Allow Yourself to Focus on What You (Your Company) Does Best

Much of the discussion in the engineering software market
surrounds the quality of the actual software itself. What it does, its
reliability, user community, and so on is where the conversation tends to be
focused.

In the last decade or so, the power and ease of use of these
tools has increased dramatically, especially in terms of being accessible to a
wider audience. What has not changed is that these still are complex tools that
can be used for very complex jobs. Just because a user can figure out how to
set up a simulation scenario and run an analysis doesn’t mean the results are
going to be real or meaningful.

On top of that, in general engineers have become more, not
less, busy with organizations trying to maximize productivity with the teams
that are in place, versus hiring more. The end result is that expectations and
pressure have increased for the design community as a whole.

How can the potential for disruption and risk of a wasted
investment in technology be mitigated? Companies that design and/or make ‘X’ product
are typically experts in their industry or market. They will occasionally
launch and invest in new tools and technology over time to help do their jobs
better.  A  few different paths exist here- from the 100%
DIY model, to formal training and implementation by a partner. As with most DIY
approaches, very often the cost in lost opportunity, time and resources
outweighs the cost of bringing in a dedicated expert. Not that a professional
is low-cost, but in many cases the true cost becomes less than trying to
implement a tool in-house without help.

As such, the team here at CATI has spent considerable
efforts putting together structured implementations for every key solution
offered. The approach is one of Good, Better, Best…with corresponding levels of
consulting and deliverables. So, whether a new project is SolidWorks CAD,
Simulation, Technical Publications, or PDM, the right level of service is
available.

If you truly want to turbocharge return on investment in a
new technology, please make sure to look at your implementation options in
detail, from any partner, and consider the impact this can have on a truly
successful investment.

-Rich Werneth
Computer Aided Technology, Inc.

Great news from mfrtech.com today: SMB Manufacturers project to grow significantly in 2013. Here on some highlights:



- Sixty-eight percent of respondents expect revenues to increase in 2013

- Eighty-seven percent of companies expect capital expenditures to grow or remain constant in 2013, with 39 percent planning to spend more than 2012 levels

- Forty-three percent of companies plan to hire more employees in 2013 and 52 percent plan to maintain current employment levels

- This is higher than the 39 percent that indicated they would be hiring in 2H2012

- The cost of raw materials is a concern and is among top cost pressures for 90 percent of manufacturers



This is great news for CATI customers, but also raises some interesting issues:



For starters, how can manufacturers grow and maintain the level of communication required to design and build high quality products? Is it a matter of re-evaluating processes related to product development and implementing mechanisms to increase visibility of project status, ECO/ECN's, and released documentation? Is it a challenge to train new shop floor personnel, providing rich content to train them on manufacturing and assembly procedures? Is it a matter of automation, creating routines to simplify repeatable design tasks?



Furthermore, consider the subject of raw material costs: are companies doing everything they can to optimize designs in order to shave weight and material out of their products? Are they running studies that consider the use of alternative, less expensive materials that may serve their needs? Can 3D Printing allow companies to prototype less or reduce the amount of metal they use for tooling (jigs, fixtures, etc)?



Finally, is it time to implement best practices rather than let legacy practices seep in to the next generation of employees?



It is an exciting time to be in our field. Jobs are coming back, and companies in the Midwest are thriving.



CATI specializes in assisting companies with many of the issues above...please reach out to us if you want to discuss further.



Here is a link to the rest of the article: http://www.mfrtech.com/articles/45713.html

Time varying load: Can SolidWorks Simulation handle this

There are many occasions when we are asked, "Can SolidWorks Simulation handle my engineering issues?"

We ran into this last week, we were given deformation in the component and had to figure out load required to produce the deformation. What was interesting the part would be at the respective positions with respect to time. My response was lets not just simulate this, but tell you how much force is required to produce this deformation too. Well now that we had his interest piqued, he wanted to see this happen. 

