In a program as complex as SolidWorks, there are going to be features that do not have nearly as many users as others. One such feature is scaling. Scaling is a tool that allows for the dimensions of a part to be changed all at once by a certain factor, instead of changing each individual one. Scaling can be used for adding clearance, accounting for thermal expansion, converting units, or if there are multiple instances of similar parts at different sizes.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever worked on a project that lasted more than a day, you’ve probably needed to re-open a document. The most common way to do this is to search through the file system until you find the document you need. If the part or assembly is within a very large filing system, this can become tedious. Luckily, SolidWorks allows for easy opening of recent documents.
Read MoreIn response to the shortages manufacturers have seen, many businesses have come up with solutions that are outside of their “normal” operations. Many businesses have shifted operations from manufacturing a product that has not been deemed essential to manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks, face shields, test swabs, and gowns. Other businesses have to reach out to suppliers outside their normal network to find needed materials and services to overcome the challenges they are facing.
Read MoreMany businesses put risk mitigation strategies in place to plan for the inevitable supply chain issues they will face at some point. Generally, these plans are meant to mitigate a major disruption from a localized disaster such as a fire, flood, or hurricane by having secondary locations or suppliers available to quickly shift demand. A global pandemic is not something most Supply Chain Managers were preparing for or had even considered when implementing their business continuity and risk mitigation plans.
Read MoreDWG and DXF files are used in all areas of the engineering field. You have probably heard of these formats before but how much do you really know about them? They appear to be very similar and achieve the same results, right? This blog will explain what each file type is and how to use them correctly.
Read MoreChange, you may love it, you may hate it, but in today’s world, it happens at an ever-increasing rate. You’ve been using SolidWorks for much of your career and can’t imagine using anything else or you recently were introduced and just started to get comfortable with the software and now 3DExperience pops up. Luckily, the Dassault Systèmes team has your concerns in mind and introduced 3DExperience Works.
Read MoreHave you ever been working with an assembly or part up close and wanted to zoom out and rotate to a different view? One way to do this is to click the mouse wheel and drag across the screen to rotate the part until desired view is found. This can get complicated if the part is rather large. Instead of spending time searching for the desired view, SolidWorks has shortcuts to skip to your desired view by using the Orientation Menu.
Read MoreShowing the physical thread geometry of custom parts, threaded holes, and purchased components is a great way to make your model look aesthetically pleasing. However, while all of the extra geometry in your parts may look nice, it can be extremely taxing on your computer’s processing speed while modeling. Adding in cosmetic threads is a great way to show threads on your components without losing any of your processing speed! This blog will demonstrate just how easy it is to apply cosmetic threads to any model.
Read MoreAs discussed in the previous blogs in this series, DriveWorks is an incredible tool that allows the easy configuration and creation of documentation for your SolidWorks files. With Xpress, anyone with a SolidWorks license can easily configure a product and automatically create all the required manufacturing prints. With Solo, more customization is available as a greater variety of features can be configured. With Pro, the configuration process can become even more streamlined with the additional use of macros. Pro also opens the ability to have configurable products on a web-based platform, allowing customers to configure a product themselves, meanwhile, automatically creating all the relevant manufacturing prints and sales information. This software presents an endless set of uses. Read on to learn about a few of these.
Read MoreWith the Dassault Systemes 3DExperience platform becoming more prominent, companies are starting to ask what exactly it has to offer. The 3DExpereience platform is an enormous move by Dassault Systemes to bring all aspects of manufacturing, design, simulation, and more onto one platform. xDesign is a cloud CAD system that is available with the 3D Creator role on the 3DExpereince platform. This blog will be taking a deeper dive into the cloud CAD system and giving a look into some examples of what xDesign has to offer.
Read MoreMetal additive manufacturing marks a new shift in the manufacturing industry similar to the invention of casting techniques. Metal 3D printing has developed to where functional 3D metal printed parts are used in complex machinery. Metal additive manufacturing can reduce lead time, material cost, and weight for complex metal geometry parts that are near or even impossible with subtractive techniques.
Read More3D CAD systems can be traced to the early 1960s. Since this time, computers have become increasingly more powerful. This has led to the rapid rise of power in today’s CAD software. Now, there has been a push toward linking our processes together. Just as with the fourth industrial revolution connecting manufacturing with the internet of things, there has been a push to link together many processes such as design, project management, marketing, and sales. This is where 3DExperience comes in.
Read MoreA formal meeting with people of shared interest happened in Nashville, Tennessee February 9th-12th. From all around the world, users from a variety of industries, roles, and occupations met to discuss the future of the platform that they’ve come to love. I had the pleasure of being in attendance at the largest Dassault Systèmes group meeting in the world to not only learn how to utilize the software to its full potential, but to also network, discuss partnering with potential vendors, and just have fun! This blog will highlight what can be expected from attending the event, the festivities after the classes, and some lessons learned.
Read MoreWith companies that offer a customizable product or a wide range of configurations of a similar product, significant time can be wasted in the design. For each of these custom designs or individual configurations, a designer needs to update the models, assembly, and all drawings.
Read MoreIn my last blog, we highlighted a basic overview of what GD&T is, the different categories, and the number of different characteristics that can be used in a part drawing. This blog, GD&T Part 2, will focus on defining a feature control frame and breaking down how to understand what’s happening within it.
Read MoreDriveWorks is a software that works alongside SolidWorks to complete automation in your design process, freeing your team up to work on innovating and perfecting new product lines. With the various DriveWorks packages, you can automate repetitive model design updates and the creation of these drawings. Not only is this helpful for saving time on the design team, but it can also be used for online sales, allowing the consumer to configure a product themselves.
Read MoreWhether you’re just getting started with SolidWorks or have been using it for years, benchmarking your PC for SolidWorks is a tool used for preventative maintenance and repeatable equipment evaluations. Benchmarking is an important system diagnostic as your computer’s SolidWorks performance can now be quantified and compared to other SolidWorks users.
Read MoreDassault Systemes is a continuously growing company that has a wide reach across the engineering and manufacturing industries. With new systems and ideas constantly coming to life they all need their own central hub, a website. But with each website needing its own account information, things are bound to get confusing. Thankfully, Dassault Systemes has introduced the DS Passport.
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