Mechanical Design: Central Coast

Showing posts with label Central Coast. Show all posts

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Hamilton ByDesign - The Solidworks Experience

To our clients it is, our plan is to leverage the strength and capabilities of the and build a new experience that is as intuitive and easy to use as the you use today. Today, I want to share the first example of this new approach, which we are calling .

SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual is a tool for conceptual mechanical design that is complementary to the products you use today. It allows you to capture ideas digitally, quickly create , get feedback from internal and external stakeholders, and easily manage multiple concepts before committing engineering time to build.

Why Conceptual?

31% of project time is spent on conceptual mechanical design
3 out of 4 engineers are engaged in conceptual mechanical design
On average there are six conceptual and four design iterations in a typical project
There can be more than three internal and two external stakeholder groups involved in the concept phase

Today, SolidWorks is the best solution for , but it limits your creativity for this key conceptual step. SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual fills in these gaps and allows you to:

Capture ideas digitally
Manage multiple concepts
Collaborate and communicate

Instinctive Design

Evolving a concept is where SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual really begins to speed the design time. Most systems force you to think about product structure in order to capture ideas. Our is about ease of use, creativity, and ease of change – with amazing flexibility. Capturing concepts digitally is quick and easy with familiar tools and concepts so the focus is on ideas -- not on the software.

Sketch

SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual merges the benefits of history, parametrics, and direct editing into a single interface. As a concept evolves, you can make any change necessary to a design while respecting the design intent you previously created. The Single Modelling Environment allows you to evolve from layout sketches to , to separate parts and assemblies, without taking product structure into consideration.

SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual lets you evolve your design’s organizational structure as you evolve the idea and have a better understanding of where the design will go. This eliminates wasted time because you never have to start over or drastically rework designs to make an underlying change.

Search Assemble

In our single modelling environment, as we evolve our product structure into assemblies we have familiar tools and intelligence that improves with use as components learn how they were used previously. You can also automatically apply previous intent to new designs. And SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual always saves the design, as well as various iterations, so it’s very easy to get back to a previous idea and develop it further.

As we get to more of a 3D concept, we can use motion simulation to better understand the real world interaction of parts and identify key concerns early on, before getting to detail design.

Social Innovation

When you feel that sufficient concepts have been captured, then it’s key to be able to engage stakeholders (both internal to the organization as well as with customers and vendors) to get feedback on the best path forward.

SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual has social innovation capabilities built into its foundation. At any point, the designer can engage stakeholders by posting concepts to their private communities. Stakeholders are notified that there is a concept to review and can provide feedback using simple and familiar Web concepts. The world is becoming more social every day, and at SolidWorks we believe in . SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual truly brings these capabilities to concept design. This type of participation will allow you to better engage with your customers and differentiate yourself from the competition. After stakeholders are done, the designer is automatically notified and can continue to evolve the concept with this feedback.

Connected

SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual is always connected to the design database and to other users. This gives us the ability to secure your data, prevent data loss from any crashes, and automatically save iterations of each concept.

You are also connected to other users both working on your project and also in the wider SolidWorks community. You can participate in live chats with other users to get feedback on a question or a design challenge. Users are always working together on the same design so that there is no time wasted, or confusion as to what is the latest version. When a team member makes a change, all users are updated in real time with the latest version so the concepts will always progress forward.

Communities

Being connected provides access anywhere at any time to your concepts. SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual even allows users to take designs on the go for design reviews, or even for sales and marketing using mobile applications.

We are very excited about the progress we have made with SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual. This product will be a great complement to companies using SolidWorks today. We believe the product delivers on a new approach to conceptual design by incorporating the flexibility of a single modelling environment, social innovation, and the benefits of being connected online.

In May of this year, we will be working with select customers to validate these principles of conceptual design in their production environments. Once we are confident in the benefits these customers are seeing we expect to make SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual available to all users in the Fall of 2013.

The team at have been using SolidWorks since 2001for more information on how to get your projects moving contact HamiltonBy Design Today

www.hamiltonbydesign.com

Monday, June 25, 2012

Mechanical Drawings Converted from 2d to 3d

focus is on converting 2D engineering drawings to 3D . This allows manufacturing to directly input the data into Computer Numerical Control (CNC) and/or

Computer Measuring Machine (CMC) which improve accuracy and speeds up production. Furthermore 2D conversation to 3D offer higher levels of design productivity in terms of and getting projects out the door in a more timely fashion in comparison to traditional 2D drawing methods.

