From manual driving to automated driving, the driving system becomes more and more intelligent; from 1:0.3 to the latest 1:1.76, in-vehicle screens become larger and of more diverse usages. For backlight module manufacturers like Ways Electron CO., Ltd., these transitions mean considerable opportunities.
Figure 1. Ways Electron CO., Ltd.
Ways Electron CO., Ltd. (“Ways Electron” for short) was established in 2003 and went public in 2018. Specializing in electronic components such as backlight modules, LCD modules, and IML touchscreens, Ways Electron has long been one of the leading manufacturers of in-car backlight display modules worldwide. Apart from working closely with Sharp Corporation, JDI (Japan Display Inc.), etc., Ways Electron supplies automotive components to renowned carmakers including Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen, and so on.
Aspiring to innovate designs, iterate products more quickly, and eventually adapt to the trend of intelligent vehicles, Ways Electron has been applying ZWCAD and ZW3D to the whole process from design to manufacturing since 2017.
Extend the Lead in Electronics Iteration with Advanced CAD
Since there has been a slowdown in demands for products like smartphones and laptops in the past few years, touch-sensitive screen manufacturers started turning their attention to in-car screens for more market shares. However, Ways Electron has already gained a head start in this field back in 2008.
With these many years’ accumulations of key technologies for producing precision molds, light guide plates, etc., Mr. Dongyang Liu, the R&D director at Ways Electron said confidently, “We are able to develop products of high luminance and uniformity nice and quick.” When asked about how to remain competitive, he answered, “Due to the fact that products for vehicles upgrade fast, we attach significance to enhancing our R&D capabilities. On this account, we chose to team up with ZWSOFT to shorten our product development cycle with its advanced CAD technologies and solutions.”
Figure 2. The Ways Electron machine shop
ZWCAD and ZW3D Boost the Efficiency throughout the Whole Process
Currently, Ways Electron products are mainly for automotive, consumer electronics, and industrial control uses, which requires them to be highly accurate and uniform. During product development, they need 3D CAD software to carry out product design and mold design as well as 2D CAD software to generate two-dimensional engineering drawings to guide the production line.
According to Mr. Higashimoto Kazuhiro, the leader of the backlight design team, “Compared with other large-scale equipment, our products are not that complicated. Hence, when it comes to CAD software, we pay more attention to whether they are stable, smooth, and handy for our designers and engineers.” So far, ZWCAD and ZW3D are well received by all their departments and applied to the whole workflow related to product development, including product design, mold design, and fixture design.
Figure 3. A designer at Ways Electron using ZWCAD
One of the mold designers added, “Our productivity and end results are highly affected by the user-friendliness of the CAD software. For this reason, we were happy to switch to ZW3D.” Another designer from the Product Design department commented, “ZW3D is relatively easier to use, exports smaller files, and possesses powerful editing features like Direct Edit. In general, our schedule is quite tight. Thanks to ZW3D, our design efficiency escalates.” Mr. Kazuhiro wrapped it up by saying that the timely support from ZWSOFT allows them to learn more skills and solve issues promptly, which prompts them to use ZW3D actively and positively.
Figure 4. An Engineer at Ways Electron using ZW3D
As automobiles become intelligent, electric, networked, and shared, the needs for and the role of screens, one of the most important vehicles for human-computer interaction, become more prominent. “I think in-car screens will be more diverse and of larger scale,” pointed out Mr. Kazuhiro. In the future, Ways Electron will continue innovating their design of assorted screens with cutting-edge ZWSOFT 2D and 3D solutions to become the world’s best backlight display module manufacturer.
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