Posts Tagged ‘dimension’

Successful Flight of Unmanned Aircraft System

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

3DVision customer SelectTech GeoSpatial is doing some AMAZING things that I just had to share with you.

Just a few weeks ago SelectTech GeoSpatial’s Advanced Manufacturing Facility Technical Team in Springfield, Ohio launched a successful test flight of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS).

The UAS was designed and built with SolidWorks and a Dimension 1200 3D printer. This is the first non-government built aircraft of its kind.

The aircraft has a wingspan exceeding 4 feet and weighs 5.3 pounds. Best part, it was made entirely from ABSplastic. Powered by an electric motor and lithium polymer batteries, it flew in winds in excess of 25 knots. The pilot, Jad Lowrey said, “it took off very smoothly and handled well even in high wind”.

The aircraft was designed and engineered by Frand Beafore, Executive Director of SGAMF, and Beth Galang, Chief Designer. Galang indicated “this design and build system revolutionizes the product development process – not to mention speed to delivery”.

The initial flight trials were made at the Springfield-Beckley airport under The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) flight rules.

The combination of the amazing design team at SelectTech and the supported solutions of SolidWorks and Dimension 3D printing is a great example of how anything is possible.

For more information on SelectTech, visit their website at http://www.sgamf.com/

Aero2

Carrie Cavanaugh

Carrie Patrick
Marketing Manager
3DVision Technologies

Tags: 3D CAD, 3D printing, 3DVision, 3DVision Technologies, dimension, SolidWorks
Posted in 3D CAD, Announcements, Dimension Printing | No Comments »

Instant3D…do you use it?

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Instant3D has been a feature of SolidWorks for years but are you using it?  Maybe the right questions to ask are “what is Instant3D and why would you want to use it?”

Let’s start with the first part of that, “What is Instant3D”.  It lets you quickly create and modify geometry by using drag handles and scales.  You can use Instant3D in parts and assemblies.  To turn it on, select the “Features” toolbar and select “Instant3D” which is on the far right end of the toolbar.

Command

The second part of the question, “Why would you want to use it” is a little more subjective.  If you need to change a dimension, you have the ability to just select the model face which will show the dimensions making it very quick to modify the model.

 Face Select

 This option is great when you are not “sure” of the design and you have some dimensions on the model.  The dimensions have a small blue dot at the end of the extension line which is what you left click and hold on.  Then a scale will show up that you can “drag-n-drop” on for your new dimensional value.

Scale

Another great way that you can use Instant3D is when you want to create an Extrude.  When you are done sketching and exit, select a segment of the sketch which will activate an arrow. 

Sketch

This arrow will allow you to drag it away from the model, creating a boss extrude, or into the model creating an extrude cut.

Extrude

This is just the basics of Instant3D.  I suggest you try it out and see how it can help you be more productive.

Josh Spencer

Josh Spencer
Application Engineer
3DVision Technologies

Tags: 3DVision, dimension, Josh Spencer, SolidWorks, SolidWorks Modeling, Tips and Tricks
Posted in 3D CAD, General, SolidWorks, Tips & Tricks, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Search for Dimensions in EPDM

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Great Aunt Eleanor can do many amazing things. She can name and describe all RAID configurations, she can rewire an HDMI connection so her old black and white movies will be black and white again (she curses Ted Turner the entire time) and apparently she is the lead elf in her WOW guild…but she can’t cook. The lady can [and has] burnt water. Thus apparently it would be logical for her to buy an Indian restaurant.

The nice thing about Indian dishes is that they are pretty easy. Every thing is brown, crazy spicy and all the food is cut up into simple hexahedrons. The only thing different about the hexahedrons is their length, width and height.

Great Aunt Eleanor has decided she wants to SolidWorks Enterprise PDM to be able to store her food cutting guides. She wants to be able to enter in a few dimensions in a search window and have EPDM return all the food pieces that meet the search criteria. This is her datacard:

Datacard

Pretty nice, though since Great Aunt Eleanor is always playing with the sizes, she wants to link the dimensions of her SolidWorks models to the datacard. So if the food size changes, the datacard updates automatically.

Here is how I linked her dimensions to the datacard values.

Dimensions

I created the three custom file properties (height, width, length), then for value, I used this format: “Dimension Name@Sketch Name@File Name”. I usually find it easier to click in the “Value/Text Expression” column and then click on the dimension. SolidWorks build the required format for you. (Note: the dimension names were renamed by me, typically they will have a “D1″, “D2″ type format.)

FileProperties

Now your file properties update as the dimensions update, all that is left is to connect your EPDM variables to your file properties, and thus as your model dimension change, your EPDM database updates automatically!

Next Great Aunt Eleanor stored this file as a SolidWorks template, so when she comes up with a new food type, (perhaps something brown-ier?) she starts with the template and the settings already to go.

Another tip, make the controls in the datacard read-only, that way they only way they are updated is via changing the SolidWorks model.

Now Great Aunt Eleanor can quickly use EPDM to search for the exact size of food she needs.

Jeff Sweeney

Jeff Sweeney
Engineering Data Specialist
3DVision Technologies

Tags: datacard, dimension, drawings, EPDM, Jeff Sweeney
Posted in PDM | 1 Comment »

Dimension Printed Simulation Verified Blow Off Valve Adapter

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Adding a new Blitz Blow Off Valve (BOV) to an aftermarket turbo system lead to no clearance between the valve and the hood of the vehicle.  An adapter was needed to drop the BOV from the high pressure pipe outlet to between the twin cooling fans behind the radiator.

