked together at Vicoma's headquarters, creating an all-encompassing point cloud that provides a complete 3D picture of the situation.
This point cloud, which of course has first been stripped of unnecessary points, is then imported into AutoCAD Plant 3D by the engineers on duty, after which the designers work out the models of the pump, the vessel and the associated pipes in the CAD software. The point cloud is not converted into a CAD model, but serves purely as a frame of reference for the parts to be modelled and as recognition of the existing situation during a review with the customer.
Cadac Group is our regular supplier of Autodesk products and has therefore assisted us with advice and assistance in the switch. Even now we still make use of their support,
Peter the Younger
Mechanical Manager - Vicoma
AutoCAD Plant 3D
All in all, the switch was an intensive and time-consuming job, and to keep up the momentum, projects were immediately started in AutoCAD Plant 3D, even before the entire migration was completed. "We have indeed switched quite actively," says De Jonge.
"When purchasing AutoCAD Plant 3D, our engineers followed training courses for the new software at Cadac Group so that they could get started right away. Cadac Group is our regular supplier of Autodesk products and has therefore assisted us with advice and assistance in the switch. Even now, we still make use of their support, especially by occasionally following specialist training courses. In particular, the use of the software within our specific activities is discussed, which makes such training much more efficient than general update training."
The switch to AutoCAD Plant 3D
Of course, the switch from Autoplant to AutoCAD Plant 3D still took some doing. A complete migration had to take place, in which Vicoma's engineers had to create a new parts library, set up the software and also transfer existing data.
Successful migration to AutoCAD Plant 3D
In summary, De Jonge dares to say that the switch from Autoplant to AutoCAD Plant 3D went satisfactorily. The migration has not caused any insurmountable problems and the software works properly. "Our engineers have the functions they need and can therefore carry out our projects very well."
"When choosing the package, we deliberately chose a certain price/quality ratio"
"There are still some wishes, but they sometimes also have to do with the price range of the software we have chosen. For example, more expensive, high-end packages have the ability to perform clash checks , while AutoCAD Plant 3D does not.
As mentioned, when choosing the package, we deliberately opted for a certain price/quality ratio and we knew that this function was not included. The solution we found was to carry out the checks with the help of NavisWorks and that works fine. However, if the developers of the software decide to add functionality for clash checks to the software, we will of course welcome that wholeheartedly."