FISHER/UNITECH Blog

CAD Jobs: Project Engineer Wanted in Shelby Twp., MI

2013-06-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

A project engineer is wanted in the Shelby Township, Michigan area. Think you have what they're looking for? Send your information to the contact person listed below.

Business Summary:

World Class Company that designs and builds assembly equipment and work stations is in need of an organized and motivated Project Engineer. The individual selected for the position will demonstrate proficiency in Solidworks and AutoCAD software and have good working knowledge of machine design for the production of the specialty equipment.

Job Description:

The engineer is to create 3D models of tooling that supports the sequence of operations required by the customer’s specifications. Creating these models will require the creation of new components and importing data from vendor and customer sources. From these models, layout prints and component detail prints will be generated for use by the shop floor to produce the details for assembly. The individual must be detail oriented and will be expected to keep detailed notes during internal reviews and customer design reviews.

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Develop 3D models using SolidWorks 2012 to generate layout and details drawings for machining and assembly.
• Organize and update the following Job File Folder tasks:
○ Customer Design Approval
    ○ Customer Run Off Approval
    ○ Pictures of Manufacturing process & finished product filed
    ○ All Notes are filed
    ○ Job Process Plan is created and filed
• Organize and update Office and Shop Engineering books.
• Communicate with shop crew during projects.
• Communicate with customers.
• Create efficient standards for shop procedures.
• Performs other related duties as required.
• Proficient using Solidworks software to create 3D models to develop equipment layout and detail drawings.
• Proficient using AutoCAD software for 2D details and sketching/concept drawings
• Working knowledge of standard machining practices and tolerances.
• Understands GD&T dimensioning and tolerancing.
• Good communication skills via phone and e-mail.
• Knowledge of basic pneumatics is a plus.
• Must know modern office procedures and methods.
• Must know how to use a personal computer and MS Office software packages.
• Must have ability to establish priorities, work independently, and proceed with objectives without supervision.
• "Hands on" assembly experience is a plus.
• Willing to work overtime, holidays, and weekends as required by the Program Manager.

Note: Employment Sponsorships are not available at this time. Current authorization for U.S. employment required.

Please contact:

Steven Stojanovski

Program Manager

15019 Technology Drive

Shelby Twp., MI 48315

Phone: 586.532.3600

sstojanovski@automatedgroup.com

Rhode Island & SE Mass SolidWorks User Group Meeting: June 20, 2013

2013-06-18T09:52:00.000-04:00

RISOMA-SWUG

Rhode Island / Southeastern Massachusetts SolidWorks User Group

DATE
Thursday, June 20th, 2013

TIME
5:30 - 9:15

LOCATION
Sensata Technologies
529 Pleasant St
Attleboro, MA 02703
AGENDA
Toolbox: Customization and Management
Assemblies: Layout Based
Design Automation: using custom utilities from ATR Soft

As always, there will be food, drinks, and prizes!

RSVP through the website: RSVP.
Or RSVP by email: RSVP.

CAD Jobs: SolidWorks Drafters wanted in Ft. Wayne, IN

2013-06-13T11:41:00.001-04:00

TechniPower is recruiting SolidWorks Drafters on behalf of a company in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Could you be the drafter they're looking for? Please see the below job listing for details and contact info:

SolidWorks Drafter – Requirement for up to 10 Positions!

Your daily responsibilities include initial design, development and maintenance of production prints while communicating with various external and internal customers.

This is approximately a 4 month contract and will potentially go permanent for the right candidate. My client is located approximately 30 minutes south of Ft. Wayne, IN.

SolidWorks, proficient
CSWA Certification, a strong plus
Minimum 2 years experience drafting/detailing
Previous design/detailing within automotive or RV industries, a plus
Sheetmetal design experience
Good written and communication skills

Contact Information:

Arlene Johnson

Sr. Sales Manager

TechniPower, Inc.

(847) 296-6020 x146

(800) 898-5154 x146

ajohnson@technipower.com

www.technipower.com

3D Printing in Pittsburgh: The RAPID 2013 Conference

2013-06-12T10:46:00.000-04:00

Photo by Conor Ralph from the Tribune Review

If you've been in Pittsburgh this week and you're interested in 3D printing, chances are you've already spent some time at RAPID 2013 - but if not, it's still running through Thursday, so you have time to get there! RAPID 2013 is being held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

RAPID, sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers in Detroit, is one of the largest Additive Manufacturing events in the US, and if you've ever wanted to see the full scope of what 3D printing can do for you, this is a good place to do it - multi-industry applications, from manufacturing to medical, will be on display, so whatever your field, you're sure to find someone who knows exactly what 3D printers can do for you.

