A design program does so much more than generate drawings. At its best, it should match the user's mindset - be an extension of their hands and thoughts - all the way to industrial manufacturing.
Here Tobias Sigvardsson and his colleagues at Sjölins Smide talk about how they work with Tekla Structures and Trimble Connect in the Multiarena in Sandviken, and how the buildable model optimizes the work process.
Sjölins Smide is a company that has been working with forging and steel for a staggering 140 years. With a close-knit production team based in Hudiksvall, the company undertakes projects all over the country.
A couple of years ago, a strategic decision was made to take on larger projects and in connection with that, Tekla Structures was introduced at Sjölins Smide.
To sharpen the company's skills, Tobias Sigvardsson was hired as head of the design department and with him several colleagues. The new focus has increased Sjölins' profitability and also enabled them to take on larger projects than before.
- The advantages of Tekla Structures are that it provides us with a basis for our manufacturing staff and fitters. When we switched from other CAD programs, we found that Tekla Structures offered superiority when it came to building and visualizing complex structures," says Tobias Sigvardsson, who is a very experienced and advanced Tekla user.
He says that the introduction of Tekla Structures simplified the work considerably and allowed Sjölins to design larger and more advanced projects faster.
- I want my design program to match my way of thinking, it should be an extension of my hands. We appreciate that the program is very user-friendly and the fact that we can stay in 3D all the time makes it even more intuitive," says Tobias.
Steel frame in arena construction
A current project at Sjölins Smide is the Multiarena, a facility for several different sports and events in the classic sports town of Sandviken. Tobias is working there together with designers Viktoria Strandberg and Alfred Åkerlund, as well as Johan Engholm, who has led the project from the start.
The main building of the stadium consists of a frame of steel trusses, steel columns and steel beams with intermediate floors of hollow core slabs. Its grandstand is made of prefabricated concrete, with grandstand balconies spanning rectangular concrete beams. The beams rest on concrete columns supporting the intermediate floor and roof in the area of the grandstand.
- Our assignment was to design the steel frame and draw up manufacturing and assembly drawings. The assignment grew considerably during the course of the work. What was initially supposed to involve 150 tons of steel ended up being twice that," says Tobias Sigvardsson.
Many nodes
The frame structure consists of rolled steel sections in various shapes with numerous and complex junctions between them and other building elements in other materials. This has required, among other things, specially adapted fastenings.
- Some of the challenges have been to ensure welding space and avoid collisions between different elements, explains Alfred Åkerlund.
The challenges have instead been the looser tolerances between the steel and other materials.
- When you have a combination of steel and concrete, there are particular problems with tolerances. To address this, we have used overlengths that are cut on site. By anticipating where problems might arise and being aware of the potential differences between steel and concrete, we have managed to navigate these challenges successfully and ensured a smooth construction," says Alfred.
The entire steel frame of Jernvallen is divided into phases, resulting in different colors in the model. This allowed Sjölin's team to focus on one phase/color at a time all the way from construction to assembly.
Time-saving tools
As the project grew, this meant that a very large number of drawings had to be completed in a short time.
- To stay on schedule, we worked in stages. We built on previous project experience and applied it to this project," says designer Viktoria Strandberg.
The fact that both the designers and the production team in Hudiksvall are very knowledgeable in Tekla Structures and use the advantages of the tool, has contributed to the efficient use of time and facilitated the work processes.
All documentation for our production and assembly needs to be generated directly in Tekla Structures.
- Our proprietary plugin provides us with ready-made lists of cutting angles and cutting types. These lists facilitate our material management and make it possible to buy pre-cut profiles from steel wholesalers such as Tibnor and Stena.
- With the ability to customize the tool through our own plugins and adaptations, we have created a highly optimized work process. The open API in Tekla Structures has been a crucial advantage that has enabled these customizations," says Tobias Sigvardsson.
Designers Alfred Åkerlund and Viktoria Strandberg, Sjölins Smide.
"Cloning drawings"
The relatively new "Smart Create" feature in Tekla Structures has proved particularly useful in the Multiarenan project.
- If one drawing is similar to another, it can 'clone' itself. Thanks to an AI, the program can do this with minimal manual intervention. We have used this function a lot, it is really valuable, both smart and time-saving, says Tobias Sigvardsson, Sjölins Smide.
He continues:
- Creating drawings and changing views would probably take up to 30% longer if the feature was not available. Previously, cloning was possible, but it required a lot of manual work. Now it's easier because the program identifies connections between drawings and can effectively recreate them.
Efficient assembly
Another feature that has been very useful in the Multiarenan project is Tekla Model Sharing, which allows Sjölin's designers to work in the model simultaneously.
- Throughout the project, our partners have had access to the IFC model via Trimble Connect, which has enabled detailed logistics planning. Transport and assembly have been optimized by determining how many tons per transport and how much can be assembled per week. This has eliminated unnecessary pre-printing of materials through the workshop and created a streamlined plan for when and where the work will be carried out," says Johan Engholm, project manager at Sjölins Smide.
Trimble Connect is used as the communication platform.
- Trimble Connect has played a crucial role in our assembly work. Our supervisors have used this tool daily to receive files and updates. The model has been our constant companion. By using general 3D views, we have been able to reduce the number of assembly drawings and instead focus on using simpler drawings. Many details have instead been solved directly in the model. This has greatly simplified the assembly and made it smoother, says Tobias Sigvardsson.
Cooperation on the model
The team at Sjölins Smide works closely together and shared IFC models with Strängbetong, which is performing the concrete part of the building. Through coordination meetings and joint review, the models were adjusted to ensure a smoother integration between different materials and parts of the project.
- Sharing IFC models ensures that our steel structures harmonize with their concrete solutions. The close cooperation between us and Strängbetong has been crucial to achieve a coherent and successful construction process," says Tobias Sigvardsson.
Magnus Key, Strängbetong project manager, agrees:
- The use of Tekla Structures and Trimble Connect was very positive. The tools made it easy to exchange files and collaborate with other stakeholders. The models were accessible to everyone and made it possible to quickly detect any problems.
He continues:
- Of course, there were collisions and clashes between different materials. But thanks to the 3D models, these could be detected and managed in a very efficient way.
Learning process
Tobias Sigvardsson says the project has been a learning process for his team at Sjölins Smide.
- We have developed a standard for managing complex projects, in which Tekla Structures has played a central role.
- By dividing the project into stages, we have managed to create a streamlined work process that has worked very well for both ourselves and our partners. So now we are ready to continue to take on even larger and more advanced projects," concludes Tobias Sigvardsson, Construction Manager at Sjölins Smide.
Tobias Sigvardsson, Construction Manager at Sjölins Smide, uses the new "Smart Create" feature in Tekla Structures, which saves a lot of time with the help of an AI.