 

High Pressure Pipe Assembly

High Pressure Pipe Assembly


BOV Adapter

BOV Adapter

The problem statement is as follows:

A custom adapter was developed to accommodate hood clearance.  Before final fabrication out of aluminum a prototype was “printed” using a Dimension Rapid Prototype Printer.  The printed ABS parts are inherently porous and needed to be sealed in order to hold pressure.  The part was dipped quickly  in acetone and then washed thoroughly with soapy water to seal the pores.  The part was then tested to 110 PSI on a test bench before failure.  A second part was then tested on the car.

Because operating pressure is only 10 PSI, a FOS of 10 was provided by the design.

110 PSI Failure

110 PSI Failure

The second consideration is that the BOV is cantilevered off of the high pressure pipe bung .  The BOV weighs approximately 1/8th of a pound. Adding this to the loading still produced a FOS of   5.

Combined Load

Combined Load

Simulation verified the physical test results and showed that the printed part holds up to the design requirements. The printed ABS adapter works so well an aluminum version was never fabricated.  110 passes down the 1/4 mile drag strip, 1000’s of miles, and 4 autocross seasons, and the little plastic adapter keeps on going.

Robert Warren

Robert Warren
Application Support Engineer
CSWP / CSWST / CSWI / CSPS
3DVision Technologies

Tags: Cosmos, dimension, Printing, Robert Warren, Simulation, SolidWorks
Posted in 3D CAD, COSMOSWorks, Dimension Printing, Simulation, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Ecoworks approved for SR10 (P400) Support

Monday, February 14th, 2011

Dimension has approved Ecoworks for use with P400 in the current Dimension clean station. Now you can have all the benefits of Ecoworks without purchasing a new clean station. Ecoworks is a more environmentally friendly solution to dissolve support material. It no longer requires a hazmat label to ship, no special PPE is required, and most companies will be able to safely dispose of it down the drain.

Introduction:
Ecoworks cleaning agent is designed to remove support materials from models built using the FDM process with SR-10 (P400-SR), SR-20, or SR-30 soluble support materials. The cleaning agent is both user- and eco-friendly. No personal protection equipment is required when handling the cleaning agent and disposal of the used solution requires only dilution with clean water to meet generally acceptable world-wide disposal standards*.

Several factors impact support removal effectiveness and time:
* Agitation/Circulation (varies by tank type and manufacturer)
* Temperature
* Part Geometry and Amount of Support Material
* PH Level
* Time

Results will vary based on the above factors. Below are recommended guidelines for using Ecoworks.

Temperature:
Water temperatures between 70°C and 75°C are most effective for dissolving support materials. Temperatures above 75°C may cause models to distort. Dissolve times with temperatures below 70°C will take longer.

Ecoworks Amounts:
To optimize support removal and meet generally acceptable pH levels for waste water disposal, the following amount (number of packages) of Ecoworks should be used:
One package (foil bag) for every 2 gallons (7.5 liters) of water. The entire contents of the package (both sides A and B) should be used.
For each additional two gallons (7.5 liters) of water, add an additional package of Ecoworks. For example, an 8 gallon (30 liters) tank requires 4 packages of Ecoworks. With the above ratio of Ecoworks and water, the pH level of clean solution will be approximately 9.8.

Solution Life:
How often you change the solution is dependent on the tank you use, how you maintain it, and the complexity of your parts. As support materials are dissolved over time, the pH level will decrease and dissolve times will increase.
For optimal effectiveness, the solution should be changed after 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) or approximately 40 cu. in. (655 cu. cm) of support material has been dissolved.

Solution Disposal*:
Waste Water Profiles are available for each of the three soluble support materials –
SR-10 (P400-SR), SR-20, and SR-30. These profiles are based on the dilution of used solution with an equal amount of fresh water. For example, when disposing of 4 gallons (15 liters) of used solution, dilute with 4 gallons (15 liters) of fresh water.

Download Waste Water Profile Data-sheet

Brendon Breitenstein

Brendon Breitenstein
Field Service Engineer
3DVision Technologies

Tags: clean station, dimension, ecoworks, p400
Posted in Dimension Printing, General | No Comments »

No Inference Lines for Dimensions

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

When placing notes or dimensions on a drawing in SolidWorks 2010, you will notice that SolidWorks will try to align the note or dimension being placed with already placed dimensions – via the yellow inference lines:8-23-2010 7-53-10 AM

To prevent this, you have 2 options. The first is to change your System Options and they will never appear again for another drawing. (System Options > Drawings > ‘Disable note/dimension inference’)

The second (which I think is preferred) is to hold the ALT key down when placing the note/dimension. It will prevent those pesky inference lines from appearing for that particular note/dimension and you will be able to place the note/dimension anywhere you like with respect to other notes/dimensions.

Chris Snider

Chris Snider
Application Engineer
3DVision Technologies

Tags: Chris Snider, dimension, inference, lines, SolidWorks
Posted in SolidWorks, Tips & Tricks | No Comments »

Adding without the hassle of adding a sign

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

I picked up this SolidWorks quick tip yesterday on Twitter: Double click to edit dimension, enter a number at the end of the dim, and it adds it. no “+” sign needed.

Jeff Sweeney

Jeff Sweeney
Engineering Data Specialist
3DVision Technologies

Tags: dimension
Posted in SolidWorks, Tips & Tricks | No Comments »

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