Come see Stratasys 3D printers for yourself in Booth #604!

SolidWorks User Group Meeting: Westborough, MA - June 12, 2013

2013-06-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

The next CMNC-SWUG meeting will be:

Date: June 12 2013

Location: Univ of Phoenix

1 Research Drive

Westborough, MA 01781

Time:

5:30 – 6:00 pm Food & Networking

6:00 – 9:00 pm Presentations

Presentations:

· Robust Assembly Mates by Keith Pedersen

· Tips & Tricks - We will continue were we left off from the last meeting we have a bunch more to cover. You’re sure to learn something new.

Please RSVP:

I will be attending

Simulation Tip: SolidWorks Simulation Verification Problems

2013-06-04T10:30:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wondered, after running a SolidWorks Simulation study, whether or not your results are correct? A few people I have talked to have questioned the validity of their results and sometimes wonder if the software is reporting what they actually see in the field or in a 'test.'

Well, I typically find that the problem is not with the results, but in the set-up of the analysis. For example, loads may not be accurate, or may be applied incorrectly; people apply incorrect boundary conditions like fixtures; and in some cases, the user/analyst may be looking at a stress concentration.

So, to prove that the software is working correctly, SolidWorks presents you with SolidWorks Simulation Verification Problems and NAFEMS (National Agency for Finite Element Methods and Standards) Benchmarks. These verification problems compare the results of SolidWorks Simulation studies to known analytical solutions. You can find these problems from the Help menu within SolidWorks. With the Simulation Add-In checked, simply go to the Help menu > SolidWorks Simulation > Validation. Here you will find two options: Verification Problems and NAFEMS Benchmarks.

Selections marked with a (Professional) are available with SolidWorks Simulation Professional and above. Selections marked with a (Premium) are available only with SolidWorks Simulation Premium.

Within each group shown above, there are many examples. Below is a listing of what you will find under the Static selection, as well as one of the examples from this list: Deflection of a Cantilever Beam.

So if you get a chance, please take a look through all these great problems to see that SolidWorks is definitely verifying their Simulation software. And those incorrect results? They might actually be due to an incorrect setup of your analysis. Just remember: in any event, Fisher/Unitech is here to support you! Give us a call.

Static Verification Problems:

Cantilever Beam Example:

For more training and tutorials on the many 3D CAD Modeling solutions in the SolidWorks family of products and add-ons, please feel free to look through our Webcast Archive, register for an upcoming webcast or event, or look into our 3DU SolidWorks Training and Certification courses.

SolidWorks Tip of the Day: Check your status!

2013-06-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

What does it mean to "Check your status...?" No, not your Facebook status, I mean your Status Bar in SolidWorks!

Checking the Status Bar on the SolidWorks User Interface may be a function you have yet to encounter. This helpful feature is available to Standard SolidWorks platform users too - not just the Professional or Premium users. This Status Bar is located at the lowest portion of the User Interface - just below the graphical area - where you'll notice a ribbon-like strip. In my experience, users who are just beginning to use this tool can't believe they went without it's utility for so long. The Status Bar has become a useful alternative to those who routinely utilize the Measure Tool. As a SolidWork's educator, I thrive on teaching users shortcuts, such as the Status Bar, which presents an essential capacity and practicality.

The display of the Status Bar changes its numerical value with respect to the relative location of your mouse pointer in space - a familiarity for all AutoCADers out there. It is an in-context feedback, which allows the user to acknowledge the numerical status of a point in space in Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z) or even with respect to a linear or arc distance or a location in space.

Whether you wish to make design verifications or you need to assure a correct distance is applied within a distance or limit mate, you may check the Status Bar while working on a part, drawing, or assembly. It's easy and painless! Detailed knowledge of Hot Keys is not needed to utilize this function, since you'll only need to depress the CTRL key along with your secondary edge/point to initiate the Status Bar.

To initiate the Status Bar, you'll need to multi-select a line-to-line, point-to-point, line-to-point, or face-to-face/plane-to-plane. Whether you are in need of finding a linear, radius, circular distance, or arc length of an existing edge while working in the context of a part, drawing, or assembly, the Status Bar will come to your rescue.

By using the CTRL-select to choose various line segments, either at the sketch or feature level, i.e., sketch-geometry or existing edges of features, pick two line segments, and watch the Status Bar add these distances for you. The Status Bar will automatically calculate the total distance. For instance, if you wish to know the distance between two parallel faces of a part, just multi-select the faces and notice the status bar shows whether the faces are normal to one another, and as usual, it will assess and show a distance value too. Pretty cool, huh? Now you can explore more of the feature's wonderful utility.

