Autodesk Names ADEPT Airmotive as Inventor of the Year for 2008

Sleek, Lightweight Engine Design Propels Aviation Innovator to Top Spot in a Landslide Vote Among Peers

SAN RAFAEL, Calif - Autodesk has named ADEPT Airmotive, a South Africa-based manufacturer of general aviation engines for the light aircraft market, the Autodesk Inventor of the Year for 2008.

ADEPT relied on Autodesk Inventor software--the foundation of the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping --to develop the 320T, a 320-horsepower general aviation engine with a compact design that offers low vibration levels and high structural integrity. The 350-pound engine is more than 130 pounds lighter than a traditional piston engine of comparable horsepower, allowing the 320T to reap fuel savings of about 30 percent and decrease environmental impact.

Members of the Autodesk manufacturing community voted for the 2008 Inventor of the Year on the Autodesk community web site. Named Inventor of the Month for March 2008, ADEPT won the competition in a landslide, receiving nearly two-thirds of the votes cast.

"The fact that our peers voted us into the winning position makes the award even more gratifying," said Richard Schulz, managing director of ADEPT. "We're thrilled to demonstrate that South African engineering is world-class as part of the global exposure that accompanies this prestigious award."

Digital Prototyping Powers Engine Design

Inventor software's Digital Prototyping capabilities helped ADEPT produce accurate 3D models of the 320T before anything was actually built, reducing the number of physical prototypes that needed to be constructed. Processes that once took hours--such as changing the wall thickness of an engine component--were completed almost instantaneously with Inventor software. As a result, engineers were able to spend less time constructing geometric models and more time creating innovative designs, and then simulating the performance of the designs under real-world conditions.

"ADEPT distinguished itself from a very accomplished field of nominees in 2008," said Robert "Buzz" Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk. "ADEPT earned the praise of the manufacturing community for its groundbreaking engine, and we are pleased with the role that Digital Prototyping was able to play in developing the innovative 320T."