SolidWorks Contract Designer Needed - Chicago, IL

Deluxe Stitcher Inc., a FISHER/UNITECH customer and privately held company located on the northwest side of Chicago, is currently looking for a contract mechanical designer.  There is a possibility this position would turn into a permanent full-time position.

Requirements

• Two (2) years minimum SolidWorks experience (release 2008 or newer)
• Proficient in design of small mechanical components and assemblies including:
• Gears, cams and mechanisms
• Close toleranced machined parts
•  Proficient in preparation of detailed drawings
• Good functional dimensioning skill set (including geometric tolerancing)
• Analytical and troubleshooting skills
• Ability to interact/communicate effectively with all departments

Additional Desired Skill Set

Any of the additional skills would be beneficial:

• Windows Server 2000/2003 knowledge
• Advanced PC hardware/software/network proficiency (set-up new workstations, troubleshoot, etc.)
• Website design/maintenance

Please email resumes to:  Jim Wlodarczyk at jwlodarczyk@deluxestitcher.com.

6635 West Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL  60634-2410

CAD Drafter Position Available, Lincolnshire, IL

 

Klein Tools is hiring a full-time CAD Drafter working out of Lincolnshire, IL.  To apply for this position, please send cover letter and resume to:  recruiting061@kleintools.com.

Job Description Summary
Position Title:  CAD Drafter
Location:  Lincolnshire, IL
Degree Required:  Two Year Degree
Travel Required:  None
Employment Type:  Full-Time Employee

Job Description
Klein Tools has a 153 year history of serving the hand tool needs of professional tradesmen with products that represent a standard of excellence, innovation, technology and quality in our industry.  We are looking for candidates for our CAD Drafter position who want a career working with The Premier Brand of Hand Tools.

This position is based in our Lincolnshire corporate center and is responsible for providing drafting support and developing detailed CAD drawings for components and assemblies for the Product Design Engineers.

Mechanical design using SolidWorks 3D CAD software is required.  Knowledge of basic machine shop practices and processes is a plus.  The ability to draw detailed engineering drawings based on concepts, sketches, or interactions with Engineers, knowledge of good drafting practices and standards is critical.  Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office products is needed along with good organization skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to work with and take direction from the engineering staff.  An Associate's Degree in the CAD field is a plus.

Klein Tools provides a competitive compensation and benefits package, including 401(k) and profit sharing.  If you have the commitment to succeed and the desire to join an organization recognized as the industry leader, e-mail your cover letter and resume to recruiting061@kleintools.com.

Wisconsin/Illinois SolidWorks Simulation User Group (WILSSUG) Meeting

The next WILSSUG meeting will be held:

Date:  November 5, 2010
Time:  9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location:
Ruud Lighting Inc.
9201 Washington Avenue
Racine, WI  53406

Agenda

• 9:00 am - 9:30 am:  Registration, Coffee and Refreshments
• 9:30 am - 10:00 am:  Introduction/Agenda Preview, Brian Kinnune, Ruud Lighting, Inc.
• 10:00 am - 11:00 am:  Flow Simulations of Centrifugal Pumps and GIWW Kill Coolers Set-Up, Boyko Tchavdarov, Ph.D., Pentair-Engineered Flow
• 11:00 am - 12:00 pm:  What's New in Simulation 2011, Chris Scheafer, Graphics Systems
• 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm:  Lunch
• 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm:  Dynamic Simulation - Shock Loading and Vibration, Dhanachezhian Duraikannu, Graphics Systems
• 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm:  TBD Flow Simulation Topic

The next meeting will be held on Friday, April 29th, 2011. 

For more information or to register, please email Brian Kinnune at brian_kinnune@ruudlighting.com or bkillumn8@att.net. (Registration is required for lunch.)

How to Justify the Cost of a Rapid Prototyping System

You know you can save your company money by purchasing a rapid prototyping system. But do you know the best way to justify this capital expense purchase? To convince finance people and upper management, you need to understand what they look for.

Attend this webinar and learn the strategies to make a solid business case for a prototyping machine.

