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

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.

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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

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!

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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

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.

                                   

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.

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

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

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: 

Central Indiana SolidWorks User Group Meeting: May 16, 2013

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

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

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)

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

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.