In our previous blog post, we walked through the process of setting up an airflow study over the front of the Thunder Roadster. We used SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to set up a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis to verify that incoming air is adhering to the surface of the car and entering the hood scoop at racing speeds. With the results verified, the next step is to design new inlet components to route as much of that air to the engine as possible to improve performance.

Manufacturing technology seems to catch on much slower than other technological leaps; it’s 2019 and I still train students every month coming from 2D drafting into the 3D world! Is this because of the companies, the designers, the machinists or none of these? There is a huge difference in how a job shop, or even a large-scale production facility, work versus how we think. We’re going to take a look at this much too common disconnect and what options are out there to improve shop communication and efficiency.

SOLIDWORKS is not just a CAD application. The integrated add-ins and supporting applications make it a complete engineering solution. I recently took advantage of these tools to complete a project that has been at the back of my mind for some time. It was a great opportunity to show how to use the SOLIDWORKS integrated platform from design all the way through the manufacturing and post-manufacturing process.  

In our previous blog post, we walked through the process of gathering usable data by 3D scanning the entire outside of Ryan's car. TriMech's Project Engineering Group helped us convert the scanned data into a usable SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD model of the Thunder Roadster. With this model, we'll be able to make, evaluate, verify and even modify the vehicle for ultimate performance!

The main appeal of DraftSight is that it allows users to create, edit, view and mark up any kind of DWG file with a familiar user interface, so transitions to and from a user’s CAD application are quicker. That integration between the 2D and 3D environment is key to what makes DraftSight such a great tool. Since it is part of the Dassault Systèmes family, it can seamlessly integrate with other products like SOLIDWORKS, GEOVIA, DELMIA and many others. With the release of DraftSight 2019, they have added even more integrations to the list, and these are our favorites:

Our QA blog series looks at different members of our team and their perspective on the most current 3D printing and CAD technology. This month’s QA features Techline Todd and Customer Support

RAPID+TCT was last week in Detroit and there were a lot of manufacturers, large and small, showcasing their advancements in the additive world. RAPID is one of the largest additive manufacturing conferences in the US and has been running for the last 30 years. At this show, many manufacturers announce their new technologies, so it’s usually an exciting show. This was my first RAPID and I was excited to see what all the big manufacturers were showing off as well as to see some of the more emerging technologies like bioprinting. Below are some of my highlights from the show.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a 3D printing technology that uses production-grade thermoplastics to create prototypes, end-use products, replacement parts and much more. These thermoplastic materials are strong and resistant to high temperatures. If your parts will be tested through an arduous process, FDM may be the best choice. There are several ways in which FDM can help improve the flow of product development in different parts of the process.

This week's Product Story showcases Milwaukee School of Engineering and their use of Stratasys F123 series printers and Stratasys materials.

Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) offers an innovative partnership between business and education in its Additive Manufacturing Lab. Students have the opportunity to work with businesses as they address unique challenges that arise when developing new products. The engineering students partner with Additive Lab consortium members to find a solution for these challenges.

TriMech’s solution partner, Stratasys, has recently signed an agreement with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and Don Schumacher Racing. This agreement allows the automotive teams to leverage the Fortus and F123 series of 3D printers as part of their additive manufacturing process to stay ahead of the competition by accelerating component prototyping, proof-of-concept and finished ultralight usable components. 

ABS is the most widely used polymer for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing. Take a walk down any aisle in a store and you are bound to see ABS in items that contain plastic. Consumer goods and automotive are the first industries that come to mind. Although, many industries have taken advantage of the unique combination of UV resistance, vivid colors and glossy finish that set this material apart. 

In our last article, “How Do I Print Wood", we learned how to 3D print a texture in full-color using the Agilus30 White material on the Stratasys J750. We discussed how to use new SOLIDWORKS 2019 features to create physical 3D displacement models using a 2D bump mapping pattern and then apply the color texture to the model in Adobe Photoshop CC.

In this article, I’m going to show you another method to accomplish nearly the same end product, this time using a stone texture and only Adobe Photoshop CC. What’s more, we’ll go into how 3D displacement using bump maps in Photoshop works, showing you a quick and easy method to manually alter those bump maps to make smoother or coarser physical textures.