DATE: Wed. November 3, 2010
TIME: 1:00 pm CST/2:00 pm EST

DURATION:  45 minutes 

Register Here

PRESENTED BY: Todd Grimm, T. A. Grimm and Associates

Todd Grimm is an Additive Manufacturing industry analyst and consultant with 20 years experience in the world of design and manufacturing.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

• Plant managers & directors
• Engineering managers & directors
• Product designers
• Engineers

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

• How to justify the cost of an additive manufacturing system
• Components that comprise a solid business case for purchase
• How to write a proposal that gets read and gets approved
• The difference between how you and finance people view benefits
• How to justify your proposal based on sound numbers first, then from secondary and tertiary benefits to strengthen your case

Register Today

Eastern Michigan SolidWorks User Group Meeting

The next EMSWUG Meeting has been scheduled for:

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

5:00 pm - 8:45 pm

FANUC Robotics

3900 West Hamlin Road

Rochester Hills, MI 

Map to Location

Agenda

• 5:00 pm - Doors open
• 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm:  Food is served
• 6:00 pm - 8:15 pm:  What's New in SolidWorks 2011
• 8:15 pm - 8:45 pm:  Q&A

You do not have to RSVP to attend.  Just check your name off the sign-up sheet when you arrive.  Name badges will be filled out on-site.

Add Event to Outlook Calendar:

http://www.bovinich.net/emswug/11-03-10/Wed_Nov_3rd_10_EMSWUG_Meeting.ics

Click the link above, open the file and then save it.  It will remind of you the event one (1) hour prior.

Additional information can be found here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=y18Krl4EJ3uh7OKxCKcgKg_3d_3d

Tech Support Challenge: Mystery of the Disappearing Assembly

Here is a screen shot of what the assembly is supposed to look like:

However, upon opening the assembly, nothing shows up even though the feature tree is populated.  Can you solve the mystery of the disappearing assembly?

Click here to download the assembly file and underlining components

Please submit your solution in the comments section.

Thank you,

Dan Wiggins

[Answer to be revealed on Friday]

"What's New" with the 2011 Simulation Interface?

With the new release of Solidworks 2011 Simulation software, there have been a number of great enhancements. I thought I would post some of these, starting with What's New with the Simulation interface. Changes in the interface include: 

• Organization of bodies
• Filtering the Simulation study tree
• Display enhancements for Simulation studies
• Display of Simulation symbols
• Expressions in input fields

Organization of Bodies:

Enhancements to the Simulation study tree include organizing bodies into folders. Cut lists for beams and sheet metal bodies also appear in the Simulation study tree. To create sub-folders, right-click a folder in the Simulation study tree and select Create New Folder. You can then drag entities into the new folder. All options under the parent folder are available for a newly created sub-folder. For example, you can assign the same material properties to the bodies in a sub-folder.

Filtering the Simulation Study Tree:

You can use the new Simulation-specific filter tool to filter the Simulation study tree. This is similar to the Solidworks filter tool at the top of the Feature Manager tree. For example, you could filter by text-based names such as Pressure-3 or properties such as shell thickness or fixed geometry. You can also use the Filter Graphics View to show only filtered items in the graphics area.

Display Enhancements for Simulation Studies:

A body that is excluded from an analysis is hidden in the Simulation study. Also, when you change a body's material in a Simulation study, the material's appearance updates to the new material when viewing the Simulation study.

Display of Simulation Symbols:

While editing a Simulation study, you can toggle the display of ALL Simulation-related symbols, such as loads, fixtures, and connectors. To toggle the display of Simulation symbols, click View > Simulation Symbols or click Hide/Show Items (Heads-Up View toolbar), and select View Simulation Symbols.

Expressions in Input Fields:

You can now type expressions in fields that allow numerical inputs. For example, to use a component of a resultant force of 50N oriented at a 30° angle to the selected direction, you can type 50*cos(pi/6) for Force in the Force/Torque Property Manager. Or, to reduce the parametric value of density of 7500 kg/m^3 by one-half, you can type 7500/2 for User defined value in the Add Parameters dialog box.

