M2M – Models to Manufacturing

This year at SolidWorks World, I will be presenting on the topic of Models to Manufacturing. Which I consider to be the direct use of 3D CAD models in the manufacturing process. Many people use SolidWorks for 3D design, analysis, and even prototyping. Then they use the drawing tools to create a 2D drawing, print it on paper, and send it to the shop to be manufactured… why?

If your shop is using manually operated tools, that’s just ducky. I’m sure you have a crew of very talented people. One has to be very skilled to operate manual machinery. I know this because I’m NOT a very skilled tradesman, and have almost been tossed out of the shop for making horrible noises on a mill. Speeds & Feeds is all I need to say… Paper drawings serve the manual shops well. I still enjoy using a pencil, drawing board, and triangle for some laid back, old school drafting. I have yet to master the slide rules I’ve acquired. I’m saving that task for retirement!

Anyway, my question is… If you’re using state-of-the-art 3D CAD systems to engineer your products, why aren’t you using that invested time & money in your manufacturing process? In my current capacity as an internal CAD Support Specialist, I’m tasked with support and improvement. I’ve recently worked on a project to bring SolidWorks sheet metal parts from the engineering department to the manufacturing department of our fabricator/supplier.

My presentation at SolidWorks World will focus on that and other product types, including cast/molded parts, tubes, and machined parts. I won’t go into detail and spoil it for those attending SolidWorks World. However, I will post my presentation after the conference for those who can’t attend. Hope to see you there!

Cool Toys… I mean Tools… for SolidWorks Users.

We had an excellent turnout at the Columbus SWUGN Summit, 105 attendees according to Richard Doyle. Jeff Sweeney, from 3DVision Technologies also gave it a thumbs up! I agree with both of them, the Columbus Summit was a hit and those that missed it lost an opportunity to learn from some of the best. My favorite presentations were Weldments by Richard Wand of MJ Engineering and COSUG, and Sheet Metal by Bill Hall of Fisher/Unitech. Thanks to everyone that presented and attended!

I did a Hands On session about External Input Devices at the end of the day, and that is the topic of this post. There are several types of devices that work in harmony with a mouse to create an efficient modeling environment. Some of these include:

3DConnexion Devices

Custom Mouse

Keypads

There are many reasons for adding an input device for your non-mouse hand when using SolidWorks:

1. It balances your desktop interface… mouse in one hand, 6-axis controller in the other, keyboard in the middle.
2. Most are programmable and reduce keystrokes.
3. It looks really cool…
4. A motion controller enables easy model manipulation during feature creation & editing.
5. All your friends want one…

Seriously, an additional input device can really increase your productivity. Whether your reducing keystrokes with a programmed keypad like the Logitech G13 or flying your model with a 3DConnexion device, you WILL increase your modeling speed and efficiency.

My favorite layout is a 6-axis controller, with a couple of programmed buttons, and a 5-button optical mouse with buttons specifically programmed for SolidWorks functions.

I can’t stress enough the importance of using the proper driver with each device. Using the correct mouse drive will enable application specific button programming. If you use the basic 2-button mouse driver with a 5 button mouse, you’re wasting time and money!

Mouse Button Setup

Space Traveler Button Setup

Whatever device you’re considering, try to get a test drive before you buy. Form-Fit-Function are extremely important when choosing tools as these. Function is the only aspect that can be considered without trying one.

Choose your device with caution! Once you get started, you’ll be hooked, and will be toting your SpacePilot PRO along with your laptop!!

Congratulations SolidWorks!

I’m sure many of you received the same email I did from Jeff Ray announcing one million licenses sold. Hopefully, it brings back great memories for you and your career since you’ve been a SolidWorks user. I’m sure many of you fondly remember the old SolidWorks logo. The red square, simply stating ‘SolidWorks’. I still have my first SolidWorks hat with that logo!

Well, as I was reading Jeff’s email, an image popped into my head and just wouldn’t go away. So, with his permission, I’m sharing it with everyone! Sorry I didn’t take the time to actually put it on a sign post in front of the SolidWorks corporate building. But, I think you get the idea, and hopefully a good chuckle with it.

Don’t forget to visit the SolidWorks website page celebrating this great milestone!