Keith Pedersen
Simulation Tech Tip: How to Use the Bolt Connector
If you analyze assemblies of parts that are joined by bolts or screws, you probably know about the “Bolt Connector”. Bolt Connectors are a very efficient way of representing the bolt stiffness, and compression due to pre-load, on the bolted components. The Bolt Connector account for these effects mathematically in the solver, which spares you [...]
SolidWorks Tech Tip: Sketches That Enforce Proportion
Sometimes a sketched feature is not intended to produce a particular dimension, so much as to create a chosen proportion. The most obvious way to enforce proportionality between any two dimensions in SolidWorks, is to write an equation. Equations are powerful and useful, and they have their place. But we also teach that Geometric logic [...]
SolidWorks Tech Tip: Color Assigned to Features
Here’s a common problem that is hard to diagnose, and easy to solve, both for the same reason: It involves a setting in TOOLS > OPTIONS that is so infrequently used, and so little-known, that one tends to invoke it only by accident. Here’s the problem: You have several colors assigned to a part file, [...]
SolidWorks Simulation Tech Tip: How to prevent leaks
Have you ever needed to conduct a Flow study on a product assembly that has already been modeled in loving detail, including manufacturing features like clearances, gasketted fits, sheet metal hems and bend reliefs – and the resulting housing leaks in a hundred places? Configuring and editing this model to simplify, idealize, and close off [...]
“Big” News for SolidWorks Users
In doing some investigation relating to the actual dimensional limits of SolidWorks CAD models I came to some compelling conclusions. Solidworks models are dimensional, (rather than unit-less) and the native modeling basis is 1 meter. The largest possible model dimension is 1000 meters, (39370.07874016 inches) and the smallest possible model dimension is 0.0000001 meters, (1/10th [...]
KAP’s Corner: Imaginary Parts
In the world of FEA, sometimes the answer has to be “Right” – and sometimes it has to be “Right Now”. This month’s topic is about getting answers Right Now. Every example I’m going to cover here is a cheat of some kind. Purists, Beware! In each of these examples, the key to the method [...]
Doll-House Techniques (Our Most Popular KAP’s Corner Yet)
Have you read Keith Pedersen’s article on how to build detailed design work on welded tanks, sheet metal enclosures, furniture, cabinets, architectural, etc. – in a single part file. It’s a technique he’s been using and teaching for about 4 years, but never could come up with a good name to describe it. [Click the image [...]