FISHER/UNITECH to Exhibit at Advanced Manufacturing & Technology Show

Don't miss the largest and only show of it's kind, the Advanced Manufacturing and Technology Show (AMTS) coming up October 20-21st, 2010, at the Dayton Airport Expo Center.  Our very own David Northup and Bill Hall will be staffing Booth #522, showcasing SolidWorks and the uPrint Personal 3D Printer.

AMTS, produced by the Dayton Tooling & Manufacturing Association (DTMA), expects to draw over 3,000 professionals from disciplines such as robotics, energy-related parts, medical devices, laser cutting, welding, and more.  The show is free to attend.

Visit FISHER/UNITECH in Booth #522.

For more information on AMTS, please visit the show website.

Central Indiana SolidWorks User Group Meeting

Mark your calendars now for the next SolidWorks User Group Meeting. 

Date:  Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Time:  4:30 pm

Location:  (To be confirmed) 
SMC Corporation of America
10100 SMC Blvd.
Noblesville, IN  46060

Guest Speaker and Product Demo by Dell
Dinner:  Sponsored by SWUG Corporate
Technical Presentation:  "SolidWorks 2011"

CISWUG has a LinkedIn Group!  If you are not yet a member, join now.

Imported Solids & FeatureWorks

SolidWorks can import numerous file types including Pro-E, Unigraphics and Inventor just to name a few. In addition you may receive a file in a Parasolid or Step format.

Once you open these files, SolidWorks recognizes these as an "Imported Solid."

The FeatureWorks software recognizes features on an imported solid body. These features are the same as what is created with SolidWorks. You can then easily edit the definition of the recognized features to change their parameters.

FeatureWorks recognizes the following features:

• Extruded or revolved features
• Chamfer
• Fillets
• Ribs
• Draft features
• Holes (including Hole Wizard)
• Lofts
• Shells
• Sweeps
• Feature Patterns

(You also have the option to select Sheet metal features.)
Here's how:

1. Open the file (i.e. parasolid)
2. Select Insert > FeatureWorks > Recognize Features
3. Select the options
4. Select OK

SolidWorks will create the features for easy model editing



FeatureWorks can also automatically add dimensions based on your options.

SolidWorks World 2011 Agenda Available Now

The agenda for SolidWorks World 2011 has been posted on the SolidWorks World website.

If you're thinking about going but haven't registered yet, take a look at the sessions being offered. It might help you decide.

And don't forget, you can save $200 off the regular admission price if you register before October 29.

Click here to learn more.

FISHER/UNITECH at SigmaTEK Open House in Cincinnati, OH

SigmaTEK Systems located in Cincinnati, Ohio, hosted a series of seminars focusing on increasing the productivity and profitability of manufacturers using CNC profile cutting machines for sheet metal and fabrication equipment.

FISHER/UNITECH sponsored this four-day event, which took place on October 5-8th, 2010 at SigmaTEK's HQ. Our very own David Northup and Bill Hall from our Dayton, Ohio, office were in attendance and Bill delivered a presentation on Leveraging SolidWorks for Fabrication.

Check out event photos on Flickr

Unveiling...FUNTECH RACING

We are 10 days away from our 90 mile charity ride! The ride is going to be challenging with a total climbing elevation of 2,782 feet. We have put a lot of miles on our bikes and are in the home stretch of our training.

The forecast for Sunday, in Austin, looks good, so I hope the Saturday rain doesn't disturb that.

Because our audience is part of a special group, I am providing a sneak peak of FUNTECH RACING. To the right are the jerseys that we will be wearing for our ride next week. Thank you to Dan Wiggins for designing them.

We are proud to represent our sponsors:  FISHER/UNITECH, SolidWorks, Stratasys, and St. Charles United Soccer Club.

Thank you for all of the donations, we only have until October 20th to receive donations. Currently, we have raised $2,920 towards our goal of $15,000. Please help if you can. Also, pass the below links on to your friends and family.

