In this series, I will design a racing road bicycle with the help of SOLIDWORKS. Starting with the geometry, I will move on to the tube shapes and componentry to come up with an engineered speed machine.What’s to come?

Part 1: Frame Geometry Optimization -  Using 3D Sketches, Weldments, and Static Analysis to optimize the frame geometry

Part 2: Tube Shape Optimization 1 - Using Surfacing and Static Analysis to define the shape of the tubes

Part 3: Tube Shape Optimization 2 - Using CFD analysis to optimize the aerodynamic efficiency of the tube shapes

Part 4: Components and Details - Finishing up the rest of the bike. Because why not?

Part 1: Frame Geometry

The intent of this project is to use parametric mechanical design software (SOLIDWORKS) to engineer a racing road bike.

The key optimization parameters will be:

• Power Transfer
• Handling
• Aerodynamics

Comfort will be considered, but I’m not looking to design a Gran Fondo machine for once-a-year enthusiasts; this bike is going to be designed for the crit-smashing solo-breakaway-artist.

Let’s start with the frame geometry. There are some basic geometrical properties I would like to determine, such as the optimal seat tube angle.

I can sketch a bike frame using a 3D sketch in SOLIDWORKS to get started.

You cannot analyze sketch elements with the simulation tools, so we need to have some 3D geometry. I can use Weldments to complete the basic layout and start a static analysis. The Weldments will act as a simplified analysis tool. As long as the chosen Weldment profile is axis-symmetric, its properties (such as weight, material, thickness) will not matter. There are many benefits to using Weldments at this stage including ease of modeling, and reduction of analysis time (solution times for beams are significantly lower than solid bodies). I am not interested in exact values. In fact, the values are arbitrary. What I want is to determine frame geometry that is optimal for power transfer.

In order to perform a static analysis to study the dynamic behavior of a bicycle frame, it’s important to make an assumption:

• Deflection of a frame due to a static steady-state load can be used to estimate the deformation behavior of the frame under dynamic loads

It’s important to keep in mind that this will give us an idea of the deflection, as it is an idealized and simplified analysis.

After inserting the Weldments, I applied corner treatments to closely represent the final frame geometry. With the beam simplification that I will use later on it doesn’t matter too much, but it does look better.

Cross-Section View

Since it is not possible to incorporate remote loads with beam analysis, I will have to temporarily model the handlebar to simulate the loads experienced by the frame. The first scenario is a rider accelerating. There is a pedaling force and torque at the bottom bracket area. On the handle bars we can expect an induced moment due to pulling on one side and pushing on the other. Finally, we can account for a lateral force on the bottom bracket which represents the pedaling inefficiency as well as the offset of the rider’s body weight (assuming that the body is angled toward one side).

Acceleration Analysis

The areas of the frame that are attached to the wheels will have an ‘Immovable’ type of fixture. This will allow rotational displacements but eliminates any translational degrees of freedom.

Displacements Due To Acceleration

The second scenario is a rider decelerating. I will assume that the rider has both hands on the handlebar, feet on the pedals, and not seated on the saddle. The same ‘Immovable’ fixture will be applied as before.

Stress Due To Deceleration

Now that the scenarios are set up, I can choose parameters that I would like to optimize. I’ll start with the seat tube angle.

By selecting the seat tube angle as the parameter to change and applying a ‘minimize displacement’ goal for the frame geometry I can see that the optimal angle is 73 degrees.

A similar approach was taken to determine the optimal head tube length, down tube length, and fork offset. The results can be seen in the image below.

To summarize, the goal of this first part was to determine the geometry of the frame. Weldments with constant axis-symmetric profiles were used for their ease of use, and quick analysis properties.

Now that the geometry is set, the next step is to use surfacing techniques to set the tube shapes.

Stay tuned for more on this series. Thanks for reading!

I’m sure that those of you who are just getting started with CAMWorks are making full use of the Automatic Feature Recognition (AFR) to define the features to be machined and program your parts, right? If you aren’t, this is just one of the many great features of CAMWorks that can save you time and increase efficiency when you are programming your parts. There are instances, however, where it is required to define features manually. In this example we will be taking a look at a part that has a pocket with a chamfer.

The stock and material are already defined using a sketch of the outline of the part. When we run AFR on the part by clicking the Extract Machinable Features button, CAMWorks will detect the pockets, along with the other features, depending on your settings. If the features with the chamfers are not recognized, this may be a result of the “Tapered & Filleted” Feature Types being unchecked in the CAMWorks Options under Mill Features. Having this option checked will allow CAMWorks to detect the pocket and will use the default ‘Rough Finish’ strategy to machine it. However, we still need to define the actual chamfer to be machined.

To do this, we will insert a second Contour operation. Under the CAMWorks Operation Tree, Right-Click on the machine setup and choose New 2.5 Axis Mill Operations > Contour Mill.

Select the pocket from the list of features to link the Contour operation to, and click OK. Right-click the new Contour operation and select Edit Parameters. First, select a tool to cut the chamfer. In this example I chose a 3/8” 90Deg countersink. Next, switch over the Contour tab and click the check-box to enable Chamfer Machining. This is where you dial in the options to machine the chamfer.

The angle parameter should automatically be set based on the tool that you have selected, and in this case it’s 45 degrees. The length of the chamfer is the horizontal distance from the vertical wall of the feature and where the chamfer meets the top face. The chamfer we have here is 0.125”. It’s important to pick a tool that’s large enough to cut the chamfer (radius of tool must be larger than the length of the chamfer), otherwise you will get a warning and no toolpath will be generated. The clearance parameter controls how far the tip of the tool goes below the bottom edge of the chamfer (see illustration below). If you want to offset the tool a little lower to prevent machining a lip, add an offset such as 0.001”. You also have the option to drive the toolpath based on the Apex or the Outer Edge of the chamfer.

Once all your settings are configured on how you want to machine that chamfer, you can save out the operation plan for that specific feature. That way you can re-use the exact same strategy to machine other features using the same parameters and increase efficiency on the next feature/part we need to program. Don’t forget to check out our YouTube channel for more useful tips!

How many of you get drawing templates and sheet formats confused? Come on, don’t be shy. My dad, a SOLIDWORKS user of 10+ years, told me that he still gets these mixed up. It’s okay, Dad: you are not alone.

Drawing Template

In short, a drawing template stores document settings that you can use again and again. This can include a sheet format. Here are some examples of these settings:

• Drawing Document Properties: Drafting Standards, Units, Font style and sizes, etc.
• Custom Properties
• Tree Display
• Predefined Views

These settings are accessed through the Standard Toolbar or Tools->Options and changed here while within a drawing:

 Custom Properties Window

Document Properties Window

To clarify, the template is what you see when you open up a new document in SOLIDWORKS:

Once you’ve modified the drawing to your liking, simply go under File and click Save As:

Select Drawing Templates from the Save As type pull-down menu, give the template a name, and SOLIDWORKS will save the file as a .drwdot. The file location at the top of the window is the default location for the templates in SOLIDWORKS 2014, this is similar for 2015.

Now, when I open a file, my custom drawing template shows up:

Sheet Format

In contrast, a sheet format specifies the paper size and, mainly, defines the title block for the drawing. Here are things that can be saved in a sheet format:

• Title block and the information contained in it
• Drawing Border and Block Geometry
• Notes
• Images like your company logo
• Anchor Points for Tables

By default, when you open a new or existing drawing file you are in the sheet. Right click anywhere in the graphics area within a drawing and select Edit Sheet Format to modify the sheet format:

Once you are in the sheet format, you can change the title block lines, insert/change any text in the background, or add in pictures like our Hawk Ridge company logo. If you look in the right hand corner of the graphics area, you will see the sheet format icon letting you know you are editing the sheet format:

Now once you have made your changes, you can right click and choose Edit Sheet, or you can click that sheet format icon in the corner. Either way will take you back to the sheet. Currently, the changes made to the sheet format are contained in the current drawing ONLY. Good news though, you can save the sheet format for future drawings. Sheet formats can’t be saved by clicking Save As like drawing templates, instead you have to click on Save Sheet Format.

Again, please note the default location for the sheet formats. They are in the C: drive in this file path by default: C:\ProgramData\SolidWorks\SolidWorks 2014\lang\english\sheetformat. NOTE: If your ProgramData folder isn’t shown, go into the Folder Options in the Control Panel in Windows, and turn on Show hidden files, folders, and drives under the Advanced settings:

When you open the default drawing template, you have the opportunity to choose your custom sheet format. You can also change to your saved sheet format in existing drawing by right clicking in the drawing and selecting Properties:

Choosing the sheet format in a new drawing

Changing the sheet format in an existing drawing

More good news: if you saved your sheet format in your drawing template, when you pull up the drawing template the sheet format will automatically be in there! It’s a good practice to save the sheet format separately though so that you can pull it up in other drawings and sheets.