Now open up that most recently created part, drawing, or assembly and begin your assessment of the Status Bar - I am sure that you'll be able to explore possibilities that you never knew about until now!

SolidWorks Macro Mania for your Monday

2013-05-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I was going crazy at having to move my mouse ALL THE WAY to the title bar and click on Options, and then click on the Document Properties tab over and over again in order to change font, precision, and other settings as I was working on a new drawing template. I was so wishing for a keyboard shortcut or mouse gesture to get me right into that tab with my mouse right where it was: way down on the opposite side of the screen in the title block area... or sometimes right up at the top of the drawing like only 1" away, which is like .1" mouse movement, but never mind that.

Alas, I could not find a way. Did you know that you cannot add a keyboard shortcut to Document Properties in the Customize dialog on the Keyboard shortcuts tab? I found that out the hard way (see below).

I could add a keyboard shortcut for Options, but it always opens to the System Options tab, and then it takes 2 Ctrl+Tabs and a right arrow in order to get over to the Document Properties tab. I still used that a few times over moving my mouse, but I knew there had to be a better way!

No problem, I thought, I'll just record a little macro of the 2 clicks, one click on the Options button, and one click on the Document Properties tab. Then I'll make a keyboard shortcut AND a mouse gesture (I like to give myself options sometimes) for that macro to get to the Document Properties.

BUT WAIT! It didn't work! Turns out clicking the Document Properties tab is one of those things that just doesn't record. It just doesn't. There are some things that are like that; I don't know why.

I searched the forums, I searched the Knowledge Base, I asked the API gurus... nothing. And then I found it! There is one place in the interface that you can get to Document Properties without going past System Options. "What's that?" you ask. You can right-click in the FeatureManager Design Tree, or the ConfigurationManager (not the PropertyManager or the other "Managers") and find Document Properties on the right-click menu. How is this better? Because right-clicking and choosing Document Properties is recordable!

So here are the steps to get to the Document Properties with one keystroke while your mouse is knee deep in your title block:

1. Tools menu
2. Macro flyout
3. Record
4. Right-click in the FeatureManager Design Tree (not on a feature, just on the background)
5. Click Document Properties
6. Click OK
7. Click Stop on the macro toolbar that showed up when you did step 3 (it's the black square)
8. Give the macro a name in the Save-as dialog that pops up.
9. Tools menu (again)
10. Customize
11. Keyboard
12. scroll to the bottom of the list
13. New Macro Button (click the ...)

14. Browse for your macro that you saved (click the ...)

15. Click OK
16. Give a keyboard assignment

17. OK

You're done!

Oh, and replace the word Keyboard with Mouse Gestures in clicks 11 and 16 for a mouse gesture instead of a keyboard shortcut.

Okay, so that's 17 clicks (or so) to make a keyboard shortcut to save 1 click each time... so 17 times (or so) into the Document Properties and it's all paid for! Uh, alright, not my highest pay-off macro, but when you're making templates... it's all about my happiness, right?

More importantly, you can use the idea to record your clicks into a macro to speed up many of the tasks you commonly perform.

What are some things you'd use a macro for?

SolidWorks Tech Tip: Skip Template Selection Prompt when using Make Drawing from Part/Assembly

2013-05-21T12:50:00.000-04:00

Don't want to be prompted to select a template when using Make Drawing from Part/Assembly?

Try this:

Change your default templates setting: Tools > Options > System Options > Default Templates and select Always use these default document templates. Verify you have the default template as the one you want it to always use.

Open any part, or Create New Part, select Make Drawing from Part/Assembly, and select Novice.

Next time you select Make Drawing from Part/Assembly, it will go directly to the Sheet Format Selection Dialog Box without asking for a template. Select your format & OK and work on your drawing!

Note: If you have a drawing template with a sheet format already in it, it won't prompt you for sheet format.

This will also work for Make Assembly from Part!

3D Printing Webinar: Printed Prototypes Feature Overmolded Parts - May 23, 2013

2013-05-20T10:42:00.001-04:00

	Printed Prototypes Feature Overmolded Parts
	Join us for our webinar on May 23, 2013 at 2:00 PM EDT / 6:00 PM GMT.

Any engineer working with CAD/CAM software knows the value of having a physical model in hand. Now, thanks to advanced 3D printing technology, engineers can create prototype models featuring overmolded or soft touch parts – all in one procedure.

Additive manufacturing technology has advanced so far that 3D printed prototypes are not only used for design validation, but also for testing form, fit, and function. Now, thanks to advanced 3D printing technology, engineers can create prototype models featuring overmolded or soft touch parts, all in one procedure. Traditionally an overmold or soft touch part - as commonly found on power tools, consumer electronics, and medical devices - takes days to create and produce. With PolyJet Connex technology, these parts can be made simultaneously, saving time and costs. Resolution is high and multiple flexibilities or durometers are possible. Join Stratasys and PolyJet expert, Randy Stevens, for a presentation devoted to multi-material 3D printing solutions for enhanced prototype development.