FUNTECH Website: http://www.funtech.com/Livestrong-Cancer-Foundation

Visit the Funtech Racing Team Webpage
DONATE! View Rich Nobliski's Personal Page
DONATE! View Dan Wiggins's Personal Page
DONATE! View Mike Hansen's Personal Page

Moving Files to a New Location (i.e. C:\ to server X:\)

** It is always recommended to make a backup of your files or create a zipped copy before moving your files. **

1. If your local (C:\) files are already under one folder, i.e. "SolidWorks Jobs" you can right-click that folder and do a COPY, go to to the server and select PASTE.
   
   Note: If the files are in multiple top level folders ("C:\solidworks jobs" and "C:\misc jobs" etc), create a new folder on the server. i.e.," X:\SolidWorks Working" and copy the folders under this one.
   
2. Launch SolidWorks but do not open any files.
   
3. Go to "Tools > Options > System Options > External References" and make sure "Search file locations for external references" is on\checked.
   
4. Go to "Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations" and select the "Show folders for" dropdown. Select "Referenced Documents".
   
5. If there are any paths listed here, confirm they will still be valid after you move the files\folders. If not, delete them.
   
   Note: When you open a SolidWorks file, IE Assembly, it will first check the RAM to see if referenced files are loaded\already open. If not, it will search the folders listed under the "Referenced Documents" list. It will search this list in order from the top down. Add the new ," X:\SolidWorks Working" to the "Referenced Documents" list. If it is not at the top, highlight it in the list and select "Move Up" until it is first in the list.
   
   
6. Go to "Tools > Options > System Options > Advanced". Under the "Dismissed messages (checked messages will be shown again)", look for " Unable to locate the file__. Would you like to find it yourself?". If it is listed, CHECK it. Exit SolidWorks.
   
7. You should now be able to delete the local C:\ files.
   
8. Launch SolidWorks and browse to the new server location to open your files.

Do You Use a 3D Mouse? Are You Curious About What They Do?

Introducing 3D Mouse Home

3DxSoftware version 3.11 (released on July 23rd) introduced the all-new 3D Mouse Home*1 desktop panel.

3D Mouse Home provides convenient access to important 3D Mouse applications such as training, a fun game and more. Download the latest drivers here.

*1 3D Mouse Home is available for current devices (plus SpacePilot) on the Microsoft Windows operating system. A Mac version is in development.

Intelligent 3D Navigation
With 3Dconnexion's new intelligent 3D navigation*² feature the 3D mouse automatically follows your point of interest, continually adjusting the optimal center of rotation, enabling a significantly more intuitive navigation experience.

*² Intelligent 3D navigation is available for current products (plus SpacePilot) in SolidWorks, Autodesk 3ds Max and Google SketchUp. 3Dconnexion is supporting software partners to introduce the feature in their future releases.

Win a 27" Apple LED Cinema Display
Now's your chance to show off your 3D skills in our 3D Design Challenge. Show us what you've got! Monthly prizes include SpaceNavigators, SpaceExplorers and PNY NVIDIA Quadro FX 1800 graphics cards. The grand prize is a 27" Apple LED Cinema Display!

Choose a 3D model from our website and make it come to life in a creative and original 3D environment. The only limit is your imagination! More info

3D Mice Around The World
Discover how 3Dconnexion 3D mice are being used around the world.

Rock and roll with digital modeling technology leader Line 6. Find out how they rely on 3Dconnexion 3D mice to design music creation products for some of the world's greatest musicians. Read on

SolidWorks Help Needed - Lenexa, KS

There are two job openings in the Lenexa, KS, area for someone with SolidWorks experience.

SolidWorks Help - Part-Time Contract - Lenexa, KS
Parts, assemblies and drawings.  Flexible projects.  Send resume and portfolio to:  HR1@lynkinc.com.

