Quite a few years ago, I was taking mechanical design classes at a school where they also had an architectural design program. At one point the architectural department had a 3D printer on loan. Many of us were curious and went to investigate this new idea in printing. The machine used paper and it would feed a sheet of paper and glue it to the previous one and cut away the excess according to the file that was read by the software. This idea did kind of intrigue me but seeing I was in the mechanical field, it did not really stay with me. I never did see the final print as it took almost a day to print and I had only a few minutes to see it running. By the time I was able to get back to the machine, the part was no longer in the building.

Okay… let’s jump ahead a few years. At this time, I was working for a company that was looking to get a printer scanner and I was doing some research. Although it had nothing to do with what I was looking for, I ran across some other 3D printers and a new term was being used: rapid prototyping. I looked at what was available then and most were primarily using some sort of plastic in attempt to replace having to have a part machined in a shop. These machines were still not very office friendly. I still thought this was a great idea, but did not get a chance to see more than a sample part. I did some more research but that was put on hold as my company began implementing SolidWorks and I focused on that.

Now my responsibilities here at Symmetry Solutions include supporting our customers that have purchased a Z-Printer. As I continue to compare of all the different 3D printers on the market, I’ve found that the Z-Printer line is the only one that can add true color to the printed models. Most 3D printers are using some sort of plastic but some still use paper and sintered metals as well as ceramics.

The term “rapid prototyping” has kind of fallen by the wayside as these machines are now being used to make working parts. One case I recently saw on SolidSmack.com was a company that was making a car using 3D printing technology. The car is still in the investment stage and it is called Urbee. There are links in the article if you’d like to read more on this project. I have also seen a post were an architect was making a building using a ceramic-based printer. This is a different technology than the Z-Corp printers which use a powder and ink-jet technology. There are many advances taking place in the world of 3D printing. The future appears limitless for this technology-I have even heard speculation on using it to build colonies on the Moon or Mars. You can find out more about Z-Printers and rapid prototyping here.

To be a good simulation engineer, you need to ask “what if” questions. “What if we make this pipe longer?” “What if we change the thickness?” “What if we change the material?” However, if you have a complicated assembly or part, it’s easy to say, “I don’t want to model it again. That took forever.” Well, the solution has arrived: You need to become a better modeler.

Recently, I was introduced to parametric modeling by my partner in crime, Nick B (or #2, as I call him). It took a while before I realized its potential in regards to optimization and these so called “What if” scenarios.

Once a multi-body part or assembly is parametrically driven, changing values become much easier to do.

To illustrate my point, I’ll breeze through the modeling process for the design of a solar thermal unit. With a setup like this, a good engineer will ask questions like, “What if we add pipe passes?” and “What if we make the passes closer together?” If the model isn’t setup correctly, these changes are difficult to make. So, we’ll design with the intention of changing it later.

Let’s get started with the first pass of the copper tube. A sweep is done and the model is dimensioned and linked accordingly.

The next thing to do is create a linear pattern, linking the spacing value with the pass width and iteration values.

We then create “plane 1,” normal to the right plane and define its spacing with an equation, relating the number of pass iterations with the pass distance.

Plane Distance = (# of passes)*(pass distance)

At this point, the reason for the plane might seem unclear. However, the protective box and heat sink will reference this plane.

We then create merged pipe extensions using linked values while referencing the default right plane and plane 1.

When sunlight travels through the glass opening of our solar panel, only a small percentage of sunlight will actually hit the pipe. So, we need to create a heat sink which will capture radiation from the sunlight and transfer heat via conduction to the copper tubing. We’ll do this by creating a single sheet metal piece with linked values, then pattern it with linked values and equations.

Heat sink iterations = (# of passes)*2 +1

The next step is to create the protective box and glass cover. The geometry is defined using existing relations, similar to what we’ve already done.

Now, if I change values, like the number of tube pass iterations or tube space distance, the entire model updates automatically. This will come in handy when running optimization simulations and playing with other what if scenarios.

Back in the olden days (Windows XP) many of us were told to turn off all of the graphical bells and whistles to free up more resources for SolidWorks. So if you’ve upgraded to Windows 7 you might still think that’s what you should do. Well come to find out, in Windows 7 you want to use one of the cool desktop themes (called Aero) if you want SolidWorks to work at its best. Using basic themes disables some 3-D graphical acceleration that SolidWorks uses.

Microsoft calls this the “Aero desktop experience.” According to Microsoft: “You can enjoy visually appealing effects and appearance and also benefit from better access to your programs.” If you want to read more about the Aero experience go to http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/What-is-the-Aero-desktop-experience.  There is a great explanation about the visual effects and switching between programs.

To check to see if you are currently using an Aero theme, right click on the Desktop and select Personalize. Scroll down and you will see a group called Aero Themes. Select one of those or go online and download one of the many other themes available and enjoy!

There’s a general mindset with most of us techie types out there that new is always better. People stand in lines to be the first get the next new smartphone. They brag about having some brand new 12 core super computer.  Your car still runs on gas? You need something NEW! Well, when it comes to SolidWorks, sometimes brand new is not the way to go.

The main example of too new is with your graphics card drivers. Sure, everyone knows that having really old graphics drivers can cause issue with SolidWorks. If you run into graphics problems, running an RX to check your drivers should be the first thing you do. But hopping onto the NVIDIA or ATI website and getting the newest driver can cause issues, too.

SolidWorks tests each new driver the companies put out and eventually certifies them for use. That can take time though. Your best bet for getting the correct, current certified driver is through RX. When it checks your drivers, if there are new ones it will usually provide a link to download the newest certified driver. If it doesn’t, you can find them at:
 http://www.solidworks.com/pages/services/VideoCardTesting.html

The certified drivers are usually the way to go, but in rare occasions even those are “too new.” If your computer is having a problem hanging when trying to close files, you might want to try rolling back your drivers to one version previous. Occasionally the graphics card doesn’t release some of the graphics data and SolidWorks hangs. Rolling back sometimes fixes that.

Next time you’re having graphics issues, remember: cool new things are great, just make sure they’re certified!