Speaker

Key Take-Aways

Randy Stevens,
VTM Operations Manager
In'Tech Industries Inc

Susan York,
National Field Manager
Stratasys

• Understand how PolyJet 3D Printing enhances prototype development

• Discover 3D Printing Solutions to traditional engineering and design problems

• Learn how to create overmold and soft touch designs using multi-material 3D Printing

• Review 3D Printing resources, tips, and tricks

MOKA SolidWorks User Group Meeting: May 21, 2013 - Carthage, MO

2013-05-17T11:35:00.000-04:00

The MOKA (Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas) SolidWorks User Group is having their next meeting on May 21st, and our very own Josh Boggess, 3D printing wizard, is coming to present! We hope you enjoy Josh's presentation - see MOKA SWUG's announcement below to get more info and RSVP.

***

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is the process of making three-dimensional solid parts by building up successive layers of material.

Most of us by now have had some exposure to additive manufacturing and may even have access to a 3D printer. But how much do you know about the different technologies used for additive manufacturing?

Josh Boggess from Fisher/Unitech (www.funtech.com) will be here to discuss the different technologies used in additive manufacturing with an emphasis on FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) and PolyJet.

Josh will be bringing down a 3D printer to have on display and examples of printed parts. So bring your questions and I hope to see you there.

Date: May 21, 2013
Time: 5:00-7:30 PM

Location:
Leggett & Platt, IDEA Center,
1914 S Baker Ave.
Carthage, Mo 64836

Meeting Agenda:
• 5:00-5:30pm          Registration & Networking
• 5:30-5:35pm          Welcome & Introduction
• 5:35-6:00pm         SolidWorks Screencast: Create Better Plastic Parts
• 6:00-6:30pm          Additive Manufacturing 101 (part 1)
• 6:30-6:45pm         Break & Networking
• 6:45-7:15pm         Additive Manufacturing 101 (part 2)
• 7:15-7:30pm         Questions, Open Discussion & Drawing

RSVP to this event: click here

Thank you,

Jesse Metcalfe

M.O.K.A. SWUG

New Hampshire SolidWorks User Group Meeting: May 23, 2013

2013-05-15T10:36:00.001-04:00

The New Hampshire SolidWorks User Group is meeting soon! If you didn't get your notification via e-mail, here's a copy below. Get the info and then RSVP so they know you're coming!

***

Your next NHSWUG meeting is in two weeks. Please mark your calendar if you plan to attend.

Click to RSVP: Please let us know if you are coming, so we can create name tags and have an accurate count for food.

Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2013
Time: 5:15 - 9:15 PM

Location:
Daniel Webster College
20 University Drive
Nashua, New Hampshire 03063
Google Map | Bird's Eye View

Agenda:
5:15 - 6:15     Eat, Mingle, Network
6:15 - 6:30     Business and Introductions
6:30 - 7:30     Presentation: Layout-Based Assembly Design - Chris DuChaine, SolidXperts
7:30 - 8:00     Break, networking
8:00 - 9:00     Presentation: Surfacing - The Art of the Swoopy Part - Sal Lama, Hasbro
9:00-9:15       Business, Giveaways and Closing

See you there!
Sincerely,
Your NHSWUG Committee:
Cindy Berend
Bao Dang
Geoff Daly
Bob Edmunds
Paul Horn
www.nhswug.com

The Indent Feature - An Underappreciated SolidWorks Tool

2013-05-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

Have you ever wanted to make an impression of a toolbody or rapidly generate a complex pocket in your model from preexisting or imported geometry? This is the domain of the Indent Feature and the topic for this post.

With this in mind, let us first look at Solidworks' own description of its functionality:

The Indent Feature will generate an offset pocket or protrusion feature on a target body that will match the contour of a selected toolbody. It essentially simulates the impact of a forming tool. Furthermore, the indent feature will update if the shape of the original toolbody is changed.

While that is a fairly good description of its functionality, it does omit some aspects of this feature's usefulness. Let us expound upon the idea of the "toolbody" and its use as a "forming tool." These would seem to imply a sheet metal function; however, this feature is not limited to sheet metal applications.

So let's look at one of these applications and how we can use Indent creatively. Stepping away from the common usage as previously described, let's look at the usefulness of this tool for those who may need to package or create a cavity based on some portion of a part or assemblies geometry with a defined clearance within that pocket.

