Autodesk Announces 2007 Inventor of the Year

Leading research facility uses digital prototyping to gain new insight into the atomic and molecular structure of various materials.

Nominated as Inventor of the Month for May 2007, LNLS was selected by members of the Autodesk manufacturing community who logged onto the Autodesk Community Web site and voted for the 2007 Inventor of the Year. The Inventor of the Month program recognizes innovative design and engineering advancements made by the community of customers using Autodesk Inventor software.

"We are proud to be named the Autodesk Inventor of the Year for 2007," said Milton Cesar Rocha, mechanical engineer at LNLS. "Inventor software helped us visualize and simulate our designs without reliance on costly physical prototypes. There are many other excellent examples of Inventor users who have achieved the same success, and it is truly an honor to be recognized by our peers through the Autodesk Manufacturing community."

As one of approximately 50 synchrotron light laboratories in the world, LNLS allows scientists to use X-Ray and Ultraviolet beams to gain new insights into the atomic and molecular structure of various materials.

Using Autodesk Inventor software, LNLS designed the Elliptically Polarizing Undulator (EPU), which features approximately 15,800 parts divided into 5,560 standardized machinery elements, with 453 non-repeated parts inside the assembly. With 3D visualization capability, LNLS was able to virtually explore a complete product before it became real to confirm that the equipment assembly was free of interference errors.

"Digital Prototyping has allowed LNLS to take on challenging projects to create specialized equipment for its facilities, and contributing to its status as a world-class research center," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice-president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions. "All of our 2007 Inventor of the Month recipients are strong examples of the benefits of Digital Prototyping and we are particularly pleased to name LNLS as our 2007 Inventor of the Year."

Each month, Autodesk selects an Inventor of the Month from the more than 600,000 users of Autodesk Inventor software, the foundation of the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping. Winners are chosen for engineering excellence and groundbreaking innovation. For more information on Autodesk Inventor of the Month, e-mail IOM@autodesk.com.