The SolidWorks Blog

SolidWorks World 2012 Partner Profile: Geometric Technologies #sww12

One of the things we've heard from SolidWorks World attendees over the past few years is that you'd like to learn more in advance about the SolidWorks partners who set up booths in the Partner Pavilion. So now through SolidWorks World 2012, we'll be posting a series of blog entries about some of the partners you might think about checking out, and the people who will be representing them. Today we hear from Geometric Technologies.

 

1. Tell us a little bit about Geometric Technologies.

Geometric Technologies develops cutting‐edge productivity solutions for CAD/CAM industry. Our products DFMPro and CAMWorks are seamlessly integrated within the SolidWorks® platform, enabling intelligence and automation in design as well as manufacturing processes.

 

2. What products do you sell that might appeal to SolidWorks users?

CAMWorks® for SolidWorks is the first Gold Partner CAM solution designed exclusively to operate in SolidWorks. CAMWorks is an intuitive feature based CAM solution that helps manufacturers increase productivity and profitability through best-in-class technologies and adaptable automation tools that maximize machining efficiencies.

DFMPro for SolidWorks facilitates upstream manufacturability validation by helping in identification of areas of a design that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to manufacture. It automates the iterative design review process for manufacturability. Both the products are sold via a wide network of resellers  in over 40 countries.

3. How can your tools help make a SolidWorks user’s life easier?

CAMWorks is seamlessly integrated within the SolidWorks environment, which facilitates automatic accommodating changes to the part model, thereby eliminating time consuming CAM system rework due to design updates and thus enabling true associative machining. It eliminates hours of complex programming through Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) that automatically defines prismatic machinable features, while a Knowledge Database (Technology Database) defines machining operations to automatically generate accurate toolpaths at the click of a button. DFMPro covers design for manufacturability checks within SolidWorks environment. This saves lot of time and effort for design engineers as carrying out such checks is not only tedious but also requires re-design effort. The ‘Rules Based’ interface of DFMPro cover checks for manufacturing process like

• Injection Molding (checks for undercuts, bosses, ribs, wall thickness, draft angle etc.)
• Sheet Metal (checks for slots, hems, bends, holes, etc.)
• Machining (checks for machining processes like Drills, Mills and Turned models, etc.)

DFMPro also facilitates collaborative design review process by generating comprehensive 3D reports in eDrawings format. This capability is very useful for suppliers to quickly generate eDrawings reports and share it with the OEM for their review, comments and acceptance.

 

4. Why should SolidWorks World attendees visit your booth? What will be special or exciting?

This year we are showcasing CAMWorksXpress, an easy to learn and easy to use SolidWorks integrated 2.5D machining CAM package for programmers and machinists. And CAMWorks Nesting, a new add-on nesting package integrated within SolidWorks to create optimized nested layouts of Parts or Assemblies. Using CAMWorks Nesting users can select single/multiple sheets, specify the part-to-part distance and sheet margin/collar. The package also allows associativity to the original SolidWorks part or assembly.

We also invite attendees to a presentation by Marc Bissell, Sr. Applications Engineer at Geometric on “Integrated Design and Manufacturing  - From Orders to Parts” in the Certified Partner Theater on Tuesday, 14th February, at 1:00 p.m.

We shall be displaying the new casting process capability of DFMPro, this will cover checks for wall thickness, undercut detection, fillet radii, etc.

5. How can customers learn more about your products?

SolidWorks World attendees can find us at booth #524 in the Partner Pavilion. You can also find us at:

Website:  www.camworks.com, www.dfmpro.com, www.camworksxpress.com 

Email address:  inquiries@camworks.com, product.sales@geometricglobal.com

Telephone number: 480.367.0132

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/CAMWorks/56627691761?ref=ts

Twitter handle http://twitter.com/follow_camworks, http://twitter.com/dfmpro

YouTube channel www.youtube.com/user/camworkstube,  http://www.youtube.com/user/dfmprouser

BOXX Raffle At The CSWE/CSWP Event At SolidWorks World 2012

Are you all set to head to SolidWorks World 2012?  Ready for a chance to win a high end computer workstation while you're there?  Well SolidWorks Solution partner BOXX has stepped up to the plate.

The first thing you'll need to know about having a chance to win this powerful workstation is you have to be a Certified SolidWorks Expert (CSWE),or a Certified SolidWorks Professional (CSWP), and you have to be attending SolidWorks World 2012 and be present at the CSWE/CSWP party on Monday night February 13th.

If you meet those requirements, simply go to the entry website and fill it out: Boxx Tech SolidWorks Solutions.

The computer to be given away at the event is packed full of the latest workstation tech including:

• CPU: Intel i7 Quad Core Enhanced Performance 4.5 GHz
• RAM: 8GB DDR3 2133MHz
• Video Card: NVIDIA Quadro 4000 with 2GB memory
• Hard Drives: 20 GB SSD cache hard drive; 1TB SATA
• 20X dual layer DVD+/-RW Writer
• Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Edition 64-bit 

And the best part?  The winner of this powerhouse computer will walk away with the actual computer from the event!  No waiting for this bad boy to be built and then shipped, you'll be plugging it in as soon as you get back to the office.

