GoEngineer Continues Its Legacy of Supporting Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
GoEngineer is stepping up again to encourage the involvement of girls and women in STEM careers by supporting the Female Researchers Chapter (FRC) of the International Association of Computational Mathematics (IACM), which aims to promote gender balance in STEM-related careers. “I have daughters in school right now that I would love to see them more involved in science and engineering activities,” says Brad Hansen, president of GoEngineer.
The chapter chair and founder is Professor H Alicia Kim, Professor of Structural and Material Optimization at the University of California San Diego. She leads the group with a number of other committee members. “In computational mechanics, women tend to be the minority,” says Kim. “Our goal is to promote gender balance and provide a supportive network for female researchers.” The FRC chapter started about two years ago as a networking group within the IACM. There are currently about 100 members who attend various international events.
3D printing solution makes it all possible – one step at a time
Imagine an automated way to feed your pets. Think of the time you’d save. Think of the hassles you’d eliminate. My kitties need to be feed twice daily, so I set out to make the process easier using both CAD and 3D printing.
For the manual method of food delivery to my cats, I have to measure out 1/3 cup of kitty kibbles with a measuring scoop and then deliver the food into each respective dish.
I have two cats, so I have to do this for each bowl, twice a day.
It would be easier just to turn a handle, and in a matter of seconds, deliver the proper amount of food to each kitty at the same time – at least, that’s what I hoped.
It might be the most commonly asked question during my years at GoEngineer, and it was easily my least favorite question to answer. “Do you print in metal?”
It may surprise you to learn, but having to answer “no,” or more commonly “not yet,” isn’t actually why I disliked that particular question. Over time I’ve become adept at fielding the question in ways that kept their interest and channeled their excitement toward tangible options.
It wasn’t saying “no” that killed me, it was admitting that what they wanted didn’t yet exist.
Our users didn’t just want metal printing technology – they wanted metal printing that was as simple, affordable, safe, and easy to use as plastic printing. But it simply wasn’t available.
And then along came Desktop Metal…
If you haven’t heard by now, Desktop Metal is a 3D printing startup based in Burlington, Ma. The company formed in 2015. They have spent the last two years in quiet development of their hardware and software. And, they managed to draw about $97 million in funding from Google, BMW, Lowe’s, and Stratasys to name just a few of their high-profile investors. (more…)
In Flow Simulation, a vortex is a region in the fluid domain which causes a swirl in a region where there is asymmetric drag in the flow field. The vortex itself is an expected phenomenon which itself is not problematic. When that vortex is allowed to generate across a theoretical boundary within a CFD analysis that can cause the results to deviate from reality in the immediate vicinity of the boundary or also cause the solver to fail to produce results at all. For that reason, it is important to note where this is happening in an analysis and take steps to avoid it.
How can this be fixed?
The vortex itself is generating because of the local solid geometry near the pressure boundary of a CFD setup. If the flow through the boundary is not symmetric, a low-pressure region can generate in front of the boundary allowing fluid to pass the wrong direction through the boundary as intended. The fix for this is to “build out” the model geometry. What does this mean? The solid model needs to have more real life geometry added to the setup so the flow field can be allowed to have the vortex and then transition into a unidirectional flow.
Solution 1: Add Geometry
An example of a vortex across a boundary would be directly from the first Flow Simulation tutorial in SOLIDWORKS.
(The tutorials can be found under ‘Help’, ‘SOLIDWORKS Simulation’, ‘Flow Simulation Online Tutorial’ once the Flow Simulation add-in is turned on). The ball valve, as it is setup in the tutorial, has two lids that are positioned closely to the ball of the valve. In situations where the ball valve is not set completely open the flow through the valve is forced to be asymmetric as it passes through the pressure outlet.
The asymmetric flow out the pressure boundary allows fluid to backflow through the theoretical pressure boundary and creates the vortex that is seen below. (more…)
Stratasys recently announced a new lineup of three new FDM machines known as the F123 series. This new lineup of printers brings you new design, new components, new software and so much more. Learn how the Stratasys F123 Series makes the Rapid Prototyping process more efficient and productive for you and your team in this webinar:
SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2017 is here and we are super excited about some of the new features and enhancements it provides. Although SOLIDWORKS Electrical is still a relatively young product to SOLIDWORKS; it’s users have been actively putting it through its paces and making suggestions to make it even better. This year we not only see some great enhancements, we got some great new capabilities.
