Lava Design, Inc. - Symmetry Solutions

S u c c e ss
S to r y
Lava Design, Inc.
W h e r e h ot d e s i g n i d e a s f l o w e a s y
Lava Design leverages
SolidWorks and
Symmetry Solutions
to maximize nearly
every phase of their
product design and
development services
Specialists in product development, Lava
Design lets ideas flow. With years of
experience in the design and engineering
of consumer and commercial products in
virtually every category, including medical,
electronics, light industry, and fitness, Lava
Design professionals make the entire process
easy for clients. Lava Design’s expertise in
the latest technology provides a streamlined
development process which catapults your
product idea to the marketplace. Lava Design
is based in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area.
For a portfolio and to learn more about Lava
Design, please visit: www.lavadesign.com.
One design firm in the Twin Cities to watch for is Lava Design, Inc., an agile
team of award winning industrial designers who have applied the art of complex
surfacing to clients as diverse as Octane Fitness, makers of a top selling elliptical
machine, to local hardware tool giant Warner Manufacturing. Founded by awardwinning industrial designer Jim Easley in 1996, Lava Design has helped hundreds
of companies develop new products from consumer electronics and medical
devices, to light commercial and industrial products.
“Our core competencies are in industrial design and product engineering. Our
designers use SolidWorks to present the design concept, generate the CAD model,
and then engineer for manufacture,” explains Paul A. Pilosi, Principal, who joined
Lava Design’s talent pool a few years ago. “We specialize in complex forms and
advanced surfacing using SolidWorks.”
Pilosi attributes much of the Lava Design’s quick agility to bring ideas to the
market to his staff’s expertise in SolidWorks, which underpins nearly every stage
of Lava Design’s workflow.
“We use SolidWorks throughout our whole development process, because it’s
very versatile. SolidWorks has all the core functions we need from start to
finish. There’s really not much need for any other product design software in our
organization,” he says.
Empowering GREAT Products
“We use SolidWorks for laying out initial concepts, generating complex surfaces,
creating prototypes and engineering/optimizing the parts for the chosen
manufacturing process. We use the PhotoWorks module for renderings, which
fulfills our clients’ marketing needs. We use eDrawings to collaborate more
effectively with our clients. If our customers need 2D documentation in their
product development process, SolidWorks generates those drawings as well. The
ease of use and comprehensive tools & functions make SolidWorks a key partner
in our success.”
S u c c e ss
“I like Symmetry Solutions
because they focus exclusively
on SolidWorks. Therefore, they
have the expertise and support to
tackle any problem.”
Paul A. Pilosi, Principal
Lava Design
S to r y
Training and support beyond the standard
Lava Design’s strong emphasis on advanced software capabilities corresponds with
an equal emphasis on skills. The team relies heavily on their regional provider of
SolidWorks, Symmetry Solutions, to not only keep them up on the latest functions
of the 3D platform, but also to further leverage the system to achieve higher
levels of quality.
“There’s of course the standard SolidWorks instructional classes, but Symmetry
Solutions also offers regularly scheduled classes in advanced surfacing or
assembly among a number of other pertinent functions,” says Pilosi. “Symmetry
Solutions also offers Lunch & Learn seminars, which offers users a great
opportunity to enhance their knowledge about how to better utilize SolidWorks
and its functionality in their day-to-day work.”
Pilosi says he first encountered Symmetry Solutions at his last position. At the
time, Pilosi persuaded his decision makers to switch from their incumbent
Pro/Engineer design software over to SolidWorks. “I explained that they needed
to invest in something both engineers and designers could use,” Pilosi recalls.
“Pro/E was too complicated. No one wanted to learn it. SolidWorks fit our needs
in a much better way.”
When he came on board with Lava Design, Pilosi was pleased to find out
SolidWorks was their CAD software of choice and Symmetry Solutions was the
SolidWorks provider for Lava Design. Given Pilosi’s previous experience with
SolidWorks and his relationship with Symmetry Solutions, the transition was
seamless.
Lava Design’s product
development services
include:
“The big advantage that sold me on Symmetry Solutions is that they only handle
SolidWorks. I had experience with another reseller, who dealt with several
different product design programs. I like Symmetry Solutions because they focus
exclusively on SolidWorks. Therefore, they have the expertise and support to
tackle any problem,” Pilosi says. “Their technical support people and instructors
are top notch. They have a very deep knowledge of the technical material. They
know their stuff.”
• Industrial Design
A relationship built on innovation
• Product Engineering
The designer’s relationship with Symmetry Solutions has lasted ten years so far,
and much of the support staff has remained constant - the people at Symmetry
are not only experts, but familiar with Pilosi’s situation.
• CAD Modeling
• Design for Manufacture
• Computer-Generated Renderings
• Prototyping
• Project Management
• Manufacturing Assistance
“Working with Symmetry Solutions has been a very pleasant and consistent
experience. Jim Zink has been at Symmetry Solutions since I began working with
them and has always been there for me when I have questions and always has the
right answer. Tim Newton has also been a great resource to me. They’re always
there for technical help, which is most important to us. Even the vice president
of sales, Paul Rudin, who I’ve had a long standing relationship with, always
makes himself available to me.”
In its efforts to create innovative products, as well as fast results, Lava Design
has focused on two major ingredients: the right tools and the right people.
So far, Pilosi says, it has paid off. “The software and support we’ve received with
SolidWorks and Symmetry Solutions have been a big part of our success.”
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Symmetry Solutions
8755 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, MN 55445
www.symsolutions.com
Toll Free: 800-975-0740
Symmetry Solutions is a premier provider of SolidWorks® and Z Corporation® 3D Printers to the upper Midwest. Formed in 1998, Symmetry Solutions has served hundreds of companies, large
and small, throughout the region, providing the expert insight and solutions needed for successful design, engineering, and production in a manufacturing environment. Symmetry Solutions is
based in Brooklyn Park, MN.