I hope this clears up that old confusion on this subject and shows that sheet formats and drawing templates aren’t enemies after all, proving that we can all just get along. Thanks for reading!

Here in the year 2015, most engineers and engineering organizations have a solid understanding that computational engineering analysis tools offer enormous benefit to the design process, allowing designers to get useful information about product performance early in the design process. At Hawk Ridge Systems, we provide a variety of analysis solutions from SOLIDWORKS and Dassault Systèmes that can address an incredible range of physical situations.

What many organizations struggle with is empowering users to use the software the right way. When organizations implement  analysis into their design process, they tend to undergo an evolution over time in how they use the tools, that often looks something like this:

Where does your current usage fit in with this evolution? How do you progress to the next phase?

At Hawk Ridge Systems, we visualize the usage of simulation tools in the engineering workplace using a concept called the Simulation Effectiveness Matrix.

Moving from left to right, you increase technical complexity – moving from linear to nonlinear analysis, for example – and this tends to improve the realism of your analysis. You can increase your capability by upgrading your analysis tools to include more features and analysis types.

As you move from top to bottom you increase the expertise of your users, and the depth of how and when you incorporate simulation tools into your analysis process. Often, moving analysis earlier in the design process, you gain greater design information and can make smarter decisions. You can also become more effective by exposing users to technical support, training, and mentoring activities, and by implementing better analysis practices in your organization. This area often gets less attention than the technical capabilities of software, yet it is arguably more important.

Hawk Ridge Systems offers a full-spectrum of analysis software packages applicable to a wide range of industry fields, but more importantly, we also offer a complete line up of support and training services to empower your users to be as effective as possible.

In Aberdeen Group‘s research report‚ “The Value of Virtual Simulation Versus Traditional Methods“, 550 respondents shared how their companies are approaching new product development and introduction, and where in their design process they are using these analysis tools for maximum effect.

After reading this report you may be wondering how you stack up against companies of a similar size, in your industry. Reports like the Aberdeen Group report mentioned above tend to group companies across a wide spectrum of demographics, and analysis strategies for companies like Boeing and Ford Motor Company may not be applicable for a small manufacturing company with a design staff of 5. This month, we’re looking to help you understand where you sit on the analysis spectrum, and how we can make you become more capable, and more effective.

Every year in May at Hawk Ridge Systems, we focus on educating our customers in the usage of simulation tools. As part of our initiative this year, we’re running a series of highly interactive webinars that not only explore the technical capability of the analysis tools we provide, but also how users can become more effective in using analysis software to drive improved product design.

In addition, during these webinars we’ll be polling our attendees for general information about how they’re using analysis tools today, and their plans for analysis usage in the future, and sharing that information during the session.

We’ll then collate information across all sessions, and share a summary of the state of analysis usage across Hawk Ridge Systems customers with all registrants.

Check out our Simulation Month page for more information, and to register for the webinar sessions. If you’re near one of our office locations, you might also want to check the schedule for our SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Design Challenges, where you’ll have an opportunity to try out CFD for yourself.

>> Simulation Month at Hawk Ridge Systems

>> SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation Design Challenge

Bicycle Frame Design Part 2: Tube Shape Optimization 1

This section deals with modeling the tubes of the frame. I’ll be using surfacing techniques within SOLIDWORKS to do so. There are some design elements that I’ll incorporate, such as a rear wheel cut-out and a tapered head tube. The impact on performance, such as stiffness, be tested to validate the design choices.

So let’s begin. As always it all starts with the sketch.

When designing with optimization in mind, it’s important to ensure you have a robust model. In other words, if you change the curvature of a loft path or edit a profile slightly, your model should rebuild without hemorrhaging errors. This is challenging to do when working with surfacing, but there are some tips that I can give (for SOLIDWORKS users) to help you achieve this robustness.

TIP # 1

Check that two contacting surfaces can be knitted. If there are issues, resolve them before continuing.

If you have a message like this, it is best to resolve it before adding more surfaces to your part. Fixing issues while you work will save you time (troubleshooting errors is easy when you know where they are occurring and if they are not deeply embedded in your part).

TIP # 2

Ensure permanent knit features are saved for the end of your modeling process (ideally, you should only have 1 at the end of your Design Tree).

As you are creating knit features to check that you don’t have errors, make sure to delete them as you continue to work. When your design is complete, knit your surface bodies with one permanent knit feature. This will help to avoid issues such as surface copies (every knit creates a new surface), and will make life easier if you have to make changes to your part.

TIP # 3

Activate ‘Verification on rebuild (body checking)’ within the Performance section of the System Options. This will help ensure you don’t have any faulty, erroneous geometry that would haunt you later.

Profile-Based Design

Admittedly, I have never heard or seen anyone use or talk about ‘profile-based design’ so I’ll elaborate on what I mean.

The crux of my design will be based on the profile, or shape, of the frame tubes. These profiles will be connected to other profiles with lofted surfaces and guide curves.

It’s easy to see that performance is largely dependent on these profiles. Properties such as moment of inertia, aerodynamic drag, weight, and visual appeal are mainly based on the tube’s profile (think about I-beams, they aren’t called “long block” or “straight pipe”. It’s all about the profile). Furthermore, incorporating parametric design to surface techniques will enable me to enhance the design using engineering techniques rather than relying solely on artistic inclinations.

TIP # 4

If you have two lofts that share the same profile there is a very easy way to blend them together. Consider the part of the frame where the seat stays meet the top tube.

I modeled the left stay then mirrored the surface body about the front plane to get the right stay. Since I have a plane that is situated directly at the intersection point, I can use it as a trim tool to cut the redundant section.

By doing this on both sides, I’m left with non-intersecting geometry that can be knitted together.

The same technique can be used for the fork as well.

Once the basic geometry was created, the model was analyzed using a static analysis study.

Static Analysis

Force Diagram

When we want to incorporate FEA techniques in our analysis, we should consider ways to simplify our model. A bike frame has a very small thickness relative to its surface area. Therefore, we can analyze the geometry using shells.

In SOLIDWORKS, shells are very easy to set up. With the help of the Shell Manager, surfaces can be given a thickness, material, offset type, and more within one convenient table.

Analysis (computational) times are much lower for shells than solid geometry.

Furthermore, laminar edges (coincident surfaces) are treated as bonded, so there is no need to worry about knitting your surfaces before starting your analysis.

Tapered vs. Non-Tapered Head Tube

There is quite a lot of hype about ‘tapered head tubes’ in the performance cycling world [where the bottom profile of the head tube tapers out], but how much of a difference does it actually make? To find out, I ran a static analysis to see if there was any noticeable effect on the frame’s stiffness.

The main forces applied to the bike are torsional and lateral forces. Therefore, we can limit our analysis to torsional and lateral stiffness.

Stiffness is defined as follows:

Where

K = Stiffness

F = applied Force

δ = Deflection

Torsional Stiffness is defined as follows:

Where

K = Torsional Stiffness

T = Applied Torque

θ = Rotational deflection about torque axis

These are simplified definitions for a body with one degree of freedom. This can be applied to our case by analyzing the resultant deflection in the direction of the applied force as long as one force is applied at a time for each analysis.

First, let’s look at the torsional stiffness. In order to calculate torsional stiffness (for the Head Tube) we can create a resultant plot of the circumferential deflection about the Head Tube Axis (HT AXIS).

We can then calculate the stiffness by evaluating the angle of displacement (this is done by using the simple arc length formula: UY = rθ).

Circumferential Deflection: No Taper

Circumferential Deflection: with 1 1/8 Taper

By calculating the resultant angle of deflection I was able to calculate a 21.5% increase in torsional stiffness!

It’s good to see some fact behind the hype.

Symmetric vs. Non-Symmetric Chain Stays

One limitation of the frame design is the component geometry (crank set, chain ring, cassette, etc). There is no use designing a frame that cannot fit standard components such as crank sets and derailleurs. However, the components only need to fit on the drive side of the frame, so the non-drive side can be ‘beefier’.

Symmetric Chain Stays

Non-Symmetric Chain Stays

By taking advantage of the extra space on the non-drive side, I was able to increase the lateral stiffness of the frame by 11%.

In the next part, I will further improve the performance of the frame design by using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) analysis to optimize for aerodynamic performance.

Thank you for reading, stay tuned for the next part!

