Cloud CAD is really difficult
If you believe the buzz in the blogosphere, there are a lot of engineers and designers who are not at all happy at the prospect of some day being forced to use cloud-based CAD. The public lashback on cloud CAD started building several years ago, and it’s hardly abated since. The conversation has taken on political/religious overtones. In the best of all worlds, clould CAD... Read More
What is saving 90% in engineering time worth?
Engineer-to-order (ETO) software has been around for a long time, with roots reaching back to knowledge management systems developed in the 1980s. The biggest reason more companies don’t use engineer-to-order software is that the front-end configuration, to set up an ETO system, has often been too much work, requiring lots of training and expensive consultants. Tacton makes... Read More
SolidWorks Plastics
Mr. McGuire: “I want to say one word to you. Just one word.” Benjamin: “Yes, sir.” Mr. McGuire: “Are you listening?” Benjamin: “Yes, I am.” Mr. McGuire: “Plastics.” - The Graduate, 1967 Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corp this week announced a new product: SolidWork Plastics. Actually, it’s not strictly new, and it’s not just one product. SolidWorks... Read More
Autodesk provides real-time DFM for plastic part design
There’s a lot of benefit to be had by doing manufacturability analysis (DFM, Design for Manufacturing) early in the design process, rather than waiting until later, when design changes are far more expensive. A couple of years ago, Autodesk Labs previewed a product, Project Krypton, which ran inside of 3D CAD programs (including Autodesk Inventor, DS SolidWorks, and PTC... Read More
SolidWorks V6 is not SolidWorks
Two years ago, at SolidWorks World (the show) SolidWorks (the company) showed what appeared to be the next generation of SolidWorks (the software): SolidWorks V6 (also software.) SolidWorks (the company) got major flak from bloggers concerned that SolidWorks V6 (the software) would replace SolidWorks (the software.) This year, at SolidWorks World (the show), Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks (as... Read More
Guitar maker speeds design process
Fender Musical Instruments Corporation is a leading manufacturer of stringed instruments, including electric, acoustic, and bass guitars as well as guitar amplifiers. While the company handcrafted guitars and used 2D AutoCAD design tools for many years, the 2002 acquisition of the JACKSON guitar brand brought more complex geometry challenges that required 3D design technology to... Read More
New software slated to change the workplace
CAD software vendors have touted product usability for a long time. However, they haven’t really delivered on that promise until recently. There were a few software debuts in 2011 that changed that premise. True user usability could lead to a broader CAD audience and a bigger market share.The product development team at PTC came up with the idea of a creating single program... Read More
Recreated USS Missouri
SolidWorks user Donn McKinney’s dream is to construct a Hollywood-quality fleet of battleships for museums and ports. He is part of a team engaged in producing operational replicas of the Iowa Class Battleships USS Iowa, USS New Jersey, USS Missouri, and USS Wisconsin. The goal of the project is tto put these ships on display for education and enjoyment of the general public in... Read More
AAC Engineered Systems
The company focuses on heavy-duty applications and advanced material handling. The company was using a 2D design package and decided to move to a 3D CAD system to gain greater flexibility in designing equipment to meet customer requirements.AAC’s engineers attended the Chicago Machine Design Show and reviewed every CAD system being demonstrated. They were most impressed with... Read More
Analysis linked to CAD
Comsol’s latest update to its flagship multiphysics software Comsol 4.2a includes enhanced LiveLink capability. The new associativity to between Comsol and Creo packages means any changes to a feature in the Creo CAD model automatically updates the geometry in Comsol Multiphysics while retaining physics settings.All parameters specified in Creo can be interactively linked with... Read More
