IndustryConsumer products Electronics and semiconductor

Business challengesCombine high image resolu-tion and fast imaging speed in a “people friendly” ergo-nomic designDevelop new camera in record time to seize opportunities in the advanced amateur/ professional market segment

Keys to successModel the entire EOS 20D camera in NX softwareTap NX RPT (rapid prototyping technology) to quickly evalu-ate multiple design iterations Communicate design intent to manufacturing through NX models

NX industrial design and styling solutions gave Canon time to optimize the design of the hugely popular EOS 20D digital camera

With the EOS 20D, Canon was targeting a demanding segment of the digital photog-raphy market (advanced amateurs and professionals) on an accelerated develop-ment schedule.

Targeting a demanding niche with an aggressive designWhen Canon undertook the redesign of its EOS 10D camera, a digital offering tar-geted at advanced amateurs and profes-sionals, the company set high expectations for the new product. The goal was to create a camera that delivered both high-image resolution and speed. Typically when resolution goes up, speed goes down. But Canon wanted to give the new camera, the EOS 20D, the ability to capture as many as five high-resolution images per second. This is an exam-ple of the company’s “aggres-sive design” philosophy, which results in more com-petitive products with higher added value.

Another challenge with the EOS 20D was its shape. As with all cameras, this one had to feel good in the user’s hands. An ergo-nomic design was critical. But so was aes-thetic appeal as the camera would have to stand out on store shelves among compet-ing products. To seize market opportuni-ties in the advanced amateur/professional segment, Canon wanted to develop this camera much faster than previous models. This meant overcoming common obsta-cles, such as miscommunication between design and manufacturing that led to engineering changes and rework. It also required a design process that would per-mit fast evaluation of multiple shapes to ensure that the new

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CanonCanon’s camera development supported by NX

camera was perfectly suited to the needs of the target market.

Canon, a Siemens customer since 1990, decided to model the entire EOS 20D in 3D in NX™ software, beginning with the initial stages of design. As Noboru Tanaka, director of Canon’s Consumer 1st Design Department, says, “It is difficult to think of an ergonomic design without the use of 3D CAD.” He recalls that Canon began using NX early on because the com-pany recognized the tremen-dous benefit of using 3D CAD for creating the complex shapes of curved surfaces such as those contained in the camera body.

NX made it possible for designers to review more iterations of the camera than they could in the past. Variations on a design were generated extremely rapidly, often with just a single command, such as a change to a dimension. Highly realistic rendered images could be viewed from all angles by manipulating the 3D model. “The grip of the EOS 20D is about 3.5 mm thin-ner than the 10D. To ensure a good grip with this body volume, we used the history function of NX numerous times to fine-tune the shape,” says Masakazu Kumakura, chief designer at the Comprehensive Design Center at Canon. “In addition, one of the new features of the EOS 20D is a multicontroller, which quickly selects the focus area. The history function was used to determine the multicontroller’s best location in the camera. A total of 12 to 13 different designs was considered before making it final.”

Rapid prototyping was used in conjunction with the 3D model data for fast evaluation of physical prototypes. In the past, Canon had relied on an outside model manufac-turer, which led to significant costs and time. Because the company now uses an

“ With NX, we were able to examine numerous shapes in a small amount of time. Without NX, it would have been impossible to finish the design within a very short timeframe.”

Masakazu Kumakura Chief Designer Design Project Department Comprehensive Design Center Canon, Inc.

in-house rapid prototyping system, it was able to evaluate ease of use with very little cost incurred. Kumakura says that three evaluations using rapid prototypes were conducted to determine the shape of the multicontroller.

Lower costs, faster development, outstanding productThe EOS 20D went from concept to pro-duction in half the time it formerly took Canon to develop a new camera. “Without NX, it would have been impossible to fin-ish this design within a very short time-frame,” says Kumakura. One reason for the faster development cycle was smoother communication between the design and manufacturing divisions. “When communi-cating with the design division previously, we had to redo the mockup a number of times,” says Tanaka. “As a result, the final cost was enormous. Since design informa-tion in the form of 3D NX data can now be shared, feedback from the design division can be incorporated easily. With the EOS 20D, we were able to exchange communi-cations much faster than in the past. NX has demonstrated its brilliance as a com-munication tool.” More efficient communi-cation, combined with inexpensive rapid prototypes, resulted in lower development costs for the EOS 20D compared to other models.

ResultsEOS 20D achieved mega-hit statusMore designs were evaluated in less time – to create attractive, ergonomic shapeCommunication with 3D models prevented costly manufacturing problemsProduct development time was reduced drastically; costs were reduced as well

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Customer’s primary businessCanon is a global leader in professional business and consumer imaging equipment and information systems. www.canon.com

Customer locationTokyo Japan

“NX demonstrated its bril-liance as a communication tool by enabling us to exchange data between the design and manufacturing divisions much faster than in the past.”

Noboru Tanaka Director Consumer 1st Design Department Canon, Inc.

Canon achieved its goal of delivering both high-image resolution and speed in the EOS 20D. The camera incorpo-rates a newly developed large CMOS sensor with approxi-mately 8.2 million effective pixels that functions as the camera’s “eye.” The EOS 20D has a very fast startup time of about 0.2 seconds and can shoot approximately five frames per second.

The new camera went on the market in September, 2004 and was an immediate success. While production was exceptionally high for this class of camera, shortly after the announcement of the EOS 20D there was a flood of orders that created backorders in some areas. By employing NX, Canon simultaneously cut development time and cost, while allowing more prototypes to be made, resulting in a dramatic improve-ment in the fit and finish of the final design.