Summary of results

The first step to creating printable instruction manuals is to open the CAD model in SOLIDWORKS Composer. Bringing CAD data into SOLIDWORKS Composer is a simple task! There are two ways to accomplish this:

The Push Method for Creating Printable Instruction Manuals

The first method for creating printable instruction manuals is the Push Method. With the Push Method you have the CAD data open in SOLIDWORKS and use the SOLIDWORKS Composer Add-On to save the CAD data as a .SMG file extension. If your SOLIDWORKS Composer Add-In is not turned on, you will need to turn it on. Use the pull down menu next to the Systems Options, and click Add-Ins…, then turn on the SOLIDWORKS Composer Add-In.

From here, click File from the pull down menu, then Save As. Change the file type to SOLIDWORKS Composer (*.smg). If you do not see this file extension in the Save as type – it is because the Add-In has not been turned on yet, so make sure to turn this on.

When working with Large Assemblies that you want to bring into SOLIDWORKS Composer – I always recommend using the Push Method, to speed up the process. Once the document has been saved, you are ready to open it with SOLIDWORKS Composer.

When opening this file in Composer, the Composer Default Document Properties are used; so make sure all of your settings for import are ready to go before using the push method.

The Pull Method for Creating Printable Instruction Manuals

The second method for creating printable instruction manuals is the Pull Method. The Pull Method is when you start out in SOLIDWORKS Composer and you open a CAD file. To open a file, use the File pull down, and click Open. The CAD file does not have to be a SOLIDWORKS file; the image below shows the available CAD files that can be brought into SOLIDWORKS Composer.

When using the Pull Method – we get import options for settings inside of SOLIDWORKS Composer (using the Push Method – you have to use the already existing import options in SOLIDWORKS Composer). The image below shows the options that can be toggled on/off on import.

Once you have selected the model you want, and import options are set, you are ready to open the model. SOLIDWORKS Composer will then launch a converter – and will convert the CAD model to a Composer file. You will then see your model show up in the SOLIDWORKS Composer user interface.

Note: You can change which version of SOLIDWORKS the converter is using. Click File > Preferences > Input, and you will see the section for SOLIDWORKS version. To learn more about SOLIDWORKS Composer, check out the website information on the Hawk Ridge Systems website.

Learn search tips for  SOLIDWORKS EPDM. Read this tips and tricks blog by Hawk Ridge Systems’ David Lefebvre and learn how to use wildcards in your search. This will save you countless hours. Did you know that EPDM searches can be narrowed down with the help of wildcards? Take advantage of wildcards and increase your productivity with more efficient searches in EPDM.

Here is a list of those special characters that are going to help you:

Here are some of the basic EPDM search rules:

1. Enterprise PDM search will by default always search with the * wildcard
2. The search tool is not case sensitive.
3. Leaving the fields blank will search for everything in the selected part of the vault.

The ‘Name’ search field and the dataset below will be used to illustrate the use of each of these wildcard commands.

The Default Search in SOLIDWORKS EPDM

When entering a word in the name field such as rod, you are in fact searching for *rod* and the result will include anything that contains rod in the name with any number of characters before and after.

The Wildcard Command {*} SOLIDWORKS EPDM Searches

Using the * wildcard can significantly speed up a search in large vaults. The reason for using the wildcard is that the search will actually become more exact. From the moment you start using wildcards in your searches, the default wildcard searches no longer apply.

In this example, using the search command rod* will result in a search for a name that starts with rod.

You can also use the * to search for multiple words in a name. In the example below, the search for *rod*sld* will look for the word rod and sld anywhere in the name as long as the words appear in that order. The search for *sld*rod* will not return any result.

The Wildcard Command {?}  in SOLIDWORKS EPDM Searches

The ? wildcard can take the place of any single character and will allow you to be very specific with your search. You can put as many ? as necessary in the search field and they can be placed before, in the middle or after a string. For example, looking for 3 characters in a Word documents as shown below.

Another good use for this wildcard is when searching for files that are using intelligent part numbering. When some characters inside the naming scheme refer to something specific (i.e. assemblies have the third letter being a 1 and parts are a 5 as shown below) the use of the ? gives the flexibility to search that section of your intelligent part number.

Keep in mind that you can use more that one wildcard at a time.

The Wildcard Command {=} and {!=} in SOLIDWORKS EPDM Searches

Using the = as wildcard may also help speed up searching for exact filename, =rod.sldasm is sometimes faster than rod.sldasm because it searches for the exact filename. Note that the filename includes the extension. Without the default * you need to include the extension in the search. Searching for =rod would not return any result in this case.

In the same way, you can use the wildcard != to exclude files from the search.

The Wildcard Command Space { }  in SOLIDWORKS EPDM Searches

A space is considered as an ‘OR’ function in EPDM searches. With a space, the default wildcards are going to be applied so if you enter rod end, it will look for *rod* or *end*. In this case, end rod will return the same result.

The Wildcard Command {“”}  in SOLIDWORKS EPDM Searches

If you are looking for a specific name containing a space, the last wildcard “” can be useful, allowing you to search the exact string without getting all results containing one of the 2 words and still having the default wildcards apply.

Hawk Ridge Systems Applications Engineer Vince Farrell shares his perspective on his decision to join Hawk Ridge.

Here’s the story of a man named Farrell, who was busy with 3 boys of his own…Wait, that’s for another blog. This is meant to show you all a little bit of my story, mainly my transition between being a professional design engineer and then becoming an application engineer for Hawk Ridge Systems.

The best way to start out is to give you my technical background. I graduated from UCSD in 2002 with a Mechanical Engineering degree and proceeded to work for the next 12 years in the following industries: food preparation machinery, aerospace, construction and LED aquarium lighting. This meant designing parts and assemblies using a variety of CAD programs including CATIA V5 and AutoCAD, but mainly SolidWorks. Some of the highlights were getting to work on the JSF F-35 program at Northrop Grumman, being involved in Research and Development, and getting to see the designs that I created built and used (or not used if it was a poor design). Hey, it’s all a learning experience right? Overall, a pretty normal designer career I think you’d agree.

In order to give you something to compare to, let me explain what an applications engineer at HRS does. It’s my job to train folks (just like you) on how to use various parts of SolidWorks. In addition I provide demonstrations to people and companies who are interested in SolidWorks and the variety of other products that we offer. As was clearly explained to me during the interview process, THIS IS NOT A DESIGN JOB. So you might be asking now, “Vince, from what you’ve told me, you’re clearly a designer. Why did you even consider this job?” First of all, I do love design, but I love helping and teaching people more. I forgot to mention that I was a teaching assistant in college, along with a camp instructor so this wasn’t my first barbecue. Second of all, where else would I have the opportunity to see what cool things you folks are designing? With all of the NDAs and ULAs and whatever other acronyms there are out there, not many people get a chance to share what they’re working on. And let’s be honest, why did we become engineers? Because we like working on and learning about cool stuff!

As an AE at Hawk Ridge, I have the chance to help you with your designs by showing you new things about the software you’re already using to make your job easier, or showing you other programs to make your designs as flawless and great as possible. A pretty cool gig, in my opinion. Not to mention the fact of being part of a team that has the same passion for helping and teaching as I do helps a lot.

So that’s my story (well, just a little bit of it as promised above). Thanks for reading!

Check out the training course schedule.

Hawk Ridge Systems offers a range of 3D design analysis software to help you make smart decisions with your 3D design. Along with our analysis software, we also offer different types of Analysis Consulting Services which include Consulting, Mentoring, and Training. So how do you choose between Consulting or Mentoring?

When choosing between Consulting and Mentoring, it really comes down to 2 major things: Do you want to receive a technical report with the results for your analysis – or – do you want to learn how to setup the analysis and obtain results yourself. Take a look at the summary below and decide which services offering is right for you and best fits your design process.

During a typical Consulting project:
• We review the details and goals of your analysis in conjunction with you, the customer.
• We create and confirm a statement of work to describe the scope of the analysis work to be completed.
• The analysis work begins.
• At the end, the customer receives a technical report which includes:

• Setup Outline and Key Assumptions
• 5 Result Cut Plot/Surface Plot Views
• 2 Tracked Parameters (Surface Goals or Displacement at Vertex for Example)
• 1 Special Output (eDrawing or Animation for Example) per Analysis

• This option is usually a good fit when customers need an answer sooner rather than later, lack analysis resources, or don’t have the software.

During a typical Mentoring project:
• We review the details and goals of your analysis in conjunction with you, the customer.
• We create and confirm a statement of work to describe the scope of the analysis work to be completed.
• The analysis work begins.
• At the end, the customer receives a 3 hour mentoring session, PDF of the Mentoring Presentation, and Analysis Files.
• Mentoring session(s) includes:

• Analysis Planning
• Setup
• Results Output
• Accuracy Assessment
• Tips and Tricks

• This option is great for those that have the software and want more application specific training compared to our standard training classes.

