I Hate Cool Technology!!!

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Yes…it's true, but more appropriately I should say that I hate cool technology that's nothing more than cool.  In other words, if technology does not add value in terms of time saved, decreased costs, reduced scrap, a healthier planet or even an improved quality of life, I'm just not that interested…but I don't really hate it 😉

And this might cause a dilemma for me because 3DVIA Composer is really, really cool.  But even better, 3DVIA Composer is also extremely valuable.  You might remember in my last blog I said how 3DVIA Composer was so easy to use even a plastics guy could do it?  Well that's still true, and one of the things I'd like to tell you about this week is how easy it is to use 3DVIA Composer to create high resolution graphics for 2D-based assembly instructions, product guides and maintenance manuals.

You simply:

  1. Bring your SolidWorks model into 3DVIA Composer,
  2. Manipulate the geometry into the views you need to communicate procedures such as assembly/disassembly,  maintenance, repair, etc.,
  3. Save those views as jpeg's, tiff's, bitmaps or png's,
  4. Insert those images into your final document using your publishing software of choice and you're done.
  5. Drink beer. (oops!…I'm new to this blog editor and I couldn't figure out a way to delete this step but pay no attention to it!)

The end result is some really cool documentation that your internal & external customers will also find extremely valuable because it will be next to impossible for them to assemble, disassemble, use, maintain or repair your products the wrong way.  See for yourself…

 Paint Sprayer Manual

Holmatro Spreader Manual 

Nook Jack Assembly Instructions 

So until next time…clear your mind, focus and get that project done!

Peter Rucinski

Peter Rucinski

My technical background is based on BS and MS degrees in plastics engineering from UMASS Lowell and a career focused on all things injection molding – simulation, plastics materials, part design, mold design, mold making and injection molding process troubleshooting & optimization. And I have been extremely fortunate to have developed business acumen that comes from being intimately involved in growing a small engineering software company ~7X in revenues while tripling headcount, successfully executing an IPO and multiple acquisitions, coaching product teams and developing the go-to-market strategy for numerous successful product launches.