All we knew was the position of the keys at different time.  For nonlinear studies, you can define time-dependent remote loads. Our reason for choosing Non-Linear analysis, In some cases, the linear solution can produce erroneous results because the
assumptions upon which it is based are violated. Nonlinear analysis can be used
to solve problems with nonlinearity caused by material behavior, large
displacements, and contact conditions. 

In addition, it was the easiest way to control deformation (our input and only known parameter). 

 

We fixed (green) the key slots, in our application they are bolted to a plate, but for this analysis it was ok to assume the bolts offered little or no play. We looked at how the material behaved as it was deforming. In addition we could tell how much force is required to produce this deformation. This helped the customer further design components interacting with this spring.

With this plot on screen, showing the load varying with time (and in turn deformation) we knew everything we need to know about this component. With his engineering issue resolved, he went looking for another challenge to throw at us.

Rajat Trehan

Product Manager - Simulation 

Computer Aided Technology Inc.

 

CATI Product Development Forum 2013 Announcement

Join us for our 3rd Annual Product Development Forum series! This unique event will show you how to take your product from concept to reality and improve your product development process with the help of solutions from CATI. 

Event highlights:

• Stratasys 3D Printing


• Connect the Wires: Mechanical and Electrical Teams Connected


• The SolidWorks User: Before and After EPDM


• Product Development Roundtable


• 30+ Things You Definitely Missed From Essentials 


• Choosing the Right Hardware


• Complimentary Breakfast and Lunch


• View the full agenda

Seating is limited, cost is free. Register today!

Schedule:

Dates	Location	Time
April 24, 2013	Indianapolis, IN Sheraton Indianapolis at Keystone Crossing	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register
May 2, 2013	Palatine, IL Harper College - Wojcik Conference Center	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register
May 7, 2013	St. Charles, MO St. Charles Convention Center	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register
May 14, 2013	Wichita, KS Hyatt Regency Wichita	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register
May 15, 2013	Overland Park, KS Double Tree Overland Park-Kansas City	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register
May 21, 2013	Brookfield, WI Brookfield Suites Hotel & Convention Center	8:30 am - 3:00 pm	Register

 

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Jim TeDesco
Marketing Manager
Computer Aided Technology, Inc. 

Free Guide to DraftSight

Are you new to DraftSight?

Do you like having instruction manuals to guide you thru programs?

Then we have something for you!

Get your FREE guide to DraftSight!!!!

Click on the following link and you will be asked to fill out your information and then the download will begin.

download

Installing and Configuring SolidWorks Composer 2013 SP2.0 on a NETWORK License

A couple of you SolidWorks Composer users have been asking lately how the new network licensing work does? Well it works just like the SolidWorks SolidNetwork License Manager, because that is what it is using. Same tools, same process, one important thing. You must have your network license manager on SolidWorks 2013 sp2.0 to use that activation base network licensing and the newly release SolidWorks Composer 2013 sp2.0. Below is a YouTube video that shows this process on the server and client side of things. ENJOY.

Bob McGaughey, Composer Product Manager, CATI

Why are there green checks or minus signs in the configuration manager?

SolidWorks has done some updating for 2013 in how part and assembly data is saved.  In previous versions everytime a part/assembly is saved, SolidWorks asks if you want to rebuild the document.  The best practice for that was to hit yes and then WAIT.  Saving the 3d image and updating all equations (if there are any) takes time and increases file size.  You now have the option of just saving all of the data of just one configuration and saving basic information about the rest of the configurations. 

Every time there is a green check next to the configuration, it means that the configuration has been updated and the 3d information is part of the file.  This is ok if you are working with all the configurations and need to switch between them quickly.  However this may not be the case for every file. 

When you do not want to save the information from every configuration you have the Rebuild/Save Mark option.  Simple right click on the configuration name and it should be in the drop down.  This option will save and load specific configurations quickly.

If in fact you do not want any of the information saved, then you must use the "Remove Mark and Purge Data from All Configuration".  This can be found by right clicking the name of the part in the configuration manager (Rebuild/Save Mark>Remove Mark and Purge Data from All Configuration). Once you select this all the configurations will have a minus sign except for the active one.  

Ketul