As you can see, the main difference between the two approaches is the nature of the deliverable at the end of the analysis – a report of the outcomes during a Consulting project, and a comprehensive training session for Mentoring projects. In both cases, we apply best practices for analysis strategy, and complete a high-quality analysis.

Whether you are interested in obtaining a report of the results or want to learn all the aspects of the analysis process yourself, the Hawk Ridge Systems Analysis Services team has a solution for you. Check our Analysis Services Datasheet to determine which option best fits your needs.

Also, join me for my webinar on Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00AM PDT for a behind the scenes look at how we approach a typical analysis project.

Layout sketches in an assembly are typically used for top down assembly modeling. An example of this can be seen in this image of an assembly that contains a layout sketch with a block. Three components are then created from the block elements. The layout is created in such a way that the sketch entities will move due to their relations, and the components created from those sketch entities will then move as well.

In this blog article, we are going to examine a different approach to using a layout sketch in an assembly. Rather than designing components from blocks, referred to as Top Down Assembly Modeling, we are going to use blocks and sketch entities in a layout to control the position of components in a room; a set of drums.

In a past life, I worked for a company that designed high-end custom restaurant furniture – bars, buffet lines, divider walls, upholstered booths, etc. Everything was custom and had to be designed to fit into the front-of-house space in a restaurant. As such, I had to work from a floor plan that was typically provided to me in the form of a .DWG file. I would use this information to design the furniture components and create blocks from my solid models, (click on the links below to see the associated video and blog I have created that demonstrates this), place the blocks in a layout sketch with the floor plan, and feed that back to the customer for approval.

Another benefit of taking this approach was the ability to model the project and render it. This approach can be used anytime you have components in an assembly that need to be placed in a space relative to each other, but not necessarily mated to each other. When the components are mated to the blocks in the assembly, it is very easy to control their position by simply changing the dimensions of the layout sketch.

When you first begin a new assembly file, the Begin Assembly property manager opens and provides you with a choice. You can either insert a component or “design top down using a layout with blocks”. If you select the button Create Layout, SOLIDWORKS will open a layout sketch on the Front Plane. If I am trying to simulate a room environment, I really need this layout sketch to be placed on the Top Plane.

In order to have the layout sketch on the top plane, you need to select the Top Plane first, then select the Layout command from the Insert drop down menu as shown in the image below.

This will now open up a layout sketch on the Top Plane. If needed, you would then place the floor plan of your room on this sketch and begin placing and arranging the blocks that were created from your solid models. My recommendation would be to create the blocks and place them in a project folder for easy access.

Inserting blocks into the layout is accomplished by selecting Insert Block from the Layout tab on the Command Manager, which is available when working in an assemblyfile. Continue placing blocks into the layout sketch and then dimension them according to the desired behavior. For the example of the drums, the finished layout sketch is shown below. As you can see, the location of the drums, throne, and cymbal stands can all be controlled by the dimensions of the layout sketch. The final step is to then place the components into the assembly and mate them to the blocks in the layout sketch. For this example, once the components are in…

I am ready to ROCK and ROLL!!

For more information, please click on the related blog and video links below.

BLOG – How to Create a Block from a Part or Assembly

VIDEO – Create Block from Part 2015

VIDEO – Assembly Layout Sketch

If you’ve been designing your products with 2D tools but are considering moving to 3D, here we highlight the advantages of designing with SOLIDWORKS® 3D CAD software as well as explaining how to leverage your existing 2D CAD data once you have decided to go 3D. It is a simple formula for moving from 2D to 3D, and getting the best of both worlds.

2D to 3D –  Advantages of 3D SOLIDWORKS CAD

As you work with 3D CAD software, you will quickly discover that 3D improves not only efficiencies in downstream functions of the product design process, but also communication with your customers and design team. Here are some of the advantages of using SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software as you look at ways to go from 2D to 3D.

Enhance visualization and communication with 3D design

We live in a 3D world, so we visualize objects in the same way. When it comes to communicating a design, we naturally prefer a 3D image, model, or animation over a 2D technical drawing. In the 2D world, designers must be able to look at three or four views of a design and mentally combine them in order to visualize what that design will look like in 3D.

While engineers and drafters can understand a 2D drawing, your customers, salespeople, buyers, and suppliers may find it much more difficult to comprehend. Looking at a design in 3D versus 2D eliminates the need for viewers to have mastered this technical knowledge.

The ability to generate 3D images and animations gives you an edge over others who are submitting 2D drawings in the quoting phase and makes it easier to communicate with others besides customers. Sales, marketing, field service, operations staff, financial personnel, and management may also find it challenging to interpret a 2D drawing. Yet they will easily understand the design when presented in 3D where you can rotate, zoom, measure, animate, and even “walk through” your designs.

Eliminate manual updates in SOLIDWORKS 3D

Consider how many views need to be updated manually in 2D each time a simple change is made to your design. A minor change to a dimension on a part triggers a series of updates. First consider the drawing of the part—all the views, usually at least three, must be modified. Then, drawings of the assemblies that contain that part—again, most likely three views, must be updated. And what happens if that part exists multiple times in an assembly? Also, how can you be sure you updated all the drawings in which that part is used?

This is where the concept of associativity comes in. In SOLIDWORKS software, when you change a part model, such as the length of the part or hole diameter, or even add a new feature to a part, the change is automatically rippled through to every drawing view, every assembly, and anywhere else that part is used. And when you want to know what other files will be affected by the change, SOLIDWORKS software also provides the ability to automatically track and identify where the part is used—what subassembly, what higher level assembly, and what drawings, so that you can make sure you are modifying only files and designs that you really want to modify.

Reduce errors with interference and collision checking in 3D

On a 2D drawing, part interferences are difficult to find, especially when the design becomes large and complicated. In addition, because updates to 2D take so much time, many users often take shortcuts, like changing a dimension on a part without updating the actual size of the model. How many times have you heard that “the drawing is not to scale”? Add to this the fact that multiple designers will be sharing the assembly design duties, and the potential for interfering parts almost becomes a certainty. Checking 2D drawings to identify possible interference issues is extremely time-consuming, and interferences inevitably fall through the cracks, even with the most diligent checkers.

In SOLIDWORKS software, you can eliminate interference and hole misalignment between parts. Interference checking is automatic, and every part can be checked to see if it interferes with any other part. Interference problems are highlighted, and even the amount of the interference is reported.

Checking interference in an assembly that is static is difficult enough in 2D, but it becomes almost impossible when you are dealing with a design that moves, like a packaging machine, or a piece of automation equipment. In 2D there is really no practical way to check for a collision. Fortunately, SOLIDWORKS software has a solution for collisions also. In SOLIDWORKS software you can “move” your design through its full range of motion while continuously checking for collisions between parts.

Reuse existing designs from 2D in your 3D designs

Two unique aspects of SOLIDWORKS software allow you to make easy and extensive reuse of existing designs: associativity and modifiability. As discussed earlier, “associativity” means when you change a design model, the change automatically ripples through to all the other places where that model is used—the drawings, higher level assemblies, and more. By “modifiability” I mean you can change a part by clicking and changing a dimension and all other geometry on that part resizes appropriately and automatically.

Associativity and modifiability let you reuse existing designs to create new versions or configurations easily. You can readily create multiple new configurations of a single part by varying particular dimensions and features.

Accelerate development cycles with virtual testing and optimization in 3D

Speeding up a design cycle depends on more factors than simply streamlining the initial part or assembly design. Another major benefit with 3D modeling is the insight it offers through virtual testing, analysis, and optimization, which take many forms.

Working in SOLIDWORKS software allows you to apply motion to the parts of an assembly and quickly evaluate many different designs against operational requirements. Designers can assign a material type to a part and identify the mass properties, including weight and center of gravity.

In addition you can evaluate the effects of different motor performance curves, friction, springs, gravity, and other physical characteristics of a design. So rather than just running an animation of the machine in motion, you can simulate what really is happening in your design. The motion simulation automatically calculates forces on critical components, like bearings, bushings, and linkages. This information is then used to calculate part strengths, deflection, fatigue, and safety factors. Thermal, vibration, and flow analysis are also provided directly inside SOLIDWORKS software so that your design can be optimized.

Design for manufacturing with SOLIDWORKS 3D

Many of the new manufacturing technologies rely on the availability of a 3D CAD model as a starting point. For example, three-axis and up NC programming, rapid prototyping, mold design, and even sheet-metal manufacturing now require 3D models that can be referenced to create NC tool paths, SLA models, and sheet metal flat patterns with proper bend allowances.

