Customer Success Stories > Neuman & Esser

CADPIPE 3D Design Exceeds Expectations for Neuman & Esser

The digester gas compressor system for W.A. Stephenson Mechanical in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was a fast-track project. Richard Boudoin, senior designer and CAD manager for Neuman & Esser in Houston, Texas, describes the project as one in which high-quality drawings were necessary for successful completion of the assignment. Digester gas is a by-product of sewage treatment and is composed of 60 percent methane and 40 percent carbon dioxide, so exact measurements were critical to ensure that the gasses would be contained. The product of the compressor is a low BTU fuel (600 BTU) that is used in boilers and engines. Because wet carbon dioxide is extremely corrosive, the integrity of the compression system had to be of the highest standards. Mr. Boudoin was able to ensure this with the help of CADPIPE and AutoCAD.

Mr. Boudoin mentions that one reason he chose CADPIPE is that it provides, in addition to the American standard ANSII specifications, an assortment of international databases, such as DIN and British Standards, which is a necessity for Neuman & Esser, an international firm. In addition, CADPIPE is a Windows program and extremely user friendly, something that was attractive to Mr. Boudoin.
 
One of the most important things that Mr. Boudoin states as being an asset is AEC Design Group’s aggressive upgrading of software. “I feel that [AEC Design Group] is striving to stay on the cutting edge of this type of software,” Mr. Boudoin says. “This is very important to me. I never want to get stuck with software that can’t keep up with the developing world we live in.” Mr. Boudoin also gives high marks to AEC’s technical support staff: “The staff is very helpful and respond faster than any other support group I have ever worked with.” In fact, the AEC technical support team averages a two-hour maximum response time to service calls.
 
CADPIPE was instrumental in the successful execution of this project. The drawings are high-definition 3D, so customers can easily visualize whatever product they are designing. Mr. Boudoin states that the presentation of the finished drawings was much faster and easier thanks to CADPIPE’s direct and self-explanatory renderings.
 
Another way CADPIPE sets itself apart from other software and eases the design process is by creating all of the design work inside the model. The model is referenced (with AutoCAD XREF) into the working drawings and as such is completely annotated. Further, when any modifications are done, the model is automatically updated. This CADPIPE-exclusive feature saves an inordinate amount of time and disk space. For example, if it is discovered that a vessel needs to be bigger at the end of the drawing process, that new vessel could throw off the measurements in all of the other drawings. Instead of recreating each drawing, CADPIPE automatically updates each drawing and view, stretching all elements to their proper locations.  Says Mr. Boudoin, “What would have taken days to do is now cut down to minutes.”
 
CADPIPE’s spec-driven nature is also a vital attribute. Mr. Boudoin says that because it is spec driven, the millions of possible piping components are narrowed down to the specific libraries designated by the user.  With CADPIPE, the user has the option to use virtually any piping component, but instead of having to sort through them all for certain jobs, he or she can just select the libraries that are relevant to the project.
 
Mr. Boudoin says that the “most impressive” aspect of CADPIPE is the automatic ISO feature. CADPIPE has one simple command that allows the user to extract the information from the model and an isometric drawing of the pipe run is automatically created. In addition to the run being drawn, the drawing is also bubbled, dimensioned, and supplied with a complete bill of materials—all within a few seconds!
 
Richard Boudoin and Neuman & Esser are thrilled with AEC Design Group’s CADPIPE suite. It saves them time and money and gives them accurate drawings that help them present finished models to customers in an easy to understand format. Mr. Boudoin says that because of CADPIPE’s accuracy, “rework due to drafting error is a thing of the past.”