Firstcut® Keeps Weinor Cool

The aim with the new awning was to design a fixture where none of the connection technology was visible to the customer. Instead, the only visible means of support are just two points on the wall. The result is a product that demonstrates technical ingenuity and aesthetic perfection. Christian Treude is one of the Weinor engineers responsible for the new product: "With Zenara we broke new ground," he says, "and as a result we have made a significant improvement to our flagship product, Opal. When awnings are attached at just two points, they usually sag. To alleviate the sag, we took our inspiration from the design of large suspension bridges and their integrated cable systems, which counteract this effect. In addition, the joints of the arms have been redesigned so that the chain hoist used for moving the awning in and out are no longer visible. However, these are just some of the developments. Overall, we've created a new generation of awning, in which all the elements have been completely reworked. " "For a prototype, the cost can very quickly exceed €100,000. Also, it is a very lengthy process, before you even receive a first part. In the past, my predecessors at Weinor would have made prototypes in wood, which couldn't have been fully stress-tested. For Zenara, we needed aluminium parts. A colleague contacted a conventional CNC milling contractor nearby then, before we committed, we came across Proto Labs. The Firstcut service promised CNC machined aluminium parts in an incredibly short time. "We decided to test the service, so we uploaded our CAD models, developed with Creo Elements/Pro - to the Firstcut website and within one day, received our FirstQuote. We placed an order and three days later we had the part on the table for well under €1.000! Exactly at the same time we received an offer from the other company. It was several times more expensive than the Proto Labs part and delivery time was more than a week." The reputation of the Proto Labs service has since spread quickly within the company. Soon, Mr. Treude's colleagues from Weinor's conservatory business were also ordering parts from Firstcut®. "Today, Firstcut from Proto Labs has become an integral part of our product development process. Compared with the way we worked before, it offers a huge advantage. We are able to carry out much more frequent and realistic tests. And, we reduce time and money to get from 3D CAD to a finished product, saving at least six weeks for each part."