Autodesk Award

Introducing the Tundra.

Winner of the AutoDesk best design award in 2003.

The Customer's Challenge:

Arctic Spas is a Canadian company located in Thorsby, Alberta. The company is the manufacturer of hottubs called Arctic Spas. The company employs about 200 people and ships spas to over 25 countries around the world. In the past, new spas were hand carved which created a lot of rework when internal spa parts such as pumps and jet housings would not fit – a problem that would only surface after all the mold work had been finished.The internal shape of the spa is quite complicated with many rounded surfaces. The company therefore required a CAD system with powerful modeling capabilities which would be strong in creating complex shapes for the shell, as well as capable of handling the complex geometry for the plumbing components of the spa.

The Autodesk Solution:

Arctic Spas has decided to use Autodesk Inventor for its product design because it ideally suits their various needs. The image shows the design of a new spa. Their first step is to create the inner shape for the shell of the spa. Once the shell is complete, plumbing layouts can be made so that all the internal components will fit inside the cabinet. Then the ‘reverse’ is created in order to produce a plug that can be CNC milled using 5-axis CAM software. After the plug is cut it is fiberglassed. The fiberglass shell is then removed from the plug and used to create the mold for the spas.

Overall Results:

“The software as a whole was a benefit. We've never used any other software. Using Autodesk Inventor allows me to design an entire spa including its complex plumbing layouts before a router bit ever hits the wood. All problems are taken care of in the design stages and expensive rework is avoided later on in manufacturing.”Mr. Pete Van't Hoff, Research & Development, Arctic Spa, Thorsby, Alberta, Canada.