Consumer expectations have risen over the years to expect high-quality
packaging for all types of retail goods. The type of packaging used may have a
significant effect on brand perception and marketability of the product.
Packaging can also be a significant contributor to overall Cost of Goods. For
these reasons, it makes sense that packaging design should be given priority
as part of the core product design process, rather than an afterthought near a
product launch.
Following SOLIDWORKS trend of enabling concurrent engineering and product
development, I wanted to discuss a workflow for using SOLIDWORKS to virtually
prototype package concepts in parallel with product design. This workflow
allows for more iteration leading to more creative designs, as well as the
ability to compress time to market.
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The general procedure is as follows:
- Determine desired package dimensions based on preliminary product design
- Design preliminary folding carton using SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal tools
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Export Flat Pattern “dieline” as DXF file to graphic design software for
artwork creation - Import artwork onto 3D model and perform Photorealistic rendering
This workflow allows a closed loop to quickly iterate different concepts. It’s
worth noting that SOLIDWORKS is not a specialized packaging design software
and the Sheet Metal tools were not intended to represent the box forming
process. A production carton may have complex glue tabs and other features
that would be difficult to represent using this workflow. However, even a
crude mockup of the package can be useful, as zones for the artwork can be
created and the overall shape of the package evaluated, knowing that the
production design will differ in ways that should not be visible to the
customer.
The Sheet Metal tools provide a check to ensure the carton will be
manufacturable, but if it’s not desirable to generate a flat pattern, faces of
the model can be individually exported to DXF for artwork creation. Nonplanar
faces can be flattened and exported to DXF using the Surface Flattening
functionality in SOLIDWORKS Premium- particularly useful for curved labels or
other applied graphics.
Photorealistic rendering allows evaluation of different artwork and packaging
designs in detail to make design decisions early on. Custom Scenes and
Environments allow evaluating how the package will look in different settings.
The renders below were performed in the integrated tool PhotoView 360. In this
case, the artwork was exported as PNG files and placed on the SOLIDWORKS model
as Decals. As an alternative, the standalone SOLIDWORKS Visualize renderer
could be used, even by separate departments that do not have SOLIDWORKS access
or experience.
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SOLIDWORKS configurations can also be utilized to describe stages of a box
forming or carton erecting process, as well as provide instructions on how the
product should be packed.
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By developing packaging concurrently with the product, time to market can be
reduced. Once a final package design is selected, only minimal adjustments
should be needed to the artwork to accommodate production. Additionally,
allowing all relevant parties to participate early on minimizes the chance of
surprises related to how much the package will cost, the structural needs of
the package and its manufacturability, and how the product will be presented.
For additional details on how this process and others can be performed, please
check out our
YouTube channel
or contact us at
Hawk Ridge Systems.