In this very basic example, I have placed our would-be "package" into an assembly and have placed a spur gear in a position that intersects the "package" mode.

Once the location is established, we will first need to edit the "package" model so that we have access to the Indent feature. Now that we are editing our "package," we will select the INSERT, FEATURES, and INDENT.

Now that we have selected the Indent feature, you will be presented with its unique property manager. Within the manager, you will first need to select a TARGET BODY. This is the body that you wish the Indent Feature to act on; in this case, that would be our "package." The next item to select is our TOOL BODY REGION; in this instance, that is our spur gear.

Once we have established the two bodies, it's time to look at the radio buttons for Keep and Remove selections: These options invert the side of the target body to indent. After determining that in this instance we wish to Remove Selection, it is now time to focus on our parameters. Within the Indent Feature, we have the ability to define the thickness of the cavity wall as well as a clearance distance. In this case, a thickness of .625 was used with a clearance of .03125.

The result produces a cavity matching the exact geometry of Spur gear with our clearance value of .03125 applied for us.

3D Printing Glass in the Sahara Desert? No Problem.

2013-05-10T10:45:00.001-04:00

When you think of 3D printing, your mind probably goes to industrial places first - the Rust Belt, manufacturing-heavy countries, urban factories. The Sahara Desert is probably one of the last places you'd think to look, right?

Wrong, according to Markus Keyser.

Using natural elements - sun and sand - and with a little help from science - solar panels and SLS technology - Keyser has created a 3D printer to make glass objects from sand:

By using the sun’s rays instead of a laser and sand instead of resins, I had the basis of an entirely new solar-powered machine and production process for making glass objects that taps into the abundant supplies of sun and sand to be found in the deserts of the world.

We have often referred to 3D printing as a possible source for a more sustainable and affordable future, and between Stratasys 3D printing machines and brilliant innovators like Markus Keyser, that future is getting closer every day.

You can see more images of the machine, the test run, and the first glass objects Keyser created, at his website here: http://www.markuskayser.com/work/solarsinter/

Trouble With the Curve? Not Anymore! How to Drive your SolidWorks Assembly Pattern with a Curve

2013-05-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

Have you ever experienced that SolidWorks moment when you'd like to see a part feature available in an assembly? Patterning is one such wish I've had and recently revisited when a customer asked me about creating a Curve Driven Pattern in an assembly.

Now, some users may spout off a quick 'No' to such a question, but those of us that spend our 20 hours of screen time per day torn between the rigors of supreme CAD functions and Call of Duty while consuming excessive amounts of energy drinks and cold pizza may have found a beacon of hope in the Feature Driven Component Pattern command.

So how does one achieve such magnificence in their SolidWorks Assembly? Well, to be honest, it does require a little massaging from an underlying Part level Curve Driven Pattern Feature, but there are multiple ways this could be tackled.

Let's use this conveyor example to show a few options. In this example, I want to pattern a Sub-Assembly that contains the leg and a foot plate part. My goal is to use a curve to pattern this Sub-Assembly around the curved conveyor rail within this Top Level Assembly.

Continue to the rest of this tutorial:

Exhibit A: Curve Driven Pattern in the Curved Rail part.
One way to do this is to create a Curve Driven Pattern in the Rail part. This can be something that may really exist in the part or may be a dummy feature that we fill in later using the power of feature order. Here I've established a curve for my pattern associated to the curved rail, and patterned a simple hole. Think of it as: wherever there is a hole, there will be a leg assembly aligned to that hole. Now if you don't need a hole in the rail, you could follow the Curve Driven Pattern feature up with some type of feature that will remove or fill in the holes (Extrude-Boss, Delete Face, etc.).

Back to the main assembly. Use the Feature Driven Component Pattern command to pattern the Sub-Assembly and your driving feature is the Curve Pattern from the Rail Part. Done!

Exhibit B: Curve Driven Pattern in the Leg Part.
Similar to exhibit A, here we are going to pattern the leg along a curve. In the leg part, capture the curve needed as a sketch (you may want to edit in context and Convert Entities from the Rail part or use a sketch you've drawn at the assembly level). Now use that sketch in the leg part to do a Curve Driven Pattern of the body. Again, we probably don't want the actual body instances left in the leg model, so you could follow that pattern feature with a Delete Bodies Feature that will remove all the instances created from the pattern.

Again, back to the main assembly. Feature Driven Component Pattern the Sub-Assembly needed and use the Curve Pattern from the Leg part as your driving feature. Done!

More flavors of these methods could be used as well. You could also use this for other patterns not available like Fill, Sketch, and Table.

I hope this was helpful, butif you're still thoroughly confused due to a buzz from your favorite energy drink, you can check out this little video I put together showing Exhibits A and B. Enjoy!