Full or Part-Time Industrial Designer with SolidWorks Experience - Lenexa, KS
Consumer Products Development
Flexible projects.  Send resume and portfolio to:  HR1@lynkinc.com

Kansas City SolidWorks User Group Meeting

The next KCSWUG meeting will take place on:

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
6:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Automatic Systems, Inc.
9230 E. 47th St.
Kansas City, MO  64133
Tel:  816-356-0660

Main Topic:  InspectionXpert and Custom Programming
Guest Speaker:  Jeff Cope, Extensible CAD Technologies

Jeff Cope will present at the next KCSWUG meeting, traveling from North Carolina.  Jeff will demonstrate InspectionXpert - here's some additional information on the product:

• Uniquely number dimensions in your CAD drawings with inspection balloons
• Export dimensions from your CAD drawings to an inspection report form
• Provide standard, accurate inspection report forms and drawings into inspectors

If you want to learn more about InspectionXpert prior to the meeting, visit http://www.extensiblecad.com.

In addition to InspectionXpert, you'll get a first-hand look at the job of custom programming.  Many users don't have the time or means to develop a custom program in-house.  At this meeting you'll learn what it takes to create a custom program, how much time is involved, costs, what type of information is required, etc.  Jeff has volunteered to create a custom program for the group. 

Start thinking about what type(s) of custom program(s) would help you in your day-to-day operation.  It might be a program to help manage custom properties, move sketch entities, create special drawing views automatically.  The prize here is getting your program created.  Send any ideas to Wayne Tiffany in advance.

Door Prize:  Kevin Van Liere, from the SW User Group in Colorado will raffle off a free copy of Template Wizard (a SolidWorks Add-In.)  For more information on Template Wizard, view this previous post.

SolidWorks World 2011
Registration is now open for SWW 2011 in San Antonio, TX.  Go to:  http://www.solidworks.com/swworld2011/ and sign up now to take advantage of the $200 early bird discount.  Don't forget if you sign up to give a presentation and are chosen, there is no fee to attend.

West Michigan Company Hiring Mold/Tooling Design Engineer

Forming Technologies, Inc., located in Muskegon, Michigan, is looking to hire a Mold/Tooling Designer with SolidWorks experience.  A candidate cross-trained on SolidCAM is preferred.  This is a full-time position working out of the Muskegon location.

If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to Chad Piper at cpiper@formtech.org.  No phone calls please.

Introducing - Compare Utility

The Compare utility compares two documents or two configurations of the same document.

You can compare these items:

• Document Properties
• Features
• Geometry
• Bills of Material

The Compare utility can compare multiple items simultaneously.  You view the results on tabs in the Compare Task Pane.

To run the Compare utility:

1.  Click a utility from the Tools toolbar or Tools, Compare menu:

• Compare Documents.  Compares the properties of two SolidWorks documents (or two configurations of the same document.)  This utility identifies the following property types:
• File properties.  Click File, Properties, Summary.
• Document-specific properties.  Click File, Properties, Custom.
• Document properties.  Click Tools, Options, Document Properties.  SolidWorks Utilities does not support comparison of Document Properties of DimXpert for parts.

You can run Compare Documents on parts in the SolidWorks Enterprise PDM software.

• Compare Features.  Identifies the differences in solid features, including appearance properties (colors, optics and textures) between two versions of the same part (or two configurations of the same part.)  Features are compared by name and type.  If features in the two parts have the same name and type, this tools pairs the features and compares their individual parameters.
  
  Features are classified into three categories:
• Identical features.  Same name and type with identical parameter values
• Modified features.  Same name and type with different parameter values
• Unique features.  Unique name and type

If FeatureWorks is installed on your machine and you open a part without parameterized features, the following occurs:

FeatureWorks displays a dialog box that asks if you want to proceed with feature recognition.  You should click No.

If you click Yes, which starts feature recognition, do not click Run Comparison in the Compare Features Task Pane.  Running the two simultaneously can have undesirable results.

• Compare Geometry.  Compares two parts (or two configurations of the same part) and identifies differences between two versions of the same part.  Compare Geometry performs both face comparison and volume comparison.  You can compare two assemblies for volume comparison only.
  
  Modified and unique faces are highlighted in different colors in the graphics area.  Identical faces retain their original color.
  