So how do you get in on the action to possibly win?  Well as stated before you must be a CSWE or CSWP, you must be attending SolidWorks World 2012 in San Diego, and you must be present at the CSWE/CSWP party on Monday night February 13th to win.

What if you don't meet those qualifications?  Well there is still time to register for SolidWorks World 2012, and you can even take and pass your CSWE or CSWP exam before you arrive!

We'd like to thank BOXX for stepping up to offer this great prize, and we hope to see you all in San Diego!  Find out more about their SolidWorks Certified solutions.

BOXX is the host of this contest, and is responsible for all rules and regulations.  You can find those rules here: Contest Rules

How did you get out of the SolidWorks World 2012 dog house? #sww12

As many of you know, Valentine's Day falls over the four days of SolidWorks World 2012, and thousands of you will be with us in San Diego, away from significant others and children. And while phone calls, text messages, Skype and Facetime can help bridge the gap, we know that lots of you will be missed at home.

We're also guessing that some of you may have had to make special arrangements or deals with your significant others in order to join us. If you fall into that category, we're interested in knowing what you had to agree to in order to get out of the SolidWorks World dog house.

If you have a funny or amusing story, let us know in the comment section below. If it's good, CEO Bertrand Sicot may event mention it during general session on the first day.

And by the way, we'll have a special booth set up in the Partner Pavilion on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday that you can use to send a video e-card to anyone you like. Be sure to stop by.

Don't forget, if you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free. And as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

SolidWorks World 2012 International Series: Talking Shop with Ba-Thong Phan

As we gear up for SolidWorks World 2012, we're be running a series of interviews that shine a spotlight on our employees from different parts of the world, and why you might consider attending. Next up on the SolidWorks World 2012 International Series is Ba-Thong Phan, senior area technical manager, for SolidWorks in Asia Pacific, India and Korea.

Ba-Thong is a SolidWorks World veteran, so we wanted to sit down with him in advance of the show to discuss the customers in his region and the unique ways they are using SolidWorks. Check out Ba-Thong’s thoughts below:
 

Q: What kinds of businesses/customers make up most of the market in your region?

A: The Asian market is well known for being a manufacturing hub since the 80’s. Most of our customers focus on machinery automation, mold making and consumer products. The services industry has been booming in recent years, serving customers from North America and Western Europe.

 

Q: Can you give an example of how customers in your region are using SolidWorks in unique ways?

A: I attended a meeting organized by the SolidWorks user group in my region and I saw one customer using SolidWorks and Flow Simulation for a toilet bowl. The customer used Flow Simulation to optimize the water usage.

 

Q: What do you enjoy most about SolidWorks World personally?

A: This SolidWorks World will be my 13^th event and I’m excited to go to San Diego, even though it’s a 20 hour flight from Singapore! It’s the one annual event where I can meet my resellers, my colleagues, my users and partners. I’ve also learned a lot in past years from the breakout sessions.

 

Thanks to Ba-Thong for taking the time to talk, and don't forget, if you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free. And as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

If you're coming from overseas and need help with a visa, be sure to visit the SolidWorks World website for more information.

We have a winner in the second SolidWorks World 2012 Trivia Contest #sww12

We kicked off and ended our SolidWorks World 2012 contest season with trivia contests. For the last one, all you had to do was guess how many Australians attended SolidWorks World 2008, the last time the event was held in San Diego. Guesses were all over the place, from 12 to 4000. The correct answer is 17, and the person who came closest was Bob Prochnow with a guess of 18. Can't get much closer than that.

So congratulations to Bob, who will be attending SolidWorks World 2012 on our dime. And don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register by midnight tonight, so hurry. If you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free, and as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.

“Father of the iPod” to Keynote SolidWorks World 2012 #SWW12

Just a few years ago, the iPod revolutionized personal electronics worldwide. Tony Fadell, the designer who spearheaded the team that brought the iPod to market, will keynote SolidWorks World 2012.

Known as the “Father of the iPod,” Fadell made his mark via his former positions as Apple’s senior vice president of the iPod division and adviser to Steve Jobs. Today, Fadell is changing the game again as founder and CEO of Nest, a hot startup that’s introduced the world’s first learning thermostat. The Nest Learning Thermostat™ learns about you and your home to automatically turn itself down when you're away, guide you to energy-efficient temperatures when you’re home, and free you from programming hassles by creating a customized temperature schedule. Nest has been dubbed the “iPhone of thermostats” by Wired and The New York Times describes it as “gorgeous, elegant and very, very smart.”

“To create a game-changing product, function and design must go hand in hand,” said Fadell. “We certainly put that principle to work when developing the Nest Learning Thermostat, and I’m excited to share more about that experience with the thousands of passionate, designers and engineers who will attend this year’s SolidWorks World.”

And don't forget, you can still save $100 if you register today. If you pay for two registrations, we'll throw in a third for free, and as always, CSWPs save $100. You can see all of our registration deals at the SolidWorks World website.