« January 2014 | Main | March 2014 »
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - Computer-based instruction from David Melvin, PE, whose goal is to replace "bad habits" that most users pick up when trying to teach themselves SolidWorks. TEDCF distinguishes itself by "going beyond the commands" and teaches SolidWorks within the context of a task. The company provides part files along with the tutorials.
TenLinks Show Judge
Roopinder Tara |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - EFICAD's SWOOD fills what is becoming an increasing need for automation and CAM as more companies creating furniture, furnishings, cabinetry and other wood design embrace 3D software. An industry specific add-in, such as SWOOD, will reduce manual tasks and speed up automation.
SWOOD fills an empty space for the wood working industry as most CAM products are specifically for cutting metal. At SolidWorks World 2014, SWOOD was the only vendor providing such a solution.
SWOOD Design has libraries of parts specific to wood furniture, such as hinges, pins, more. It makes traditional wood joints based on rules and drag and drop. Compare that to the relatively laborious process of creating mortise and tenon or dovetails with plain SolidWorks. It will help managing thickness, edge banding and laminates. It can make customizable cut list and generate bar code.
SWOOD CAM, gives you the capabilities to create your NC programs right inside SolidWorks. It includes woodworking specific operations such as grooving, sawing and mortising. It has the ability to generate code for a NC machines common to the woodworking industry. Orientation of wood grain is taken into account when nesting parts of panels.
For the wood working industry, SolidWorks and SWOOD is a complete solution, from CAD to CAM.
SWOOD Design is available for $2500 and SWOOD CAM sells for $4000.
TenLinks Show Judges
Lars Christensen |
Edson Gebo |
Michael LaFleche |
Bryan McElyea |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - solidThinking allows designers and engineers to generate and investigate structurally efficient concepts using simulation based on their load constrains before part modeling in SolidWorks. Using the Parasolid Perform engine, solidThinking lets you create a simple boundary shape resembling your product on which loads are placed and the software will create the ideal part in regards to strength. The part can be imported into SolidWorks as a STL. An example could be a motorcycle rear suspension. Create the boundary box and applying the 3 loads and SolidThinking will calculate which areas need to be strengthened by adding material and which areas possibly could be reduced, eliminating cost and weight. This product will help a designer or engineer with the often difficult task of optimization early in the design cycle.
TenLinks Show Judges
Lars Christensen |
Bryan McElyea |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - A SolidWorks Gold partner, SolidCAM was showing their patented iMachining technology. Available as a separate module that runs with SolidCAM's other CAM modules, iMachining. claims to be radically faster than every other CAM product by progressing through material cutting away as much as it is capable of -- no more and no less. The implication is that the other CAM products are more cautious. But by not cutting as much metal with each pass takes more passes, more time. One SolidCAM customer on their website site is shocked by cutting a part in one minute which previously took five. "We have a happy cutter," says Shaun Mymudes, SolidCAM's COO, "We can cut with with the optimum chip thickness."
SolidCAM CEO and founder Dr Emil Somekh (left) and COO Shaun Mymudes showing results of their iMachining technology
TenLinks Show Judge
Roopinder Tara |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - A free add-in that works within SolidWorks to give the estimated price of a a sheet metal part. You can get quotes for different material, processes, quantity and speed of delivery. Parts are made by Rapid Sheet Metal, which bills itself as the "sheet metal equivalent of a SLA service bureau."
TenLinks Show Judge
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - CAD Partner is a German software company making Smap3D, a plant and piping design software that can work inside SolidWorks. Smap3D greatly reducing the amount of work needed to make make and use components, likes pipes, elbows. valves, etc in a plant design. It also helps with making industry standard documents like isometrics and bills of material. If you have been using a general purpose 3D modeling program like SolidWorks right out of the box and cajoling it to do plant design, you will immediately regret the time you have wasted. One such SolidWorks user visiting the Smap3D booth had no idea Smap3D existed and could not have pulled his wallet out fast enough.
Smap3D starts at $2700 but adding modules can bring the price up to $6,000.
TenLinks Show Judge
|
|
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - Sigmetrix specializes in tolerance analysis. It's CETOL 6 Sigma application will analyze SolidWorks part tolerance to help limit size and dimensional variations of parts that may render your assembly unassembleable. You can import DimXpert and annotations for use in CETOL. CETOL costs $20K per floating license and maintenance will cost $3,500 annually. maintenance
TenLinks Show Judge
Bryan McElyea |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - Sam Golan, one of the founders of Cimatron, wants to bring simulation into the world of inspection with his current company PAS Technology. If you use SolidWorks for modeling and CMM (computer modeling and measurement), you can use PAS to create automate the inspection process as PAS will create the paths for the CMM machine. PAS provides a library of desktop CMM machines.
TenLinks Show Judge
Roopinder Tara |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - Camtek is a small German company with decades of experience in doing CAM for wire EDM. A few years ago, OPTICAM became available as a SolidWorks plug-in for wire EDM allowing users to create extremely detailed and small geometries. Camtek is staffed by an extremely dedicated bunch of specialists in the wire EDM area, which has many very special things to be considered when it comes to programming the NC code.
TenLinks Show Judge
Ralf Steck |
For More Information
SAN DIEGO, CA (SolidWorks World 2014) - nPower Software, a division of IntegrityWare, is a regular exhibitor at SolidWorks World, where it can show the still uninitiated SolidWorks user that with its Power Surfacing product, organic shapes are not just the domain of high end CAD products (like CATIA) that your boss will never buy or specialty programs (like Alias) that you will never learn. A SolidWorks Gold Partner product, Power Surfacing works within the comfortable interface of SolidWorks interface, and for just $1,495, it lifts the popular mainstream MCAD package to new heights of modeling capability.
This partner stood out last year, which was the first year I had seen them. This year, their product is more mature (more robust) and they have achieved Gold Partner status, which is significant. Adding Subdivision Surface modeling capability to SolidWorks in the most integrated and seamless way possible for a 3rd party, Power Surfacing for SolidWorks is unique in the game-changing functionality it brings to SolidWorks. The Sub-D approach to complex shape design is COMPLETELY unlike anything you have EVER been able to do in SolidWorks, and yet it complements SolidWorks so well. Their price point is remarkable given the functionality they are bringing to the table.
Their booth was staffed with experts that showed and discussed examples of how subdivision surface modeling is performed in general, and how their software performs it specifically in the realm of SolidWorks. They were both educational and compelling, opening users' eyes to the techniques and tools now available.
Anyone who is creating freeform shapes should add Power Surfacing to their repertoire
Jason Pancoast
Awesome surfacing tools inside SolidWorks that enable even more and better control.
( Disclosure: Jason works for CAPINC, an authorized reseller of nPower)Edson Gebo
Easy Class A surface modeling that allows handling of Sub-D models or NURBS bodies (from a variety of programs). If you don’t know what those are but want to make organic surfaces, this is the program for you.
TenLinks judge (name withheld)
Taking surfacing to a great level, giving more power to SolidWorks usersDeepak Gupta
For More Information
TenLinks Show Judges
Jason Pancoast |
Edson Gebo |
Roopinder Tara |
Deepak Gupta |