  Volume comparison results are shown in the new Volume Comparison of (Reference Document) and (Modified Document) window.  Common volume, material removed, or material added are shown in different colors.
  
  Compare Geometry works on both solid models and surface models.  You can compare the two surface models for face comparison only.

• Compare BOMs (Assemblies or drawings.)  Compares Bill of Material (BOM) tables from two SolidWorks assembly or drawing documents.  You can compare BOM tables from two assemblies, two drawings, or an assembly and a drawing.
  
  The results list missing columns and rows, extra columns and rows, and failed rows.  Comparison of Excel-based BOMs is not supported.  This utility finds all BOM tables in the documents.  You then select the BOMs to compare in BOM1 and BOM2.  You also select a column for Criteria for failed rows.  Failed rows have identical data in both BOM tables for the selected column, but non-identical data in the other columns.  See Viewing Compare Results for an example.

You must include the Part Number column in both BOMs to display missing or extra rows.

2.  Select a Reference document and a Modified document.  You can select from the list of already opened documents, or Browse to a document.

To specify a configuration, click Browse and select a document.  In the Open dialog box, select a configuration under Configurations, then click Open.  When you compare two configurations of the same document, the file name is then renamed to (document_name)_(configuration_name) _.sld*.

3.  Under Items to compare, select additional items to compare if necessary.  The Compare utility can compare multiple items simultaneously.

If you are comparing geometry, select Align parts to compare geometrically similar bodies located in different positions, relative to the origin.

4.  Click Options at the top of the Task Pane to open the Compare Options dialog box.  You can use this to change units, feature display colors, report options, and so on.  You can also change these options after Compare runs.

5.  Click Run Comparison to begin the comparison.

6.  Open the Compare Task Pane to review the results.  If you compare multiple items, select the tabs to toggle between results.  Click the left and right arrows at the top of the Task Pane to navigate between the results and parameters panes.

Cami Fredock
Applications Engineer

3DU Instructor Tip #9 - Certifications

SolidWorks Certifications, currently, are still an underutilized tool to determine one's skill level using SolidWorks. Resumes can say an individual has SolidWorks experience but just how much experience? Is that experience in areas like sheet metal, surfacing or simulation?

These certifications give employers an idea of an individual's baseline SolidWorks skills. More and more companies are looking into certifications being part of and/or required for new hires. Experience in other software packages doesn't always mean you will be proficient with another with little or no training and it may not give you the specific skills that a new company is looking for.

SolidWorks certifications, in my opinion, are going to become the standard that employers will use to determine the actual knowledge and abilities of potential new employees. In response to this trend, FISHER/UNITECH will be tailoring education around the knowledge and preparation for gaining these certifications. Technically we already do this with our training curriculum, but we will be adding preparatory classes for the newer certificates beyond just the CSWA and CSWP exams. Be prepared and position yourself by honing your SolidWorks skills.

Certifications are purchased and taken through the SolidWorks website at http://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/mcad-certification-programs.htm.

You can also refer to THIS previous post to see the various types of certifications.

If you have any questions on certifications, please send me an email at rharper@funtech.com or education@funtech.com.

Thanks for reading and have a great SolidWorks day!

Rod Harper
3DU Instructor

3DU Instructor Tip #8 - Hole Wizard, Configurations, and Drawings

Good day and welcome to my latest SolidWorks blog entry.

I was creating some prints within SolidWorks a few weeks ago that had a simple rectangular part with multiple configurations. The difference between these configurations wasn't the overall geometry but the overall placement of holes within the part. Various configurations had multiple Hole Wizard features in each, sometimes of the same hole size. While this worked fine for the separate configurations, it did not work well for the drawing.

As I detailed each part, calling out the Hole Callout was referencing just a singular set of holes. This was OK if all (for instance) 3/8" holes were done in one Hole Wizard command at the part level but not OK if there were two or three Hole Wizard features all using the same hole size. I would detail one hole that would call out only three holes when what I really had were 12 holes of a particular size.

