TriMech Blog

In May 2016, Stratasys released GrabCad Print, a sophisticated 3D printing app that allows designers and engineers to prepare, schedule and monitor 3D printing jobs. Since its release, GrabCAD has continued to make exciting updates to this software; and I will be updating you every month on its new features - September 2017 launches GrabCAD Print 1.10.

SOLIDWORKS includes a library of standard structural members, such as tubes, pipes, c-channels, beams, angles and unistrut. By creating a sketch that represents the skeleton of a frame, these structural members can then be inserted onto the sketched lines. From there, various end treatments can be applied to determine how the lines join together.

3D printing has been around for more than 30 years and is growing exponentially. In fact, it is expected to grow 20% year over year. Top industries including aerospace and defense, automotive and medical are jumping at the chance to incorporate additive technologies into their design workflow. With as many 3D printing solutions as Stratasys offers, it can be challenging for new adopters to know which machine is the best match for their field or application. In this blog, we identify which technology and level 3D printer can help your company get started.

Stratasys offers a variety of thermoplastic materials, all of which are designed to make strong, durable parts. Traditionally, consumers tend to gravitate toward ABS because it is the most well-known of the thermoplastic materials Stratasys offers. However, there is a dark horse in the FDM material lineup that few people look into, and it could prove to be a better solution to your needs over ABS. That material is called ASA. Keep reading to see how the two materials compare.

For this article, we compare the three different nylon based materials offered by Stratasys for FDM 3D printing. Each of these materials have their own advantages and drawbacks. Keep reading to learn about the technical properties of Nylon 6, Nylon 12 and Nylon 12CF (carbon filled) and why you would choose one material over another for your next engineering project.

Deciding to switch 3D software platforms for an entire team can be a costly decision for any company. But sometimes, it can be much more costly not to switch. In this blog, we outline three reasons you should consider switching to SOLIDWORKS.

To wrap up our three-part blog series focused on applications of 3D printing in the medical industry, we'll discuss the use of 3D printers specifically in the hospital setting. While research on 3D printing in hospitals has been published as far back as 1998, the majority of publications date after 2014—this is a result of recent technological advancements and being more newly adopted into this medical sector. Keep reading to see how 3D printing is changing the game for hospital's surgical departments, clinical training and patient recovery programs. 

While still evolving, 3D printing has largely impacted how R&D departments, research labs and product development teams approach medical device manufacturing. In Part 1 of our three-part blog series, we talk about how 3D printing helps customize prosthetics, orthotics and bionics. In Part 2, we outline how it's used in different stages of medical device development and is advancing biomedical engineering and the healthcare industry.

In the past decade, new additive technologies have emerged, empowering researchers and lending more accurate, costumizable solutions to the medical industry. In our blog, we outline how additive technologies enable tailor-made prosthetics, orthotics and bionics.

SOLIDWORKS provides us with so many ways to customize the interface, models and drawings to match anyone’s design needs. Given the important role drawings play as a demonstration of product, it is important for clients to have their title blocks and borders set up just right. In a previous article, we discussed these sheet formats and how to edit the ones included with your SOLIDWORKS installation. Another way to streamline this process is to import a title block from a DXF or DWG file, allowing you to leverage your legacy data and create a consistent and continuous look to your drawings.

By this point in your life, chances are you have probably used a hot glue gun at least once. It is a common household tool used for a variety of projects. Stratasys FDM 3D printers are the same. Like glue guns, FDM technology is a common additive manufacturing tool for a range of applications. In this blog, I highlight the top four industry uses for FDM printers.

Every company that is new to SOLIDWORKS has similar issues to tackle when they are first getting started with the software. Here are some of the most common questions we receive from clients: 

• ”How can I utilize my legacy CAD data in this new program?”
• “How can I get my engineers started in designing as soon as possible?”
• “How can I create a drawing that contains my company’s specific title block and automatically adheres to our standards?”