Case Study: Square Robot achieves cloud-based, revision-controlled CAD collaboration with SOLIDWORKS

Developing AST Inspection Systems with Data and Lifecycle Management Solutions in the Cloud

Square Robot is a Boston-based start-up that builds an autonomous hovering robot to inspect above-ground storage tanks (ASTs), enabling in-service tank floor surveys with up to 95% thickness coverage and reducing safety risk and operational disruption. As the team grew (and included remote workers) the company needed a cloud-based, revision-controlled CAD storage and collaboration solution to support a no-local-server policy—Google Drive and Pack and Go were proving error-prone, time-consuming, and bottlenecked by a single model organizer.

Square Robot adopted SolidWorks' 3DEXPERIENCE data and lifecycle management solutions—specifically 3D Component Designer and Project Planner—to provide cloud-based CAD storage, instant synchronization, enforced revision history, and a reservation workflow that prevents simultaneous edits. The SolidWorks platform eliminated the need for a single file owner and Pack and Go archives, enabled browser-based viewing for non-CAD users, and drastically improved collaboration speed across distances while removing the need for on-premises IT infrastructure.

Square Robot