Central Indiana SolidWorks User Group Meeting: May 16, 2013

2013-05-06T12:01:00.000-04:00

The Central Indiana SolidWorks User Group has a meeting coming up! See their announcement below and RSVP by clicking here or at the link below. Have a good time, Indiana SolidWorks users!

Date: Thursday May 16th
Location:ZIPP Speed Weaponry
5315 Walt Place, Indianapolis, IN 46254

Time: 4:30pm Registration and networking. Meeting starts at 5:00pm.

Meeting Agenda:

Opening remarks and introductions
General meeting: Next Engine 3D Scanning into SolidWorks
Dinner: (Sponsored by SWUGN)
Technical Presentation: Mark Biasotti, DS SolidWorks, Senior Product Manager. Topic: "Advanced Modeling." Things you did not learn at school
Tips & Tricks
Door Prizes

Plant Tour

Click Here to Register

Northeast Wisconsin SolidWorks User Group (NEWSUG) Meeting: May 14, 2013 - Appleton

2013-05-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

Northeast Wisconsin SolidWorks User Group (NEWSUG) Meeting Announcement

Date: Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Time: 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Location:
Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC), Room E130 A and B
1825 N Bluemound Drive
Appleton, Wisconsin 54912

Phone: 920-735-5600

Directions: Head North on Hwy 41. Take Wisconsin Avenue (Wis 96) exit. Go right (east) for ½ mile. Turn left on Bluemound Drive (by Fleet Farm). FVTC will be on your left after about ½ mile. Head South on Hwy 41. Take Northland Avenue (Wisconsin 15, County OO) exit. Go left (east) for about a half mile. Turn right on Bluemound Drive. FVTC will be on your right after about ¼ mile. The nearest room entrances are entrances 9 & 10 on the buildings’ west side. Meet in room E130 A and B

Registration: Register on line at www.newsug.org

Agenda:
5:00 Tips and Tricks
5:15 An Introduction to DraftSight
6:00 Light Meal, Door Prizes and Networking
6:20 Surfacing with SolidWorks : Surfacing versus Solids
7:30 Closing

FISHER/UNITECH to Display Latest 3D Printing Technology at Design-2-Part Show

2013-04-30T11:39:00.001-04:00

Troy, MI (April 29, 2013) - FISHER/UNITECH, a leading reseller of SolidWorks 3D design software and Stratasys 3D Printers, will exhibit at the upcoming Design-2-Part Show in Schaumburg, IL. The show runs from May 7-8 and will be held at the Schaumburg Convention Center. Show hours are 9:30 AM – 4:00 pm on Tuesday and 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM on Wednesday.

In Booth #353, FISHER/UNITECH will have the latest Stratasys technology, SolidWorks 2013 design software, and Altium Designer Electronics Design Automation software on display so visitors will get to see the functionality and ease of use of all products. Stratasys systems have become increasingly popular with the rise of the 3D Printing Industry and are used to create models and prototypes to aid in the new product design process. They are becoming widely used for the production of finished goods in low-volume manufacturing and are very affordable. Stratasys now offers the best solutions for both FDM and Polyjet methods of Additive Manufacturing.

The Design-2-Part show is the largest design and contract manufacturing show in the Midwest. Attendees can register for free admission at http://www.d2p.com/Registration

FISHER/UNITECH, established in 1993, provides Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Rapid Technology solutions to the discrete manufacturing industry. The company’s focus is on process improvement for product development and manufacturing. With locations throughout New England and the Midwest, the company is a leading reseller of SolidWorks 3D mechanical design, analysis and data management software, as well as the full line of Rapid Technology equipment from Stratasys. Rapid Technology applications include Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), Rapid Prototyping and 3D Printing. Professional services are offered for design automation and data management which provides customers with a full service, one-stop source for complex PLM systems. The company offers advanced web-based delivery of training with its live, instructor-led 3DU. Please visit the company's website at (http://www.funtech.com) or call 800-816-8314.

SolidWorks offers complete 3D software tools that let you create, simulate, publish and manage your data. The ease-of-use allows more engineers, designers and technology professionals than ever before to take advantage of 3D in bringing their designs to life.

Altium Designer offers a unified data management solution for the complex electronics design process. Altium and SolidWorks products can work together to offer the complete design and product development process solution set.

A Quick Look at SolidWorks Composer (formerly 3DVIA)

2013-04-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

Have you been hearing the buzz about SolidWorks Composer but haven't had the chance to take a look?

Check out this short video overview and see how you can leverage your company's 3D design information for your technical product information needs. The video is only a few minutes long, and you will see how users of SolidWorks Composer can import CAD models, re-purpose the information for specific types of technical documentation, and then publish that information as high-resolution and vector graphics, animations, and even interactive 3D content.

