Design
Maximize your punkin’ chunkin’ catapult with SolidWorks Simulation
Have you ever wondered how far you could throw a
pumpkin? No? Me neither. However, a lot of people not only give this significant thought, they also meet in a big field to test their weird and wonderful contraptions
at the Punkin' Chunkin' World Championships.
In a nutshell, teams compete to see how far they can launch
a pumpkin by catapult, trebuchet, or air cannon. I first learned about this weird and wonderful completion a while ago, and I
decided that rather than build my own physical catapult and test it, I would do the smart thing–build and test it in SolidWorks first. Now, I
didn’t want to spend a ton of time creating a detailed model to test; I just wanted
a quick and dirty model that I could use to test my design hypothesis and make some initial determinations, namely:
- What beam sections to use on the design?
- Where to put the arm stop?
- What are the impact stresses?
- How far would the pumpkin go?
So my first design was quite basic, but it still had enough
detail to provide meaningful design data. This is a really important point for any design analysis: analyze early and often to get the
maximum benefit.
Rho, Rho, Rho Your Boat: Conics in SolidWorks 2013
SolidWorks 2013 introduces a sketch entity type that was once the soledominion of expensive Class-A surface modeling systems of yesteryear: The Conic Section. As I learned in 10th grade, if you take a cone and slice it with a plane,
... ContinuedHow POLYRACK Makes Its Products “Cool”
Complex technologies, such as desktop computers, involve many different components that have the tendency to overheat, including multiple printed circuit boards. How do you measure the impact of electricity and heat running through your product? POLYRACK Tech-Group employed the help
... ContinuedSafe Offshore Equipment with Leenaars Marine and Offshore Design BV
Construction of offshore platforms can often be costly and dangerous considering weather conditions and the possibility of drops into the cold ocean. For reliable and innovative vessels and equipment designs, the industry turns to Leenaars Marine & Offshore Design BV.
... ContinuedDay2Night Convertible Heels brings innovation to ladies shoes
Earlier this year, we invited some 2011 Mass Challenge finalists to visit SolidWorks headquarters in Waltham, MA. If you’re not familiar with the Mass Challenge, it’s a Boston-area organization that connects early-stage startups with the people and resources they need
... ContinuedCP Manufacturing: Efficient Engineering and Recycling Manufacturing
As recycled materials become the new norm in many paper and plastic products, an efficient recycling facility is key for managing the influx of recycled items. CP Manufacturing designs plants that divide paper, plastic, rubber and all sorts of recyclables
... ContinuedNew in SolidWorks 2013: Varying Dimension Patterns
With SolidWorks 2013, you can quickly create variations of pattern instances with expanded SolidWorks® patterning capabilities. This helps you: Save time and reduce the number of features Increment feature spacing or size in linear and circular patterns Select any feature
... ContinuedWhat’s the Difference Between SolidWorks Standard, Professional and Premium?
One of the most common questions from our users is: “What is the difference between the three SolidWorks packages (Standard, Professional, Premium)?” The answer really depends on many factors…
... ContinuedDesign That Matters Win 2012 IDSA IDEA Award
You may recall Matt West’s blog post last year about Design That Matters, a non-profit organization that aims to provide affordable phototherapy treatments to developing global communities. Design That Matters also presented at SolidWorks World in 2009. This year the
... ContinuedMega Bloks as Building Blocks for Your Child’s Education
School is not the only place to nurture your child – the home environment also plays a vital role in your learning and development. This back-to-school season, surprise your family with a toy that can help feed their inner engineer
... ContinuedNew in SolidWorks 2013: Conic Sketch
SolidWorks 2013 introduces the ability to create smooth transitions between existing geometries using true conic surfacing. Using the new conic sketch feature, you can Create complex or hybrid models faster using surfaces Make a parabola, ellipse, or hyperbola tangent to
... ContinuedSolidWorks 2013 has arrived
Every fall, a new version of SolidWorks is unveiled. We’re always really excited about all of the new functionality that goes into every release, and you’ve probably heard that over 90% of enhancements are driven by customer requests. That’s true
... ContinuedCatching up with customers and partners at the SolidWorks 2013 media day
Yesterday, SolidWorks hosted its annual media event to ring in the launch of SolidWorks 2013 – coming soon to a reseller near you! We featured some great customers and partners like Motoczysz, BPG Werks, Travertson Motorcycles and Objet 3D Printing.
... ContinuedWonders of Weldments
3+ Way Mitres in Weldments When building steel frames, particularly in circular tube you can strange results when 3 or more tubes come together and you and to trim them all back. You could end up with something like this:
... ContinuedBosch Designs Across Industries with SolidWorks Software
Car maintenance is a necessary evil for most car owners – you know you have to do it, but many of us avoid it or put it off until the car needs repair. While going to the auto mechanic may
... Continued