In many cases, 2D drawings are not even required for manufacturing. For example, SOLIDWORKS software can output the 3D model complete with detailed dimensioning and tolerancing information as well as notes. In this way, all the data and notes needed to manufacture the part are included directly in the 3D CAD model. The benefits of improved communications possible with 3D images and exploded animations makes training a new employee or instructing a seasoned assembler easier.

Create bills of materials and manage data smoothly in 3D

Working with an associative 3D CAD system also guarantees an accurate and current bill of materials (BOM). The BOM is always accurate because it automatically updates with changes you make to parts and assemblies. Cut lists work the same, giving you an accurate count of different material types and cross sections.

Sales and marketing tools in SOLIDWORKS 3D

Sales and marketing can also reap the benefits of 3D CAD data. Publication tools fully support the use of 3D CAD data to allow the creation of photorealistic 2D images, 3D models, and animations that appeal more to customers and consumers. Just look at any major automobile manufacturer’s website, and you will see the demand to present products in a more complete, colorful, and photorealistic way. Photorealistic models and animation capabilities as well as rapid prototyping also allow marketing to perform product market research at much lower costs than actually designing and producing prototypes in the conventional manner.

What about my existing 2D CAD data?

So what happens to all the 2D CAD data that you have been developing for years when you decide to switch to 3D, and what do you do about all the customers that you need to communicate with in 2D? And are 3D tools just too hard to learn to use? Let’s take a look at these questions in detail.

Communicating with 2D users

Even though you may be designing in 3D, SOLIDWORKS software can output drawings and images in multiple 2D formats. In this way, you can still output documentation that is compatible with all the common 2D formats, such as DWG, DXF™, PDF, and JPEG.

Converting 2D data to 3D

If existing 2D designs will be the basis for creating your next-generation products, it makes sense to take the time to remodel them in 3D. Besides supporting the export of data to several 2D formats, SOLIDWORKS software supports the import of data in the DXF and DWG formats as well as AutoCAD® blocks, allowing the creation of 3D models directly from 2D data. SOLIDWORKS software has a unique functionality called View Folding which can help automate the creation of a 3D model by manipulating the views of an imported 2D drawing. Also, SOLIDWORKS software supports the import of 2D “blocks” from AutoCAD as the basis for sketching a new 3D feature in SOLIDWORKS software.

If you need to maintain your 2D data, DraftSight® is a professional grade, FREE 2D CAD product which lets CAD users create, edit and view DWG files.

SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD is considered by far the easiest tool to learn and use with a friendly, customizable user interface. Built-in tutorials and a rabid community of users creating YouTube videos. Check out Hawk Ridge’s YouTube channel, podcasts, and Hawk Ridge Systems Blog articles to get you up to speed quickly.

Conclusion – why make the 2D to 3D move?

As outlined above, 3D CAD design has many inherent benefits over working in 2D. Product visualization and presentation are improved, parts and drawing views update automatically and accurately, and interference and collision checking provides an automated, error-free way to check for interferences and collisions before manufacturing the product. In addition, 3D does not have to be an all-or-nothing process. You can keep existing designs in 2D, and then transition them as needed into the 3D system.

However, two facts are clear: First, the world of design and manufacturing is definitely transitioning to 3D; and second, customers and designers are all demanding 3D to enhance design and communication. Organic shapes, so prevalent in the design of consumer products, from cars to cell phones, are much easier to model and manufacture in 3D.

Finally, colleges, technical schools, and high schools are responding to the need for engineers and designers trained in 3D CAD. For more than 15 years, requests for 3D CAD training have been outpacing requests for 2D CAD training. This has resulted in a large pool of new and experienced designers and engineers familiar with 3D CAD, who can be found anywhere in the world. For your existing employees, training options are available in all forms, from book- to web-based to classroom training. Here is the  Hawk Ridge Systems Training  schedule for your geographic location. If you don’t find a SOLIDWORKS class near your, be sure and sign up for Intro to SOLIDWORKS online version.

In this series, I will design a racing road bicycle with the help of SOLIDWORKS. Starting with the geometry, I will move on to the tube shapes and componentry to come up with an engineered speed machine. What’s to come? Part 1: Frame Geometry Optimization; Using 3D Sketches, Weldments, and Static Analysis to optimize the frame geometry. Part 2: Tube Shape Optimization 1; Using Surfacing and Static Analysis to define the shape of the tubes. Part 3: Tube Shape Optimization 2; Using CFD analysis to optimize the aerodynamic efficiency of the tube shapes. Part 4: Components and Details; Finishing up the rest of the bike. Because why not?

Part 3: Tube Shape Optimization 2

In this part, I will be using SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation, the fantastic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool available for SOLIDWORKS, to further improve the design of the bicycle frame by improving its aerodynamic efficiency. Before getting into the analysis, I need to clarify what I mean by ‘aerodynamic efficiency’, and define which parameters I will focus on to improve it. If you consider a moving frame of reference with a velocity equal to that of a moving bicycle, then you can analyze the bicycle as a stationary body immersed in a free stream of air. In this type of analysis, it is customary to define an axis parallel to the free stream. The force exerted on the body along the free stream axis is called drag. Drag must be overcome in order to move against the free stream. Therefore, in order to be more efficient, one must reduce the drag of the body. So, aerodynamic efficiency can be directly linked to drag. Lowering a body’s drag will increase its aerodynamic efficiency. Set Up The analysis will start with just the frame. This is done to set a benchmark level of performance about which I will calculate improvements. As can be seen in the figure above, a ‘box’ around the frame represents the computational domain of our analysis. This domain will be analyzed using the Finite Volume Method, by which the volume is partitioned into smaller cells for ease of calculation (the smaller & more numerous the cells, the more accurate the result), I will discuss mesh refinement later on in this blog. The X- axis will be used as the free stream direction. Using ambient conditions (standard atmosphere), I will define the free stream velocity as 14 m/s (50kph), which will be kept constant throughought the entire analysis. Before we start the solver, we need to input some engineering goals. This is a great way to gather relevant data and ensure convergence of results. By setting a global goal of Maximal Force in the X-direction (which is our Drag) we can easily find out what that value is and, as a bonus, watch a nice convergence plot while the solver is running. The above chart (taken while the solver was running) shows that the drag force value had converged at 4.16 N, which is our benchmark value. Preliminary Analysis By inserting a Velocity Cut Plot, we can get a better idea of the flow behavior. Ideally, the range of flow velocities would not be large. We can also create a Flow Trajectory Plot, which will allow us to identify areas of turbulence and unsteady flow behavior. This reveals some trouble areas near the head tube and seat tube (it’s hilariously bad). Head Tube Optimization Going back to the profile of the head tube and incorporating a more streamlined and airfoil shape, the flow behavior is drastically improved.

The new drag force was 3.658 N (a 12% reduction in Drag).

Geometry Check Now that the benchmark is set and the first improvement was incorporated, the frame will be analyzed with all of the bicycle’s crucial components. This will give results that more accurately reflect real riding conditions as well as give us some interesting insights. When conducting a flow analysis on an assembly, or complex part, it is important to incorporate a geometry check to ensure the study is set up correctly. The Check Geometry tool allows you to calculate the fluid volume, as well as create a part file of the body that is to be analyzed. For this analysis, the frame, wheels, and bottle were all hollow. However, these cavities would not affect the external flow analysis, so we would expect them to be solid to ensure faster processing times. As can be seen in the image above, the cross section of the solid body assembly reveals that the body is indeed solid and does not include any unwanted cavities. This saved time and ensured accuracy. Mesh Refinement Now that we are incorporating more components, we need to go back and analyze the body to enhance the mesh and ensure accurate results. A method that I like to use for external flow is based on the narrow channels featured in your geometry. Ideally, you would like to have 3-4 fluid cells across each channel. This can be done by first conducting a Clearance Verification to calculate the smallest gap in your geometry. Then setting that value as the minimum gap size in the Mesh Settings of your Flow study. The refinement slider can then be altered until the mesh is satisfactory. Focused Analysis When analyzing more complex scenarios it can be difficult to discern how individual components, such as the bottle, are affecting the flow. To get around this problem we can create trajectory plots of flow that comes in contact with specified faces. For example, I would like to see how a water bottle would affect the flow characteristics. So, when creating a Flow Trajectory plot, I can select the component and activate all of its faces in the input for starting points. This ensures that I only see flow trajectories that are in contact with the bottle. Analysis of the results showed that the bottle had negligible effects on the Drag (< 1%). This is likely due to the wide downtube, which was designed specifically to accommodate a bottle. Rear Cut Out It is often said, by bicycle manufacturers, that a rear wheel cut out ‘smoothens airflow from the frame to the wheel.’ Let’s test that claim. An analysis of an identical frame, except for the cut out, showed turbulent airflow between the frame and rear wheel. The cut out promotes much smoother airflow, reducing drag by 4%. Hidden Brakes Another trend happening in the world of ‘aero-bikes’ is the idea of hiding the brake calipers underneath the frame or behind the fork. How much do brake calipers affect the drag? Is it worth loosing braking performance? Let’s find out! According to my analysis, the bakes account for a 0.42% increase in Drag. In my opinion, I could live with the tiny increase in Drag if it meant I didn’t have to sacrifice braking performance. Table of Results

Thank you for reading. For more content like this, check out our other great blogs and videos!

