Unrelenting in its pursuit to improve product quality, Monaco Coach Corporation once again has elected to take the way they do business to a new level. With literally thousands of assemblies and subassemblies involved in the design and construction of a luxury motorcoach, Monaco Coach Corporation has armed its engineering teams with NX2™, the latest version of NX™, the digital product development system from UGS PLM Solutions. NX2 is a package of advanced engineering software modules that is capable not only of designing assemblies and subassemblies, but it has the prowess to identify and correct potential interferences between related assemblies during the design phase.

Translation? In other words, prior to the first unit in a new model year, or before a totally new coach line is ever built, NX2 can guarantee that everything — absolutely everything — is correct from a design standpoint and that it will come together correctly when it goes into production. It means more efficient design cycles, quicker modeling and simulation up front, allowing better quality to be built-in, and the simplifying of complex wiring and electronics for a more reliable end-product.

Used extensively by the luxury automotive, aerospace, defense and medical industries, NX2 has the power to harness all of the intricacies associated with designing systems (electrical, structural, analytical, etc.), plus much, much more. In engineering language, this software is said to be “robust.” What that really means is that it features a level of sophistication that permits it to handle complex geometry and assemblies that are extremely intricate. Fully committed to improving product quality in an increasingly competitive world, eighteen months ago Monaco Coach Corporation began the capital intense process of incorporating NX2 as the cornerstone of its design process.

The significance of an RV manufacturer having this kind of design power so its products are built correctly the first time, and every time thereafter, cannot be overstated. Having the design absolutely correct from the very beginning means that production operates smoothly, because it is not being interrupted by design issues arising due to design deficiencies. And because the assemblies and subassemblies are designed and built correctly the first time, product quality improves, as does customer satisfaction. It’s that customer satisfaction that is the mantra at Monaco Coach Corporation.

Co-laterally, because it’s designed correctly, warranty/repair work in the field drops, which means the repair costs associated with having to perform field corrections also drop. When deficiencies drop, productivity is increased. Equally important is that the number of engineering man hours required to resolve these kinds of issues are also reduced, which converts directly into dollars saved.

NX software was purchased in November 2003, and the first training classes for the engineers in its use and applications, began in February 2004. This initial training took three months to complete, but the transition and the implementation of NX will be ongoing for the next several years.

It involves training everyone associated with the design of recreational vehicles. It is a monumental program. Computer engineers who are intimately familiar with NX were brought on board to shepherd this multi-year training and implementation program. And it’s important to note that during this transition process, current production is not being negatively impacted.

The NX software contains modules such as sheet metal package, an FEA (final element analysis) package, advanced assembly package, wave technology (interlinking parts and expressions to create intelligent geometry that knows what is right and wrong in achieving correct engineering design), wiring harnesses, and routing systems creation to name just a few. But there are ancillary features that have already proven to be beneficial to Monaco Coach Corporation.

One such benefit is the 3D (three dimensional) Parasolid modeling technology that has made UGS’ NX software famous. By viewing an assembly or group of sub-assemblies in 3D on a computer monitor, the engineers can immediately see how the designed components interface with one another and where potential interferences and issues may occur. The 3D image can be raised, rotated and turned upside down to be viewed. (This is not possible with a two-dimensional drawing.) For example, with 3D viewing, it becomes immediately apparent where electrical wiring needs to be run to avoid being punctured by screws that assemble structural parts. The 3D representation shows precisely where those potential interferences are. It goes without saying that you don’t want a fastener lagged into an electrical harness — NX 3D models prevent this.

Using this same engineering design data, the files can be sent to what is called a 3D printer to create a solid scaled model of a part or an assembly. The beauty of this is that the scaled model can be taken into a presentation where everyone can be shown exactly what the design engineer is thinking (as opposed to participants having to read a text description or view a two dimensional drawing).

A good example of how the Monaco Coach Corporation design engineers have already used some of the power of NX occurred during the recent design of a new front cap for one of Monaco Coach Corporation’s 2006 luxury coaches. First, it was designed using the Mechanical Free Form module of NX. Then the design files were transmitted to an outside vendor who made a 3D print (printing in this case means the creation of a 3D scaled model) of the front cap. What this did for everyone involved (design engineers, product development personnel and everyone associated with designing and building the new front cap) was the ability to touch it, walk around it and have a complete view of this precisely scaled front cap from every conceivable angle (front, back, top, bottom, inside, outside). They could then agree (or disagree) that this is what they all wanted, because they could see it and say, “Yes, that looks good.” They no longer had to depend upon a pattern builder to sculpt the front cap model. And because of NX’s precision, the exterior surface of the cap is what is termed in the auto industry as a “Class A surface,” something that only computers can do. This means the surface was digitally cut on CNC (computer numerically controlled) equipment, where previously it had not been possible. Long story short — what the motorhome enthusiast gets is a better quality, better looking product, and that is something that is always in the company’s crosshairs.

But it didn’t stop there. After the final design of the front cap was agreed upon, the engineering data was transmitted to Southern California, where all of the tooling needed to build the first front cap was digitally cut and shipped to Monaco Coach Corporation’s Coburg, Oregon facility.

The initial focus at Monaco Coach Corporation has been to get all of the assemblies and subassemblies inputted into the computer system. This is a top priority, so as new models and floorplans are being developed, all potential interferences will be identified before production begins. However, NX2 has already benefited the company in an additional way that underscores just how “robust” (remember that word) this new software is. In eight months enough data has been entered into the

Fully committed to improving product quality in an increasingly competitive world, eighteen months ago Monaco Coach Corporation began the capital intense process of incorporating NX2 as the cornerstone of its design process.

program files that a photo rendering (a digital image) could be created for marketing that shows with precision the exterior of one of their 2006 luxury coaches. Submitted to the UGS PLM World Calendar Competition, this computer-generated rendering by Monaco Coach Corporation was awarded a first place prize for NX2 accomplishments. It was printed on the UGS 2005 NX World calendar, which since has been distributed globally.

Yes, the power of NX is already carrying the design of recreational vehicles to new levels. It’s powerful… it’s here… and it’s Monaco Coach Corporation’s next generation solution.