Case Study: Square Robot fast-tracks fuel-tank inspection robot development with SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform

Square Robot, Inc. Fast-tracking Fuel-tank Inspection Robot Development With Data and Lifecycle Management Solutions on the Cloud

Square Robot is a Boston-based robotics startup that designs autonomous, battery-powered hovering robots to inspect the interiors of full above-ground petroleum storage tanks and reduce the high cost and operational disruption of manual inspections. The company originally developed parts and assemblies with SolidWorks 3D design software but faced collaboration, revision-control, and lifecycle-management challenges working across multiple locations and with growing datasets.

To solve this, Square Robot extended its SolidWorks CAD workflow with 3D Component Designer on the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform, enabling online collaboration, formal revision control, and lifecycle management. The SolidWorks-backed solution accelerated development and team productivity, tightened revision history to reduce errors, supported certification for hazardous locations (C1D2), and helped the company complete its first in-service tank inspection for Phillips 66 in May 2019—avoiding costly tank draining and speeding time-to-market.

Square Robot

Charles O’Connell

Senior Mechanical Engineer