General

Security Door Design Automation with Inventor Macros

The client is a US-based company specializing in custom security and performance openings. They design and manufacture doors, windows, enclosures, louvers and roof/escape hatches for various applications. Their products include high-security options like detention, windstorm, blast, bullet-resistant, and forced entry solutions.

Scope

The client needed to automate the design of their security and bullet-proof steel doors to speed up customization and reduce manual work. This included:

Security steel door products: Commercial, detention, and fire-rated acoustical doors.

Bullet-proof steel door products: To design door frame assemblies rated to withstand 15 minutes and steel doors with vision panels rated for 5 minutes..

The automation needed to facilitate assembly analysis, parameter modifications, and the development of multiple design variants efficiently. The project involved working with iLogic program and VBA program using Autodesk Inventor CAD application to implement the required automation.

Challenge

The challenges included:

  • Complex Product Variants: The automation had to efficiently handle multiple design options accurately. thickness, materials, reinforcements, and vision panels.
  • User Form: Accommodating all the product variants in one single user form was challenging. The user form should communicate well with the users on what and how they want to achieve their end product.
  • Meeting Industry Standards: The designs needed to comply with strict requirements for soundproofing, fire resistance, forced entry, and ballistic protection. The automation had to apply these rules correctly without limiting design flexibility.
  • User-friendly Automation & Debugging: The system had to be simple for engineers to adjust parameters without needing coding expertise. Thorough testing and debugging were essential to ensure the automation ran smoothly and delivered accurate results.

Solution

Leveraging our CAD automation expertise, we developed a customized design automation solution for the client’s security and bullet-proof steel doors. Using Autodesk Inventor iLogic programming, we streamlined the design process, reducing manual work and ensuring compliance with security and industry standards.

Our effective solution included six key steps:

1. Rule-Based Automation for Custom Door Designs

We built an intelligent automation system to quickly design security and bulletproof steel door variations. The system automated 3D models, parts, assemblies, and drawings, making design updates fast and error-free. It adjusted panel thickness, reinforcements, materials, and fire/ballistic resistance features as needed.

2. Custom Macros and iLogic Programming for Efficient CAD Automation

To simplify design adjustments, we developed iLogic scripts in Autodesk Inventor for rule-based modelling, ensuring all door components are adapted to required specifications automatically.

We also automated repetitive modelling tasks, allowing engineers to create multiple product variations instantly.

3. User-Friendly Interface & Optimized Performance

We designed a custom GUI for Autodesk Inventor, making it easy for engineers to modify key parameters like security levels, and reinforcements without needing coding knowledge. The scripts were optimized for handling large assemblies efficiently, preventing slowdowns and ensuring smooth operation.

4. Automated Validation and Compliance

The automation included built-in validation checks to ensure all designs met fire, acoustical, ballistic, and forced-entry standards. This reduced errors, minimized rework, and ensured all configurations were production ready.

If any compliance rules change in the future, users can adjust settings in the form, and the assembly updates automatically based on predefined rules.

5. Standardization

To maintain consistency and efficiency, we implemented strict coding and engineering standards. As mechanical engineers, we tend to focus more on the functionality in achieving results than following the program standards.

Our Sedin engineers are exceptional in this case; they have been trained so well to define the program with the proper syntax, variable declaration, comments, etc. This ensured a well-structured, maintainable, and scalable automation system.

6. Error Handling and Testing

One of the biggest challenges in CAD automation goes around handling the bugs, and error validations. We ensured that the proper error message is shown to the designers, so they would understand what they are up to and can correct themselves.

To further validate the program, Sedin engineers tested both positive and negative use cases before deployment, ensuring it works as expected. Our CAD development solution ensured a fully functional and adaptable design process, as per the client's requirement.

Our final deliverables included .iam (assembly), .ipt (part), and .idw (drawing) files with built-in scripts.

VBA door design user form.png

Value and Benefits

The client significantly reduced design time and manual effort, allowing their engineers to focus on more complex tasks.

Automation ensured their security and bullet-proof door designs met strict compliance standards with greater accuracy and consistency.

By capturing best practices and design logic, the system made it easy to reuse and adapt designs for future projects.

The streamlined process also minimized errors and improved overall efficiency, helping the client bring high-quality products to market faster.

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Sedin Engineering is the division of Sedin Technologies. We offer multidisciplinary and holistic engineering design services across product development, plant design & engineering, industrial automation, structural, civil, electrical, wiring and harness design. Our agenda is to enable engineering brilliance.

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