This article is the first part of a series about how TolAnalyst (available in SOLIDWORKS Professional and Premium) can help you in your assembly and part design. In this first article, I’m going to go over DimXpert and how it works with TolAnalyst, but before I get started, I want to share an anecdote from my days as a designer. As embarrassing as it is, in my time in the industry, I know I’ve been called into my bosses’ office where we’re standing over the actual prototype of the machine I’ve been working on for the past weeks inside SOLIDWORKS. My heart was beating with excitement as I’m looking at this masterpiece which, up until then, I’d only seen on my computer screen. However, my heart descends down into my stomach as I look at my bosses’ face and he tells me, “It doesn’t fit together.” My first thought is, whoever made this messed it up! Upon further inspection, unfortunately, it’s my fault because everything was made per print and my tolerance stack up was off. Enough airing of my dirty laundry, let’s go into how to avoid this situation.

To start with, here’s a summary of what TolAnalyst does. This is an add-in that will take into account all of the tolerances in your assembly and create a tolerance stack up. Once you have your analysis results, you can modify the individual dimension tolerances so that the parts always fit together. Pretty useful, right? To start TolAnalyst, eitherClick the arrow to the right of the System Options, select Add-Ins and Select TolAnalyst or use the SOLIDWORKS Add-Ins Command Manager to turn it on.

The reason that I want to go over DimXpert in this series is because TolAnalyst uses the data from DimXpert to complete its tolerance analysis. You can use DimXpert to either add dimensions manually or automatically based on the type of part. I’m going to use DimXpert and TolAnalyst on this sheeter assembly.

This sheeter has two knives that move up and down, cutting the sheet. As a designer, I don’t want the blades to be too close together because they’ll crash, and I don’t want them to be too far apart because they won’t cut the sheet. Therefore, I’m going to use TolAnalyst to make sure that I don’t get either of these situations.

The first thing I need to do is to make sure DimXpert has been applied to all of my parts. I’m going to use that on the upper knife block, but to start with, I want to show you a simple part just so you can get a feel on how DimXpert works. Here is a simple block with two of the same size holes.

I’m going to go to the DimXpert Manager tab on the Feature Manager and start with an Auto Dimension Scheme.

In the property manager, I’m going to pick the following options: the part is Prismatic, not turned, and I want to use GD&T to dimension it. I just need to pick some datums, tell SOLIDWORKS the features scope and hit the green check. You can see the colors of the faces that I’ve chosen match the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary datums.

SOLIDWORKS adds all of the dimensions based on my datum selections.

If I’m not happy with the tolerances that were automatically applied, I can always go up to the Document Properties and change tolerance amounts on different dimensions. In this case, everything looks pretty good and DimXpert even picked up that the 2 holes are identical and added a 2X to that dimension. If it didn’t, I can fix that by CTRL selecting both dimensions, right clicking and hitting Combine Dimensions.

I can also import all of these dimensions to a drawing so I don’t have to do double work. After creating a drawing from the part, in my View Pallette, I can click on Import Annotations and DimXpert Annotations.

Drag and drop one of the views with an “(A)” next to it. Just like that, the DimXpert annotations are included on the drawing view.

If you have those options off, you can still bring in these dimensions. Just click on the view and turn on those annotations in the Property Manager. Note, if there isn’t an “(A)” next to the view in the View Pallet, there aren’t annotations to bring in so nothing will happen if you turn that on.

Back to the sheeter, I happen to know that DimXpert hasn’t been applied to the upper knife block, so let’s do that using the same steps that I used on the simple part above.

There is one change that I need to do. The holes are supposed to be press fit for a bushing, so I’m going to change the tolerance to a tolerance with fit and make them a P7 press fit. I do this by clicking on the dimension and changing the Tolerance/Precision.

With my DimXpert dimensions applied, I’m ready to start TolAnalyst. However, that will be continued in the second part. If you prefer, you can see my YouTube video here. Thanks for reading!

I have a passion that is not based in a technical world like my passion for SOLIDWORKS and Design is. It is a lifelong artistic passion of playing drums, beginning at age 6. So, naturally, it only makes sense that at some point the two paths would cross. The result is me spending my weekends “nerding out” on modeling my drums in SOLIDWORKS.

My goal was to be able to position my drums in different configurations; positional with respect to each other as well as rotationally with respect to themselves. My approach was to create an assembly that employed the use of a Layout Sketch on the Top Plane that contained blocks representing the components of my kit dimensioned in such a way as to be able to control the placement of the drums. I then inserted the components into the assembly and mated them to the blocks in the layout sketch. This blog demonstrates how to create a block from an assembly, i.e. the Throne (seat).

I begin the process by having the part or assembly open in SOLIDWORKS and select Make Drawing from Part/Assembly. In order to make a block of this assembly, I need a TOP view on a drawing.

I typically will choose a blank drawing and uncheck the Display Sheet Format because I have no need for a title block as I am only using this to create my block. The next step is to drag and drop a TOP View only of the part/assembly and make sure to SET THE SCALE TO 1:1

Once the view is moved off to the side, a Right Click on the view will bring up a menu with the selection Convert View to Sketch. In the Property Manager Dialogue that appears, make sure to select Replace View with Block. You can even define the Insertion Point and drag the manipulator to a desired location on the block (optional).

All that is left to do is to Right Click on the newly created block, select Save Block, and save it into your project folder. Now the block is ready to use in a layout sketch to assist in defining component locations in your assembly.

Check out Hawk Ridge Systems YouTube Channel for a video demonstrating this concept.

Convert Tasks Failing to Start

There are a few conditions that need to be set in order to successfully execute a Convert task or any other EPDM task, for that matter. By default, EPDM does not set up a default “host” to run these tasks and leaves that up to the user. A very common issue as a result is the execution of the task with no defined host available, resulting in the task failing to start and being in a “hung” state.

The first step is to ensure that the computer you would like to run tasks on is defined as a potential task host. This can be done by right-clicking on the Enterprise PDM icon in the taskbar, and selecting “Task Host Configuration.”

This should bring up the following window. Make sure the “Permit” check-box is checked, essentially allowing the task to use the computer to execute the task:

Once this is complete, you can then go back to the actual task settings and then locate the computer or computers that were permitted to run tasks.

If your computer or computers do not show up immediately, refresh the list, and they should then be visible. Check the boxes of any computers that you would like to be able to run the task.

Why Am I Unable To Delete A File In EPDM When I Have Both Folder And State Permissions?

A very common problem with EPDM is the scenario where a file or set of files exist in your Vault that need to be deleted, but even though you have delete permissions assigned to your user or group for the current state and folder, you still may see the following error:

The main reason this could occur is because, while the file may currently be in a state where you have the delete permission, it may have transitioned through a previous state where you did not have permission to delete it.

The resolution is to ensure that the state the file is currently in has the option checked “Ignore permissions in previous states.” This will, in effect, ensure that any permission that was inaccessible at any time during the file’s progression through the workflow is now accessible:

Once this is checked, you should be able to delete the file.

Why Am I Getting The Error “The File Could Not Be Found” When I Try To Export From My EPDM Administration Tool?

If you try to run an export from your Administration tool, and you have specified the export to include your templates, you may run into this error:

The reason this is happening is due to the fact that one or more of your created templates are trying to export files that you have specified in the “Files and Folders” section, that are no longer there. They may have been deleted or moved, but regardless, they no longer match the path that was originally specified, and as a result, the export will fail to find them.

The solution is to go through your templates one at a time and verify that the file still exists in your source path:

Once the file issue has been repaired, the export should work.

To create an air fitting connector for 3D printing it was necessary for me to use more advanced features like sweeps and helixes. A situation where it would be essential to use the swept cut feature and helixes is for the creation of threads.