Conversion services may be limited to occasional field visits and certain contract administration requirements. Our clients are established engineering and/or manufacturing firms who require .

include:

Converting existing two dimensional Cad or Paper drawings into three dimensional models.
13 various data file formats.
3D modeling of mechanical components and mated assemblies.
Reverse engineering and finite element analysis.
3D Model Upgrades / Modifications: Quoted based on job specifics.

www.hamiltonbydesign.com.au

Mechanical Drawings Converted from 2D to 3D — Why It Matters

In many engineering and manufacturing environments, legacy 2D drawings—on paper or in CAD—still dominate. But converting those drawings into 3D parametric models unlocks far greater productivity, accuracy, and design flexibility.

At Hamilton By Design, we specialise in converting 2D mechanical drawings into robust 3D models, so that manufacturing, inspection, and design teams all work from the same, living dataset.

Why Convert 2D Drawings to 3D?

Here are the core benefits:

CNC / CMC Compatibility
A 3D model can feed directly into Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines or Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM/CMC). That reduces error from manual interpretation, and accelerates machining and inspection.
Higher Design Productivity
Designers working in full 3D parametric space can more quickly explore variations, assemblies, interference checks, and motion elements. Revisions ripple through the model automatically, not via manual redrawing.
Better Visualisation & Validation
3D models allow stakeholders to see spatial relationships, clearance, interference, and access issues before fabrication. You avoid surprises in shop or onsite.
Reverse Engineering & Legacy Support
Many projects start with old drawings, incomplete documentation, or even paper prints. Converting 2D to 3D lets you modernise those assets for future use and analysis.

What the Conversion Service Includes

When Hamilton By Design handles 2D → 3D conversions, these are standard components of our service offering:

Import & Interpretation
- We convert existing CAD files or scan/import paper drawings
- We support 13+ common data formats (DWG, DXF, IGES, STEP, etc.)
- We interpret drawing annotations, tolerances, and material notes
Parametric 3D Modelling
- Building mechanical components in full 3D
- Creating assemblies with correct mates and motion constraints
- Retaining design intent and allowing future edits
Reverse Engineering & Analysis
- For legacy or worn parts, we can reverse engineer geometry from 2D or scans
- We support finite element (FEA) preparation if clients want to validate stress, deformation, or thermals
Upgrades & Modifications
- Once 3D models exist, we can adapt, optimise, or extend them
- We quote modifications based on job scale, complexity, geometry clarity, and documentation state

How We Do It — Our Approach & Quality Controls

Converting drawings isn’t just copying shapes into 3D — it’s reinterpreting design intent in a living model. Here's how we make that reliable:

Interpret Annotations & Tolerances
Dimensions, centrelines, surface finish, material notes — we map those from 2D to 3D metadata, so the model remains legally and functionally consistent.
Maintain Parametric Intent
We build models with parametric constraints (driven dimensions, relations, features) so that future changes are easier and safe.
Assembly Validation
We assemble parts in 3D to validate fit, motion, interference, and alignment. That ensures what’s drawn actually works in 3D space.
Quality Checking & Review
After conversion, we review models — comparing against original drawings, cross-checking tolerances, and ensuring the geometry is accurate and clean.
Deliverables
We provide the 3D model in your preferred CAD format, annotated 2D drawings, and often a “redline” list of areas needing client review (ambiguous features, missing dimensions, etc.).

Real-World Impact: Use Cases & Benefits

Reduced Lead Time in Manufacturing
When machine shops receive a fully modelled part, they skip manual interpretation and setup. That cuts setup time, reduces fabrication error, and accelerates delivery.
Better Inspection & QA
The 3D model can drive CMM measurement programmes directly — alignment, feature location, and tolerances can be validated more consistently.
Fewer Hidden Errors & Rework
Spatial clashes, misalignment, and interference issues become visible in the 3D model — before parts are cut or welded.
Future-Proofing Legacy Assets
Older drawings become digital assets. Once in 3D, you can perform modifications, simulations, and digital twin integration.
Interoperability & Collaboration
3D models are easier to share between design, engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and downstream systems — no ambiguous sketches or misinterpretations.

Challenges & Best Practices

Challenge	Mitigation / Approach
Ambiguous or incomplete drawings	We highlight these areas and request clarifications or field measurements
Legacy or inconsistent standards	Apply internal consistency rules and standardise dimensioning during modelling
Tolerance discrepancies	Use worst-case assumptions, flag areas for review, or request client verification
Assembly constraints	Use flexible mates or test-fit assemblies to observe motion correctness
Complex non-linear geometry	Dissect into sub-features or use reference geometry to reconstruct missing curves

By treating the conversion as an engineering re-interpretation, not just a drafting task, we ensure the resulting 3D models are robust, editable, and usable.