Take a quick look!

Stratasys Multi-Material 3D Printers: A Quick Overview of Polyjet Technology

2013-04-26T10:29:00.000-04:00

If you've been interested in learning more about how Polyjet multi-material 3D printers work, well, we have a fantastic team of 3D printing techs and engineers in our many Midwest offices who'd be happy to answer all of your questions!

But if you don't really have time to schedule an appointment, or you're just looking for a quick intro, here's a great starting point, courtesy of IMT Machining Journal. They went to the Inside 3D Printing conference in New York, where they interviewed Stratasys' own Ben Arnold, and here's what he had to say:

Thanks Ben!

If you're still looking for more details on Connex 3D printers, or the multi-material concept in general - or maybe you just want something you can print out and take with you - we have a white paper available too. Click here to take a look.

CAD Jobs: SolidWorks Designer Wanted in Elkhart, Indiana

2013-04-24T11:46:00.000-04:00

TAG (Truck Accessories Group, LLC) in Elkhart, Indiana is looking for a SolidWorks designer. Think you fit the bill? Send your resume to Kevin Douglass at KevinD@truckgroup.com

TAG

Position Description – SolidWorks Designer
Title: SolidWorks Designer
Reporting to: Director of Engineering

Overall Responsibilities:

The SolidWorks Designer plans, designs, models and revises parts and assemblies. Must be proficient in surfacing, assemblies, configurations and document control. Will create models and drawings from rough draft or detailed sketches/notes, for engineering or manufacturing purposes on multiple projects simultaneously. Position is not strictly a CAD operator. It is a combination of CAD design and hands-on technical.

Specific Responsibilities:

Design truck cap and tonneau cover patterns for CNC machining.

Design hardware used on truck caps and tonneau covers.

All documentation of designs including detail, assembly and exploded prints.

Assemble and test prototypes and products to validate performance of designs.

Analyze industrial design concepts and drawings and make recommendations for manufacturability.

Work closely with the engineers to increase technical competencies. Advise engineers on complex drafting and design problems.

Stay abreast of latest technology and techniques to provide designs that are cost effective.

Carry out cross-functional assignments and projects as necessary.

Support safety initiatives, policies and procedures to ensure plant operations are safe and consistent with company standards and help reduce accidents and injuries.

Exemplify and foster teamwork within the company. Promptly responds to concerns, issues, and suggestions and act to ensure positive employee relations.

Other duties as assigned or needed.

Minimum Position Requirements:

Associates degree in drafting, design, or engineering and 2 years of technical training or related experience. Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Proficiency in SolidWorks including:

3D modeling
Complex surfacing
Configurations
Document Control

Extensive record of design work encompassing high standards of quality.

Strong mechanical aptitude. Strong visual/artistic aptitude.

Related experience in Fiberglass and/or composite manufacturing would be beneficial.

Must be a self-starter capable of working both independently, as well as part of a team.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office software and related packages.

Must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Must have strong analytical skills and be well organized, an excellent problem solver, motivator, and decision maker.

Experience in Automotive OEM or Aftermarket industry.

Ability to work occasional weekends and/or evenings.

FISHER/UNITECH Partners with Altium Inc.

2013-04-22T12:40:00.001-04:00

Product Lifecycle Design Company Adds Electronic Design Automation Software to Robust Product Suite

Troy, MI (April 22, 2013) – FISHER/UNITECH, a product lifecycle management solutions provider, has partnered with Altium, an electronics design software company, to offer more options for the design and manufacturing industry. Altium is joining FISHER/UNITECH's robust suite of product development solutions, making FISHER/UNITECH the only company in the Midwest with such a variety of solutions.

Altium is a unified system design solution targeting electronics design automation for FPGA, PCB and embedded systems design. It helps customers improve team collaboration, eliminate data movement bottlenecks and shorten time to revenue. Altium's solutions include ECAD/MCAD 3D integration; instant FPGA prototyping, flexible design reuse and robust ECO handling – competitive requirements in today's systems based design for products with integrated electronics.

"We are excited to once again partner with a leading SolidWorks reseller in North America, FISHER/UNITECH, to provide maximum local representation and expertise to our growing customer base," said Chris Donato, Director of Sales for North America, Altium, Inc. "Altium has now partnered with three major SolidWorks Resellers to also represent Altium products. We feel significant synergy between these companies and their ability to provide local expertise and knowledge. Moreover, FISHER/UNITECH's PLM expertise allows us to significantly accelerate adoption of our Altium Vault Server Technology."