Typically when modeling in SOLIDWORKS it will suffice to put a callout of what threads you need on your manufacturing drawing, or in the situation where you need to have the visual appeal of threads to add to the overall look of your model, you could simply do cosmetic threads. However, it is absolutely imperative to model actual threads when you need to rapid prototype your part, if you plan on production printing your part, or if you need actual threads to run a finite element analysis on your part. In these situations if you do not model your threads they will not print as part of your model, or when running simulation they will not be solvable features. What follows will be a how-to guide on how to create threads for 3D printing.

To create threads you would either need to use the Swept boss/bass feature to do external threads, or the Swept cut feature to create internal threading. We will be discussing the latter of the two possibilities. The first step in the process would be to consult your drilling size chart. Once choosing the appropriate drill size to match with your tap you can proceed to find that drill size in the Hole Wizard feature to remove the material, or you can do an extruded cut at the accurate circular diameter in order to remove the necessary material. For this particular project I used the extruded cut method in order to remove my internal thread material. This is because when I used the Hole Wizard feature in SOLIDWORKS with the drill setting it added the drill tip point angle into the model and I did not desire having this for the 3D printed version of my part. All of the sizing for this particular thread was referenced out of Machinery’s Handbook used to create pipe threads. The specific thread used here was 1/2” – 14 NPS. To translate this it stands for a half of an inch pipe size with a threads per inch of 14 and it is National Pipe Straight for the standard.

The second step in creating the threads would be to make your thread path. The thread path can be created using the helix feature inside of SOLIDWORKS. The diameter of your helix should match up with your Height or depth of thread as pictured in the diagram in this article. Once the diameter of the helix is set you can proceed to put in the pitch of the threads that you are using, this can be found online or in a machinist or engineering handbook. In this specific case the Pitch is .071 and this was calculated using the Pitch equation (which is Pitch = 1/# of threads per inch). After pitch of the threads the total number of revolutions, or thread count, can be inputted into the feature. Finally, the start angle of the thread is added and it is essential here that it matches up with one of the standard planes that is perpendicular to your helix across the center of the helix diameter.

This is part one of a two part article continued in modeling threads part two.

Keep an eye out for more great SOLIDWORKS content on the blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Link to Modeling Threads Part Two blog article.

SOLIDWORKS sheet metal tools are relatively straight forward, but may not be clearly understood. In sheet metal, there is a powerful bend constant known as the K-Factor. It ultimately allows you to estimate the amount of stretch without knowing what type of material you are bending. In practical terms, it’s just a generic bend allowance to use when you don’t know the process or machine that is going to be used to bend the sheet. I’d like to review K-Factor and how K-Factor applies to your sheet metal designs. Here is a book definition of K-factor:

K-Factor- A constant determined by dividing the thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis, which is the part of sheet metal that does not change length. So if the thickness of the sheet was a distance of T = 1 mm and the location of the neutral axis was a distance of t = 0.5 mm measured from the inside bend, then you would have a K-Factor of t/T = 0.5/1 = 0.5.

Now let’s take a look at an example of K-Factor. Let’s presume you are creating a sheet metal part in SOLIDWORKS. Let’s start out with a sketch of 10 mm by 10 mm. Once you activate the base flange tool, you have an available list of parameters you need to specify to determine how sheet metal is going to stretch.

In the picture above, I specified the parameters as follows: Thickness is T = 1.5 mm, Bend Radius is R = 1.25 mm and K-Factor is set to 0.3. Remember, if we needed to know the placement of the neutral axis we would use the formula, K = (t/T) -> t = K × T = 0.3 × 1.5 = 0.45 mm. We can now apply the Bend Allowance Formula using the above information. The Bend Allowance Formula will determine the length of the arc at the neutral axis from one bend line to the other. Let’s take a look at how the Bend Allowance Formula can be applied, using the parameters we specified.

BA = 2 × π × A (R + K×T) ÷360

BA = 2 × 3.14 × 90(1.25+ 0.3×1.5) ÷360

BA = 2.67 mm

WHERE:

BA = Bend Allowance

π = 3.14

A = Bend Angle

R = Bend Radius (inside bend radius)

K = K-Factor

We can see the bend allowance in the flat patterned state evaluates to 2.67 mm. (Note: In the flat patterned state I have the merge solids option selected off. This allows me to take the measurement of the length of the bend.)

You can also determine the size you would need to cut your sheet. L1 and L2 are sketch dimensions specified. You can verify this by flattening out the sheet and measuring the length from the edge to the center.

LF = L1 + L2 – R ×2 +BA

LF = 10 + 10 – 1.25 × 2 + 2.67

LF = 20.17 mm

So you would need a size cut to 20.17 mm. If necessary, you can determine the amount of stretch. The total length when bent is Total Length = 8.75 + (π×2.75÷2) +8.75 = 21.82 mm resulting in the stretch = 21.82 – 20.17 = 1.65 mm.

Practically, if you are wondering how to determine K-Factor for your industry, it is simply determined by material type. In other words calculations have already been done for you. In SOLIDWORKS there is is list of sample tables for materials such as steel and aluminum. These sample tables yield acceptable results, but should always be verfied by your company first. A sample steel gauge table looks like below. Tables can be found at Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\lang\english\Sheet Metal Gauge Tables folder.

Notice the above K-Factor has already been set for you. So when you set your parameters, you can be confident that a K-Factor of 0.5 will lend your acceptable results. Also notice below K-Factor is is pre-set in the property manager, as well as thickness (gauge) and bend radius.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on K-factor. Please check back on this page for more updates on SOLIDWORKS, other products, and our ever growing list of products we specialize in.

Dispatch

Dispatch is a very powerful EPDM tool which can be used for a variety of file specific operations. A very common need for the Vault would be an easy way to rename large amounts of SOLIDWORKS files based on certain data card values, and/or user inputs. This can be very easily accomplished with the use of a dispatch script. In the following example, I will explain the logic behind creating a working script to rename SOLIDWORKS files based off of a data card value. It is important to consider the manner in which you order your operations in the script. For each run of the script, it will execute each command from top to bottom. It is also very important to note that the script that is illustrated here will only work for SOLIDWORKS files. It is possible to modify this script for it to work on all file types. This will be explained later in the article. The following pictures illustrate a finished rename Dispatch script:

(1) Here we have the method of activation. I have specifically assigned this script to run on “Menu command.” This means that if I right click on a file or set of selected files, one of my menu options will always be to “Rename SOLIDWORKS Files.” The upside to this is that it will allow you to rename files whenever needed, as opposed to during a state transition, during a checkout/in operation, or file add, which are operations that have prerequisite functions that need to be completed in order to trigger the dispatch. The downside, however, is that it will be available to everyone in the Vault. If you wish this type of operation to be completed by select individuals with certain permissions, I would suggest using the “During State Transition” condition, where you can assign “Permit” privileges to that, and in effect, to the dispatch script.

(2) Here we start out with a simple message prompt to the user which has a possibility of the user either pressing YES or NO. We are asking the user, only once, if all files are checked in prior to running this script. Based on the user’s response, the value is saved in the runtime variable “d_runtimeansweryesno”, shown in figure (10).

(3) This portion relates to the function detailed above in that we are implementing a conditional action based on the option chosen in figure (2). The IF statement compares the value saved into “d_runtimeansweryesno” and then compares it to a value we defined manually in the IF statement dialog. In this case, I manually typed “YES” into the IF statement dialog box. If the user selects “YES”, it will be saved into the runtime variable, compared, and then sent to the label “YES” and continue on with the bottom portion of the script, figures (4) – (6). If the user selects “NO”, then the script will prompt the message “Please check in all files before running this dispatch.”, and then proceed to a second “IF condition which always jumps to the label “END”, terminating the script.

(4) From here we start the portion of the script which allows for multiple files. As mentioned earlier, a Dispatch script has the potential to run for multiple files or for one file. If a user selects multiple files, a “For all documents” command is needed to tell the script to rerun the operation for ever file in the selection. It was placed in its current position specifically due to the fact that if we placed it at the very beginning of the script, above figure (2), then it would run the message prompts for every file that it selected, theoretically.

(5) Here is the main rename operation. We are defining the file in question with %PathToSelectedFile% as this will ensure the rename operation runs on only the file we selected. We are renaming it, in this case, with another dispatch variable “d_newfilename” which is shown in figure (9).

(6) Here we have the block end. Very simply, if you have a “For all documents”, you need an “End for all documents” to finish the loop.

(7) Here we have the dispatch variable “d_extension”. Because a rename operation with dispatch takes into account the entire filename including the extension, we need to extract the extension of the original file name, in order to use it after the file is renamed with our intended value. Because SOLIDWORKS files always have a 6 character extension, we are saving the rightmost 7 characters, which includes the period separator. The value should now be saved into the “d_extension” variable.

