Born to Design: The Disposable Rapid Diagnostic Test for Ebola
The 2014 Ebola epidemic was the largest in history, affecting multiple countries in West Africa and killing over 11,000 people. The Center of Disease Control and its partners worldwide are working to prevent future outbreaks, but these efforts are easier
... ContinuedStructural and Fluid Simulation for Oil & Gas Products
The design of oil and gas products presents many unique challenges. The first step for designers and engineers is to understand how an oil well works and how it is composed. In the figure below is a regular oil well.
... ContinuedWhere in the model tree am I? Breadcrumbs show the way.
For what seems like forever, the model tree (also called feature tree or history tree) has been used by SOLIDWORKS users as the main tool for understanding and making changes to a design. When designs are complex, the model tree
... Continued3D Printing and Injection Molding: Dynamic Duo Cuts Tooling Costs, Speeds Time to Market
The number of potential applications for 3D printing seems to grow on a daily basis. There’s almost nothing these additive manufacturing machines can’t build. They take nearly all traditional constraints out of the manufacturing equation, enabling the creation of products
... ContinuedCheers from England – Here's Some SWUGN News
I’m in England this week for a couple of SOLIDWORKS User Group meetings in London and Liverpool, but there’s plenty of other stuff going on in the SOLIDWORKS Community this week: The first meeting of the new Southern Virginia SOLIDWORKS User
... ContinuedSolving the engineering to manufacturing puzzle
As part of my duties at SOLIDWORKS, I visit customers to see how they are using our products and get ideas on how we could improve them. I am always amazed at how customers find new ways to use our
... ContinuedSWUGN Group Leader Spotlight – William Radigan
Since 1996, SOLIDWORKS User Groups have been a valuable resource for SOLIDWORKS users all over the world. The SWUGN Committee and DS SOLIDWORKS provide ample support, but the real stars are the SOLIDWORKS User Group Leaders. Every couple of weeks
... ContinuedFill Up on Design Know-How at the Global Petroleum Show
The Global Petroleum Show covers the latest and most current technologies, processes and best practices related to the exploration and production of heavy oil in the region. This year’s annual event takes place June 9 to 11 in Calgary, Alberta
... ContinuedCreating Robust Sketches and Models with Sketch Objects
Parametric sketching has come a long way since I started with CAD more than 15 years ago. In my first class I was told “If the sketch has more than 6 segments simplify it into two or more features”. But
... ContinuedSOLIDWORKS Short: SOLIDWORKS MBD and Engineering 4.0
There is an expression: a picture’s worth a thousand words, meaning that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a simple image. It also describes the goal of visualization; making it possible to absorb large amounts of complex data
... ContinuedSOLIDWORKS Women in Engineering Series: Kristen Railey
When I first met Kristen Railey, Assistant Staff at Lincoln Labs and founder of Girls Who Build Wearable Workshop, I was impressed by how much she had accomplished in just two years out of college. While focusing on her main
... ContinuedMeet Argentina’s 10-year-old self-taught SOLIDWORKS star
When Hernan Malleret began working at home parttime he never expected SOLIDWORKS would become a full-time interest for his 10-year-old son Tomas. Hernán’s inquisitive son would often stand near his father’s workstation fixated on the design work transpiring before his
... ContinuedSOLIDWORKS Short: Injection Molding in the Engineering 4.0 Era
CAD data is full of useful information. Unfortunately, this information is not always used to its fullest extent. However, these seemingly secondary data sources will be the key to success in the Engineering 4.0 era. Engineering 4.0 is a new
... Continued‘Inverse Kinematics’ – Mechanisms That Design Themselves
It seems that there is an unspoken rule in product development that the later the design change, the bigger the headache. And when the design change involves altering a mechanical linkage, then it is very common for the mechanism to
... ContinuedBeef on Weck and a SWUGN Summit in Albany
My first Beef on Weck sandwich happened several years ago in Buffalo, NY and now every time I visit the upstate area I make it a priority to have at least one. Throw in some Buffalo Wings and life is
... Continued