Cosmetic Threads Cosmetic threads can be a useful annotation to help manufacture parts. As a best practice, I always recommend using the Hole Wizard to create cosmetic threads it creates the correct hole size and adds the thread size automatically. All the geometric data that is required to create the desired hole is in a database that the Hole Wizard references. To access this data the only thing that is necessary is to select the standard (ISO, ANSI, etc) and the bolt or screw size. Depending on the hole type (counterbore, counter sink, clearance hole, tapped hole, etc) the correct values are referenced and used to create the hole
CATI Tech Notes
SOLIDWORKS Tips and Tricks and Info on Professional 3D Printing with Stratasys from the Technical staff of CATI
SOLIDWORKS: MBD Template Editor – Adding Custom Properties
MBD Template Editor – Adding Custom Properties So you’ve added Custom Properties to your Part or Assembly in SOLIDWORKS and now you want to bring those Custom Properties into your MBD Templates for creating 3D PDFs. Tech Tip: If you need help setting up Custom Properties in your Part or Assembly in SOLIDWORKS see our tech blog on Adding Custom Properties here. Shown below is a snapshot of the Custom Properties set up in this part. The Custom Property I am going to bring into my 3D PDF Template is CompanyName. First, we’re going to need to launch the Template Editor. The Command to access the 3D
SOLIDWORKS: 2017 – What’s New in Composer SP3.0 #SW2017
What’s New in Composer SP3.0 In the last few months the SOLIDWORKS team has appointed a new product manager for Composer and assigned members of the development team. They are actively adding more customer enhancements with service packs. SP 3.0 is the first to receive some new features. Here is a list of some of the things they added: BOM import from SOLIDWORKS Appearance Import Profile sort by Alphabetical or category Player Pro samples with a player pro license Digger control for player viewing Appearances With SOLIDWORKS Composer 2017 up to SP2.0, when you import a SOLIDWORKS assembly, you would only get the color but not the
SOLIDWORKS: Crashes – Windows 7 Users MicrOSOFT KB3186497
SOLIDWORKS Crashes In Mid-June we started to see multiple SOLIDWORKS crashes on machines with Windows 7 that updated Microsoft Security Patch KB3186497 – Offline Installer .NET 4.7, we have tested SOLIDWORKS 2015, 2016 and 2017. SOLIDWORKS has created a SPR#1032308 as shown below: The .NET Framework can be hosted by unmanaged components that load the common language runtime into their processes and initiate the execution of managed code, thereby creating a software environment that can exploit both managed and unmanaged features. The .NET Framework not only provides several runtime hosts, but also supports the development of third-party runtime hosts. *This however does not affect Windows
Stratasys 3D Printing: F123 Series Camera Shroud Print and Install
F123 Series Camera Shroud Print and Install If you have a F123 series machine and use the camera to view your builds through Grabcad Print software or the mobile app, you will notice in rooms with a fair amount of ambient light that there is a reflection. This stems from the double pane window and the camera being between them. Stratasys has released a customer level fix for this issue and below are how you go about doing it. First thing you will want to do is make sure you have software version 1.3.5360.0 or newer installed in your printer. You can check this on the machine itself
Posted in Digital Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping
Stratasys 3D Printing: Boom Supersonic & Stratasys Sign Technical Partnership
Partnership to Improve the Speed of Development for Supersonic Aircraft With 3D Printing Three-year agreement to enable Boom to leverage FDM-based 3D printing for production-grade aircraft parts and advanced composite tooling on their path to transform air travel Additive manufacturing facilitates rapid development and cost efficient production of specialized tools and flight parts for Boom to engineer inaugural, high-speed aircraft in 2018 MINNEAPOLIS & DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Stratasys Ltd. (Nasdaq:SSYS), the 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions company, and Boom Supersonic today announced a significant technical partnership to bring the commercial airline industry one step closer towards routine supersonic travel. Aimed at shaping the future of high-speed aviation,
Posted in 3D Scanning
SOLIDWORKS: Indent Feature
Indent Feature Among all the features SOLIDWORKS has to offer, the Indent feature is often forgotten. What is it, how do you use it and why would you want to use it? I hope to answer those questions in this blog. Working with multi-body parts, the Indent feature creates an offset pocket or protrusion on a target body using a tool body or bodies. The contour of the tool body is removed or added to the target part, also allowing a thickness and clearance value to create the feature. The Indent feature can be used with solid and surface bodies. The Indent feature is different than the
SOLIDWORKS: One Click Bill of Material (BOM) Resizing
One Click SOLIDWORKS Bill of Material (BOM) Resizing SOLIDWORKS Bill of Materials row heights can quickly be changed with a click of a button. I was teaching a SOLIDWORKS Assembly class a few weeks back and I was giving some SOLIDWORKS Bill of Material Tips and Tricks and this next tip received many comments, like “What the…” and “I wish I would’ve know that 2 years ago.” And my favorite, “That SOLIDWORKS BOM tip was worth the cost of the class alone.” So, what is this awesome SOLIDWORKS Bill of Material tip for rapidly changing all the BOM Table row heights? First, adjust one row to your desired
SOLIDWORKS: Going For a Jog – Creating Jog Leader Lines
Creating Jog Leader Lines in SOLIDWORKS Creating a leader line jog in SOLIDWORKS can be a very useful tool when displaying certain features in a drawing. Fortunately, there is more than one way to accomplish this in SOLIDWORKS depending on the feature and the drawing view. Take the following simple part as an example: Let’s say after creating a drawing file from this part, we want to add a dimension to the center cylinder; however, we prefer the leader line not overlaying the part itself. To do this, we simply RMB on the leader line and select, “Add Jog Point”. We can then
Stratasys 3D Printing: FDM Part Curling – Lifting From the Tray
FDM Part Curling – Lifting From the Tray From time to time, we see parts lifting off the build tray during printing. There are two main causes. Both of which are related to air flow. If parts are positioned together tightly and air flow can’t move through the parts efficiently, it can cause parts to lift up. A We also see part lifting in large flat parts. Printing in a SPARSE FILL will help with part curling. You can also see parts knocked over due to them lifting. The 2nd possible cause is the chamber fans going out, which again, will impact air flow. All you need
Posted in Digital Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping
SOLIDWORKS Keyboard Shortcuts Cheat Sheet