(8) Here we have the dispatch variable “d_number” which is mapped to the value of a data card variable value for the specific configuration “@”.

(9) Here we complete the operation of combining the saved Number variable value with whatever the file extension is, giving us a valid SOLIDWORKS file.

(10) Here is the runtime variable that was referenced in the first operation, Figure(1)

As mentioned previously, this script as it is written will only work for SOLIDWORKS files. This is due to the simplicity in which the script was written, and the script can be modified to work for all file types by adding more complex logic to it. The level of complexity, however, is determined by what value you want applied to the filename, and how you want it applied.

Regardless, you would need to first determine a better way to find the extension of your file. The method listed in the pictures above shows logic of how to get the rightmost 7 characters of a file, but if this script was run on a “.docx” file, a “.dwg” file, or any other file that does not have 6 characters in the extension, it would produce improper results. In order to allow for the possibility of reading in multiple extensions, you would need to let “d_extension” equal the following value:

Mid(%NameOfSelectedFile%,Find(%NameOfSelectedFile%, .),7)

What this essentially does is locate the position of the “.” in the filename, and then select that character plus any other characters to the right of it. The Find(%NameOfSelectedFile%, .) ends up reporting a numerical value of the position of the “.” The rest of the command stipulates that any characters to the right of the specific position, including the character position specified will be saved. Notice how we still leave the “7″ in the command. This is because it will look at up to 7 characters to save, if they exist. Since we know the largest extension in a vault is the SOLIDWORKS file, with 6 characters, we know it will pick up those. As far as “.docx” or “.dwg” files or anything containing less than 6 characters, it will simply ignore any empty characters after the extension. As a result, you could theoretically replace that “7″ with “10000″, and it would still return the same result.
The next step would be to allow cases for files that have different data cards. SOLIDWORKS files have a default “@” configuration, “DWG” files have a “Model” configuration, Office Documents have no configuration, etc… Due to the fact that a dispatch variable value requires a configuration specified(or an empty configuration value if there are no configurations for the file) you will need to create multiple dispatch variable for each potential case, and then add “IF” statements to the existing script, allowing the script to proceed appropriately for each specific case. Obviously, this could add considerable length to the existing script, so it would be important to test thoroughly once you feel the script has been completed.

Since SOLIDWORKS Inspection was released in April of last year, the number one topic of technical support calls has been custom report templates. Whether the issue relates to getting attributes to map properly or making every characteristic fit in the table, there are several tricks I have learned that can make template creation pain free. Follow these steps on the next template you generate for Inspection.

1. Start by making a simple Excel workbook with the format you want in your report. If you want multiple pages in your report for a title page or bill of materials make sure to add them at this point, otherwise, delete unused sheets from your workbook.

Lay out your table with cell outlines, headings, color fill, and any logos you want. There is no need to create 100 repeated characteristic rows, 5-10 should work to give an idea of what the table will look like.

2. If you plan to use any formulas or Conditional Formatting now is a good time to add them. For example if you want to have your results text change color based on Pass/Fail criteria you would use Conditional Formatting with a rule checking that the result value is between the upper and lower limits.
3. Define a footer row for each table that will be populated with a list of values, such as the characteristic table. This is done using the Excel Name Manager and allows SOLIDWORKS Inspection to expand or truncate the table to fit all of the items in that list, hence why we only needed a couple of rows in our template. For more information on how this is done take a look at the Hawk Ridge Systems Knowledge Base for the document Inspection Report Footer Rows.
4. Once your workbook has all of the desired formatting, it’s time to save it as an Excel Template. There are a couple of tricks to this:

 If you plan to use both the Standalone and Add-In versions of SOLIDWORKS Inspection, you will need to create two copies of the template since they use different strings to map the attributes.

 “Specification” from Standalone:

iex:INSPECTIONXPERT/INSPECTION_SHEET/ATTRIBUTES/ATTRIBUTE/@Nominal

“Specification” from Add-in:

iex:INSPECTIONXPERT/SAMPLE_SHEET/CAD/ATTRIBUTES/ATTRIBUTE[@selected='True']/@value

 I recommend creating a folder for your custom templates outside of the default directory. Inside this main folder create subfolders for the Add-In and the Standalone tools. I save a copy of my report template in the appropriate subfolder using a suffix for the version. (i.e. HRS_FAIR_Standalone & HRS_FAIR_Add-in)

 The next import thing is the file extension you use. The SOLIDWORKS Inspection Template Editor will only open Excel Templates (.xlt) However, if you are using any version of Excel newer than Excel 2003 (which you should be considering SOLIDWORKS 2014 does not officially support anything prior to Excel 2007 and SOLIDWORKS 2015 dropped Excel 2007 as well) the default Excel Template extension is .xltx. So you will need to use the Excel 97-2003 Template option when saving your workbook as a template.

5. Now you are ready to use the SOLIDWORKS Inspection Template Editors, that’s right two of them. You will need to map the attributes to your templates using the Template Editor from the tool version you plan to use that template for. Meaning only use the Template Editor from the Standalone tool for your Standalone template and the Add-In Template Editor for that template.

The mapping is pretty straight forward, select the cell you want first then select the attribute you want in there from the list and click Insert. Some tricks here, start on the right side of your sheet and work left. Excel lets long strings that overflow from the cell continue over other cells that do not already have values in them therefore you will have a hard time selecting a cell in column B if the string in column A is covering it. Also, you only need to map one row worth of attributes in any list, SOLIDWORKS Inspection will do the rest.

6. When you are done mapping, click Finished. Be sure to put the template back in your correct folder since the Template Editor will try and trick you into putting it in the default location.
7. Create or open a project to test out your new template. Choose Export to Excel, then click the green plus sign to add your new template to the list.

The list of templates is saved with the project, so if you want that template to always be an option without adding it each time you need to update the Project Template you use to include your custom Report Template. Click Export.

Bask in all your hard work, you have created a custom template for Inspection reports!

This might seem like a lot to condense into a short blog, so I made a video as well, actually three. Take a look at the Hawk Ridge Systems YouTube channel for the three part video series on creating SOLIDWORKS Inspection report templates where I walk you through these steps and show you how it’s done.

Imagine this; you are working on that next intricate build using surfacing or sweeps inside SOLIDWORKS and all of the sudden you need that very tough 3D sketch that follows and maps your profile perfectly. How are you going to get that perfect line twisting through complex 3D space? Well your first thought might be to use a 3D sketch, but I have a different feature better suited for this application, it is possible to get exactly the curvy twisting line you need using project curve. In this article I would like to run through the project curve feature in SOLIDWORKS and the basics on how to use it to complete or improve your designs.

For this example I was attempting to build the frame of a car, and the top edge of the frame that runs the outside length of the car had complex geometry for my sweep. Again, I could have attempted to use 3D spines and get the curvature that I desired, but instead I chose to use project curve, starting off with two simple sketches that represented the profiles of my car. One of the sketches represents the front view of the car, while the other sketch represents the right view of the car or the side profile. The sketches are basic profiles based on my interpretation of what this car frame should look like. I do have the option inside of SOLIDWORKS, where if I had pictures of a real frame of a specific car I was working on, I could use those pictures with the sketch picture command to get a very accurate profile sketch. The sketch picture would have simply allowed me to trace the outer profiles of a specific car I was working on accurately.

With my two sketches drawn and lined up I continued on to use the project curve command. Upon selecting this command I have two choices, I can either do a “sketch on sketch” projected curve or a “sketch on faces” projected curve. The sketch on sketch option allows me to simply select my two sketch profiles and it will automatically create for me a 3D path where the two sketches meet. This will of course do a full automation of the process allowing SOLIDWORKS to draw the entire frame for you based on every section of both of those two sketches (This method is represented in series by the three pictures above). If you want a more specific and limited range of this feature then you would want to use the sketch on faces option (As pictured by the two pictures below). This option will limit the projected curve to specific areas which are user selected so this can give you more control over the profile that is created. However, to use this option you cannot use two sketch profiles like before, now you have to use one sketch and the other sketch would need to be converted to a feature with faces. So, you could simply extrude the side profile like I did in this example in order to give you faces to select and work on. For the sketch faces option I will need to select my sketch to project and then the specific faces that I want it to be limited to projecting on. As you can see from my final picture of the car frame I only chose the top faces in order to get the path for the top of my frame. This method of selecting faces helps limit the scope and focus in on where you would like SOLIDWORKS to place the feature for you. Finally, with that I have a perfect path for my sweep or I am all set up to apply a weldments profile to my frame.

Keep an eye out for more great SOLIDWORKS content on the blog and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Link to similar blog article Using Intersection Curve.