Winning Product Designs: Bottles [Interview]

A few months ago, PTC asked Creo users to submit their best work for a Product Design Contest. Submissions came from more than 60 countries and included objects like a wooden bike, 3D printer, and hyperloop pod—all made with Creo 3D CAD software.

Roman Sobecki has been using PTC CAD since 2001, and he’s a fan. He said, “Creo is really great tool and I love it!” Sobecki used Creo to design a series of bottles that captured the design contest judges’ attention and earned an honorable mention. He used Creo to overcome challenges that are inherent to creating a “simple” beer bottle.

Roman Sobecki is an experienced Creo user who is active in the PTC User Community. He designed a series of bottles that earned an honorable mention in PTC’s design contest.

Location: Poland

The design: Sobecki created his designs from start to finish in Creo Parametric—paying special attention to mold design capabilities. Don’t be fooled by the bottles’ sleek, effortless details; the detailed design took years to perfect.

A bottle designed in by Roman Sobecki using Creo 3D CAD software.

The design challenges: The biggest design challenge was adding complex engraving to the bottles. Note:

• He needed to maintain proper convexity.
• The radiuses had to comply with the smallest available ball milling tool (the diameter of which is 0.6 mm).
• He had to pay close attention to the mold’s undercuts, so that it’s easy to remove from the mold.

Sobecki said the effort was worth it, though, when he gets to show a rendered design to a customer.

How’d he do it? As a Creo power user, Sobecki has many learned many CAD tricks over the years. Here are some of the ways Creo simplifies his complex design tasks:

• Variable section sweep and the trajpar parameter, Offset with Draft, Variable Pull Direction Draft – helped him create small engraving details.
• Toroidal Bend or Flatten Quilt – allowed him to place engravings in difficult locations on the product body.
• Warp with power of Transform, Bend, Twist, Stretch, Sculpt, etc. – let him take his ideas from concept to reality.  
• With Creo Parametric Freestyle he created unique core shapes quickly. Sobecki said, “Once, my boss asked if Creo could be used to create a skull bottle design. I was able to show my boss a ‘head’ design after only a half hour, and it was my first time using the feature!”

Why Creo? Sobecki said he loves how Creo aids not only with product design, but also with mold design and manufacturing—the whole design process is covered by one system.

“Last year, using Creo, I designed the first in CAD history, perfect twist-off glass finish design. The most difficult part was showing how the milling tool extended the thread shape,” Sobecki said.

Creo 4.0 thoughts: Sobecki participated in the Creo 4.0 beta test last spring. He said he is most impressed with the new full screen mode, intuitive user interface, improved regeneration engine (which lets him quickly jump inside a group of features in order to add new features), the ability to export/import model inside Freestyle or a new rendering, and improvements to Sketcher.

Any advice for someone trying to create their own winning design with Creo? He has two pieces of advice for other designers. First, be brave and confidently share your work with others. Second, he said, “Don’t be lazy—this is what kills most initiatives.” Sobecki aims to use each opportunity as a chance to gain something.

Start Creating Winning Designs Today: Download Creo 4.0

No matter what you want to create, Creo 4.0 can help you bring your ideas from concept to reality. Packed with hundreds of enhancements, this release is easier to use than ever, and includes tools for better 3D printing, model-based definition, and more. Visit the Creo 4.0 page to find out more and start using it today.