"Altium Designer extends our solutions into the electronic design automation area and provides a great compliment to our other product development tools. We are looking forward to working with many of our customers to help them improve their electronics design process. We believe Altium offers a fantastic solution that will be very compatible with the other software they have invested in with us," said Charles Hess, President, FISHER/UNITECH.

Insight Software for Fortus: 3D Printing, Faster and SMARTer

2013-04-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest knocks against FDM technology has always been speed. Insight, the software that drives the Fortus line of FDM machines, is a very powerful yet underrated tool. Inside Insight, the user is able to makes changes in how the model is built to control various factors including speed, strength, and porosity.

In this example below, I am going to use Insight to cut the part build time by roughly 30% without changing the appearance, strength, density, or accuracy of the part.

This example comes from a recent install of a Fortus 250 machine to one of the largest producers of beer bottles in the world. In an effort to keep the highest surface quality possible, the customer would orient the bottle to build in the same orientation it would be placed when handing it to the customer at the bar. Unfortunately, due to the lip at the neck of the bottle, this was forcing the software to build support structures surrounding the model all the way up to the lip just to support that small feature.

Because I have the ability to assign special parameters to certain slice curves inside Insight, there are several ways to try and improve the speed of this build. Watch how, when we turn the bottle upside down and use SMART supports, it will grow a very small column of support that then widens to support the bottom of the bottle at the top of the build. Since we know that the model material and the support material cost the same, and we know that the machine loses all of its speed when it has to wait for the heating elements to heat up and cool down as it switches between model and support, the best way to increase speed is to limit those transitions.

To limit those transitions, we can apply a custom group, using the support sparse template only switching from support to model material, and apply that to any areas of support that do not touch the model material top to bottom or side to side. After applying the custom group, we regrow our tool paths and see our build time is down 4 hours.

"We typically reduce our build times by 1/3 when substituting the center post support material for model material. Also, when building the bottles upside down we can skip cleaning the parts in the clean station since there is no skin layer of support material. As you probably know, there have been a lot of times when how fast I can get a model in someone's hands is key, so saving time in the build and by skipping cleaning is a bonus." - Brian Brozell Project Manager - Global Innovations, Owens-Illinois

CMNC SolidWorks User Group Meeting in Leominster, MA - April 24, 2013

2013-04-17T12:03:00.000-04:00

The Central MA/Northeastern CT SolidWorks User Group is meeting again this April! The next CMNC-SWUG meeting will be:

Date:	April 24, 2013
Location:	Leominster High School 122 Granite Street Leominster, MA 01453
Time:	5:30 – 6:00 pm Food & Networking 6:00 – 9:00 pm Presentations

Presentations

Building Simple Mechanical Components for your Layout and other random SolidWorks mish-mosh by John Cote of Innovative Products & Equipment
Augmented Reality in E-drawings on the iPad by Rick Chin of SolidWorks
Tips & Tricks by Tom Cote of Applied CAD Solutions

Please Click to RSVP: "I will be attending"

SolidWorks BOM - Combine Identical Components to Show Part Totals in Top Level Assembly

2013-04-16T08:59:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share this quick tip as I have been asked this question often by customers. Basically, what it boils down to is showing a total quantity of, let's say "Part-A," in an Indented Bill Of Material. Let's script this out a bit more on paper first.

Part-A exists in Assembly-X and Assembly-X exists two times in Assembly-Z. So if we were looking at the structure of Assembly-Z, it would look like this.

Now, we want to create a Bill of Materials (BOM) for our Assembly-Z. SolidWorks gives us three options: Top Level Only, Parts Only and Indented. The situation I am asked often about is for a BOM that is basically a combination of an Indented and Parts only. The reason I say a combination is because they want to see the a total for the Assemblies as a single line item but also show the totals of the similar parts in those assemblies as a single line item as well. Take a look at what the standard Indented BOM option looks like for this simple assembly.

Notice how the Quantity for Assembly-X is 2 and the quantity for Part-A is 1. The goal here is to also show the Quantity of Part-A as 2. To achieve such, SolidWorks allows us the option to "Combine Identical Quantities" in our Indented BOMs. First, hit the triple arrows on left side of your BOM to expand the BOM Contents section. Then Right-Click the Part-A item and choose "Combine Identical Components," and voila, your BOM now displays Part-A with a quantity of 2.

I hope this tip was helpful. Feel free to check out this quick video I put together showing the same scenario using a SolidWorks Weldment part that is patterned in an assembly.

Happy Modeling!

For more training and tutorials on the many 3D CAD Modeling solutions in the SolidWorks family of products and add-ons, please feel free to look through our Webcast Archive, register for an upcoming webcast or event, or look into our 3DU SolidWorks Training and Certification courses.