Overcoming Design Challenges with 3DEXPERIENCE Works- Part One

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Working for SOLIDWORKS has to be one of the coolest jobs out there, especially for any design or engineering geek like myself.  Not only does it allow me to work with really fun, cutting-edge technology, but more importantly I get to see some really impressive designs.

Last fall and early this year, five members of the technical sales and marketing team at SOLIDWORKS took a deeper exploration into the DTV Shredder, designed by customer DTV Motor Corporation.  Our mission was MUCH simpler than what the engineers behind the shredder have already accomplished, but it was a way for us to put 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to the test.  Simply put, our task was to take on some challenges found in the DTV Shredder, using a collaborative and connected CAD system to design, validate and bring critical parts and assemblies to be CNC-ready.

The team’s primary goal was to take on designing and assembling a subset of the shredder, while working remotely, using 3DXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and additional solutions available through the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio.  I should mention, our intention is to explore the steps in which the engineers at DTV Motor Corporation already went through.  Since we were working backwards from a completed design, this gave us a bit of a head start.

The five of us broke the team up similar to how a small company would be composed to best replicate the workload throughout.  Internally, we use avatar credentials when working on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, which you will see if you check out the video series here.

  • Mike (Pete Project) – Minneapolis – Project Manager
  • Mark  (Dan Designer) – Las Vegas – Design Engineer
  • Andrew (Dan Designer) –  Los Angeles – Mechanical Engineer
  • Michael (Adam Analyst) – Seattle – Mechanical Engineer (FEA Specialist)
  • Jeremy (Sam Supplier) – Grand Rapids, MI – Manufacturing Engineer

There is A LOT of really exciting engineering behind the DTV Shredder, so finding a few areas to focus our design efforts on was tough. We wanted to take on  aspects of mechanical design with motion/linkages, as well as some of the modeling complexity with the industrial design elements.   After learning that the power to each track is controlled by the lean of the board, we had identified the perfect area of focus for this project.  Andrew and Mark (Dan Designer) planned to focus on the shape of the board using the surfacing capabilities in 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS.

No design is finished without some manufacturing validation.  We had to introduce some issues into the assembly near the finish line, replicate the real world as closely as possible, and also validate manufacturability of the critical track arm.  For me, it was my first time using Issue and Change Management on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, and definitely a highlight of the project.

For the manufacturing side of things, Jeremy (Sam SUPPLIER) leveraged some of the manufacturing capabilities available in the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio, with technology powered by DELMIA, to quickly and accurately generate all the necessary toolpaths for a fairly complex part.

In the video series, you’ll see how Pete (myself) kicks off the project with a virtual, collaborative white board. Since this project was really two projects wrapped into one (the design project and the video/story production), we kept the backend  organized using the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform with 3D LEAN for a centralized spot to capture ideas, and the Industry Innovator Role to help with data collaboration, task and schedule planning.

Over the course of five weeks (alongside our normal day-to-day duties), we worked through the process of designing the platform for the rider to stand on, re-created the clutch connection and pivot design, validated the shape and material used in the bushing for the pivot design,  and generated complex CNC toolpaths for the track arm, all while collaborating and staying connected with 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform.

Stay tuned in the following weeks as the team shares some favorite experiences and features through the SOLIDWORKS Blog and make sure to check out the video workflow playlist through the eyes of each avatar at shredder.solidworks.com. You can read the next blog in the series here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Sande

Mike Sande

Territory Technical Manager at SOLIDWORKS
Michael is a graduate of Montana State University where he focused in finite element analysis and simulation MEMS manufacturing in his quest for his BSME. When not enjoying engineering documentaries, you will find Michael exercising his creative side through his love of photography, art, family, animals and of course SOLIDWORKS CAD.
Mike Sande

@@MSANDE82

Mike Sande