1. 3D Layout – Use existing assembly
You can now use an existing SOLIDWORKS Assembly to insert your electrical components to route your wires, cables, and harnesses. They have also renamed the command, it’s still under the process tab but it’s now called “SOLIDWORKS Assembly”. You can still have electrical create a new assembly or select an existing assembly from your local drive, network or Enterprise PDM.
2. Add data file shortcuts
When adding documents to your projects, such as a PDF, you can now link to the document. This is awesome because it allows you to store your reference material where you traditionally keep it instead of making copies within the project.
3. Replace attribute and renumbering documents
Both commands received huge improvements as well as new interfaces. Both make it easier to incorporate changes faster and more accurately.
Recorded Webinars – A Tool for Personal & Professional Development
It’s hard to believe 2016 has come and gone. Were you successful in completing your 2016 resolutions? I found personally, that setting obtainable goals worked best and were much more fulfilling in hindsight. Here are 3 rules I live by:
Commit to a Resolution that is obtainable – Start Small.
Tell everyone close to me for accountability purposes – Talk about it.
Don’t quit when steps aren’t achieved as quickly as intended – Never Give up!
So, now that we’ve outlined how to set a resolution and stick to it, let the learning begin! Below you will find a short list of Top GoEngineer webinars of 2016.
Sit back, Grab a cup of coffee or tea, and hit play!
For this first video, you will learn about New and Enhanced Features of SOLIDWORKS 2017 according to Sean Stone, Applications Engineer. Here Sean shares some of his favorites from this years’ launch events as well as some buried in the What’s New document.
Visuals are important to the design process, stories, social media and more. They are dominating Pinterest, that’s for sure. In this webinar, you will learn tips and tricks to the Visualize Interface and ideas for new graphical content you can bring to your company.
I write lists. On paper. With a pen. Writing helps me remember, while typing with my thumbs on an itty bitty screen does not. Then I struggle to coexist between a paper and paperless world. But Livescribe solves that. It’s a Smartpen that houses an infrared camera, ARM processor, Bluetooth Smart chipset, flash memory and lithium ion battery all work together to bring your notes to life on your tablet or smartphone. Android and iOS friendly.
Let’s talk about your SOLIDWORKS network license and debunk those myths with facts. Which one of these 5 are you guilty of believing?
You accidentally received extra licenses (yassss!).
Not true. Only once in 5 years have I seen SOLIDWORKS write an incorrect license file. The way licenses are listed in the SNL can be misleading. Suppose you have a network license containing 1 Professional License and 1 Standard license. The SNL will show 1 Professional License and 2 Standard Licenses. Why? Because when you are pulling a Professional license, the license manager is releasing a Standard license and the Professional ADD-INS. So really the license manager listing should read “Professional ADDINS”, rather than “Professional”. You cannot pull a Professional or Premium license without pulling a Standard license.
You don’t have the ability to use SOLIDWORKS on your home computer.
For me, riding my motorcycle is having the freedom of the open road and traveling with the wind in my hair! Sounds great, right? Well, after any extended period of riding in the weather elements; physical and mental fatigue takes over, leaving the operation of a motorcycle quite dangerous.
On my quest to create comfort and extend my riding to a long haul, I decided to improve the stock windshield (or windscreen) of my KTM SM-T. This is where aftermarket parts, SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing technology takes over.
Motorcycle Windscreen: Stock vs Touring
Take a look at the stock windscreen below. It looks ergonomically ‘sporty’ but doesn’t provide much protection from the weather elements.
In comparison, you will see a touring windscreen below. This version is significantly taller but still does not provide the necessary protection from the weather elements.
And then along came Desktop Metal…
Let’s talk about your SOLIDWORKS network license and debunk those myths with facts. Which one of these 5 are you guilty of believing?
