AndyMark - Passion for Robots - Passion for FIRST

AndyMark Inc. develops, manufactures and distributes mechanical and electrical parts for the mobile and competitive robotics market with a passion for both robots and the FIRST Robotics community. I got to talk with president and founder Andy Baker who explained to me how along with co-founder Mark Koors, AndyMark Inc was formed to support and grow robotics education and innovative mechanical design.

Andy took his experiences as a Delphi Automotive Engineer for 15 years, where his co-workers were the mentors First Robotics Competition (FRC) teams, and in 1998, joined the FRC Team 45 TechnoKats. As a mentor, he developed and influenced many of FRC standard components and began to publish designs in 2001 from the team. FRC teams around the country began to ask Andy for these components. More innovative components followed and in 2003, FIRST awarded Andy the Woody Flowers Award, the highest mentor award in FIRST.

He took the leap to start his own company with Mark, innovating the design of many key components including transmissions, gearboxes, and wheels used by FIRST Robotics today, As business expanded, AndyMark purchased their first seat of SolidWorks in 2009 through our local SolidWorks VAR, Computer Aided Technology Inc. (CATI). As business grew, the use of SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Simulation grew to a multi-seat network license allowing for easier communication with AndyMark’s suppliers.

AndyMark has become the “amazon” of robot component distribution, where FRC teams go for the components they need. While FRC students are on holiday break, AndyMark hires college interns to create tutorials, develop model files, and manage the parts that will be distributed to FRC teams in the weeks ahead.

This year we created a special folder in the SolidWorks 2015KOP.on www.solidworks.com/FIRST page, the “2015 FRC CAD Files AndyMark” folder.

The assemblies in this folder contain different configurations of the AM frame in Long, Wide and Square configurations making it easier for teams to get started.

Also included are the new Churro assembly and Churro part configurations..

Andy owes part of his success to his tech-ed teacher. He taught Andy that technical drawing is an art, a story that is always remembered by artists and designers. It is truly Andy’s story that is told by anyone who designs a robot. Thank you Andy for sharing with the FIRST Community and the SolidWorks Community. Marie

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Marie Planchard

Senior Director, Early Engagement, 3DEXPERIENCE Works at Dassault Systemes

Marie Planchard is an education and engineering advocate. As Senior Director of Education & Early Engagement, SOLIDWORKS, she is responsible for global development of content and social outreach for the 3DEXPERIENCE Works products across all levels of learning including educational institutions, Fab Labs, and entrepreneurship.