This is a long explanation to get to my point, but it's important as there's so much potential work built into a part.  The configurations can be difficult to change because there may be mates built into these holes and changing them can prove to take a lot of time.

Point being is that I suggest you, per single configuration, use a single Hole Wizard command to create all the same sized holes at one time. This will ensure that the 9X (ex . 9X DIA. .344 THRUALL) is accurate and you do not have to track or change this manually.

Have a great SolidWorks Day!

Rod Harper

3DU Instructor

Greater Cincinnati SolidWorks User Group

When:  Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
Time:  5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Where:  TBD

The Greater Cincinnati SolidWorks User Group (GCSWUG) is seeking a host company/organization for its next user group meeting.  Please consider showcasing your company and how you use SolidWorks.

Josh Spencer, 3DVision Application Engineer, will deliver a presentation on "What's New in SolidWorks 2011."

If anyone has an interest in giving a presentation, please contact Jeff Arthur at gcswug@cinci.rr.com.  There is already a member interested in giving a presentation on sheetmetal and weld beads.

More information about the meeting will be forthcoming once a location is secured.   

Part-Time SolidWorks Tooling Designer Position - Troy, Michigan

Manufacturing Connections Company is looking to hire a part-time tooling designer with SolidWorks experience.  This position would be located in Troy, Michigan.

If interested, please contact:  Pat Boomgaard at 616-298-5368 or via email to:  pbsalesrep@gmail.com.

3DU Online Courses October/November

Hello FISHER/UNITECH Blog readers!

Fall is here and we've had some nice weather.  Get up to speed on the latest classes offered online by FISHER/UNITECH.

Here are some classes coming up over the next month.  You can always check here for our complete online training schedule.

Online classes beginning on 10/12/2010:

• CAD205 SolidWorks Drawings, 9:00-11:00 am, 6 sessions (2 weeks)
• CAD210 SolidWorks Advanced Part Modeling, 2:00-4:00 pm, 6 sessions (2 weeks)

Online classes beginning on 10/26/2010:

• CAD305 SolidWorks Sheet Metal, 9:00-11:00am, 3 sessions (1 week)
• PDM205 SolidWorks Weldments, 2:00-4:00pm, 3 sessions (1 week)

Online classes beginning on 11/2/2010:

• CAD105 Introduction to SolidWorks, 9:00-11:30 am, 8 sessions (2 weeks)
• CAD315 SolidWorks Routing, 2:00-4:00 pm, 6 sessions (2 weeks)
• CAD305 SolidWorks Motion, 9:00-11:00am, 6 sessions (2 weeks)

Make Fiber Molds 80% Faster With Fortus

Molded fiber packaging is an ideal choice because it's eco-friendly and sustainable.  It's produced from old newsprint, corrugated boxes and a variety of other plant fibers making it 100% recyclable and biodegradable. Unfortunately, waiting three to four weeks for a machined mold might be a deal breaker.

With Fortus' FDM technology, you can produce a fiber mold in just a few hours. FDM technology automates and accelerates mold production by replacing the design, machining and screening processes of traditional mold building.

Download the application guide to find out how you can make paper pulp molds 80% faster with Fortus 3D Production Systems.

See for Yourself.  Fortus machines build parts using durable thermoplastics.  Request a free sample part.

Flattening a Tube from the Middle

Suppose you need to create a section of straight tube that must be evenly rolled from one centrally located line. On a plane, first create the sketch and be sure to locate a very small yet straight segment on the profile of the circle. The circle must be opened at the top and I've put a straight segment 0.001" long at the 6 o'clock position.

Then you can extrude the tube as a sheetmetal flange selecting your wall thickness.

When you select Flatten from the sheetmetal command menu it unrolls from the middle!

Untrim Surface

With the Untrim Surface tool, you can patch holes and external edges by extending an existing surface along its natural boundaries.

You can also extend the natural boundaries of a surface by a given percentage, or connect the end points to fill the surface.

You can use the Untrim Surface tool with any imported surface or surfaces that you create. This tool can also be useful when creating parting surfaces for molds.