In this article, we’ll be covering all the SOLIDWORKS resources available to you through Hawk Ridge Systems, including our technical support team, our YouTube channel and everything in between.

This is a great place to start if you’re currently waiting to receive your SOLIDWORKS serial number, which should arrive within 3-5 business days (though this may take a bit longer during peak business periods). If you already have your serial number, be sure to check out our article “Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS: Registration and Installation” to get you up and running with SOLIDWORKS. With that, let’s cover some of the resources you can start using to your advantage today.

World-Class Technical Support

First and foremost, our technical support team is on standby to assist you with any technical issues you may be experiencing in SOLIDWORKS, from unexpected software behavior to crashes and installation issues. There are a number of ways to get in contact with our technical support team, including  phone, email or the technical support online platform.

The online platform for Hawk Ridge Systems technical support is the best place for starting and managing both new and existing support tickets, and is a great way to communicate directly with our support team. To access the online platform and start a new support ticket, select the Technical Support tab on our company page.

Then, choose the Help Center.

The Help Center is your hub for submitting technical support requests, and also includes the Hawk Ridge Knowledge Base, which offers a tremendous amount of helpful information regarding installation, licensing and common questions if you prefer the self-help route. You’ll find knowledge base topics available on the left-hand side of the Help Center (shown below).

To begin a support ticket, simply click Submit a Request (shown above) and provide the required information. If applicable, feel free to include any attachments you’d like your support technician to see, then click submit and our support team will be on the case!

At some point, you may be required to log in to support. If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to create an account with us to follow up on any active support cases. Simply click the Login button (shown above) and use the Sign Up option to create an account. If you’ve already communicated with our support team via email, your email address is likely already registered, and you should instead use the Get a Password option to receive a login password via email.

If you’re returning to check on an existing support case, use the Check Existing Requests option (located to the left of the Logout button) after logging in to view the status of any open tickets. Our online support platform is one of the best ways to communicate with us, and will ensure that you remain happy and productive with SOLIDWORKS.

For the most immediate assistance, consider giving us a call at one of the numbers shown below:
United States: (877) 266-4469
Canada: (866) 587-6803

Our technical support staff is available live from 5AM to 5PM Pacific every weekday, and calls are typically answered in 30 seconds or less. This is one of your best bets for getting critical issues solved quickly, and our team would love to hear from you!

Finally, support is also available via email – just send a message to support@hawkridgesys.com and we’ll get started on a solution as soon as possible. This is a great method to use if you’re not the talkative type.

YouTube Channel and Blog

If you prefer to learn on your own, you’ll definitely want to check out the Hawk Ridge Systems YouTube channel, where we’ve archived over 300 videos documenting solutions to common usage issues, showcasing best practices and introducing new products. From the main YouTube page, simply search for Hawk Ridge Systems to find our channel. Don’t forget to subscribe, as we release new videos every week!

If you prefer to read instead, consider checking out our blog. From our main web page, you can visit our Hawk Ridge Systems blog to see our latest write-ups and articles. You can also explore by category or search for specific topics, and even subscribe to be the first to see the latest and greatest from our SOLIDWORKS experts.

Hawk Ridge Systems Resource Center

The Hawk Ridge Systems Resource Center is another one-stop-shop for all your technical needs, and includes a mixture of videos, articles and other types of media that make for excellent learning resources. To access the Resource Center, simply use the Support tab on the main website, then choose Resource Center, and begin browsing.

Once you’ve explored the resource center and have found that you’re ready to up your game and become a SOLIDWORKS master, you can’t go without SOLIDWORKS training from Hawk Ridge Systems.

After you’ve received your SOLIDWORKS serial number, check out our article covering “Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS: Registration and Installation.” If you have any questions on any of these resources or if there’s anything else we can help you with, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post Getting Started With SOLIDWORKS: Hawk Ridge Systems Resources appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

In this article, we’ll be discussing First Article Inspection (FAI) reports and covering a basic strategy for creating them in the SOLIDWORKS Inspection standalone program. But first, what is FAI all about?

FAI utilizes an industry set of standards, it typically consists of three sections referred to as Form 1, 2 and 3. Forms 1 and 2 are populated with drawing properties such as drawing title, part name, revision, unit of measure and material, while Form 3 contains the nominal value and tolerance of each inspection-required dimension.

Step One: Import the PDF Drawing

Importing a PDF into SOLIDWORKS Inspection is simple. First, create the project by going to File > New Project. Out of the box, there are two project templates that follow AS9102 standards to choose from, Inches or Metric. Choose the one that is right for you and select OK.

These templates can be fully customized. For more information, check out this detailed blog on “How to Make SOLIDWORKS Inspection Templates.”

Next, we will select the PDF drawing. After selecting which project template to use SOLIDWORKS Inspection automatically opens a new window for importing the PDF drawing. Navigate to the drawing and select open.

Note: If you have a SOLIDWORKS drawing available, you can make this process even easier by inspecting from within SOLIDWORKS!

Step Two: Capture Project Specific Data – Form 1 & 2

SOLIDWORKS Inspection pulls data from any PDF drawing using a technology called Optical Character Recognition (OCR). OCR scans user-selected areas of the document, capturing and entering machine-readable text into specific fields of the FAI Report. Forms 1 & 2 are populated by information from the PDF drawing and will be exported into the Excel template when the FAI Report is published.

In SOLIDWORKS Inspection, Form 1 & 2 data fields are called Project Properties. Project Property fields are populated by selecting the field, clicking the lightning bolt and boxing-selecting the appropriate property. This is where project properties such as drawing title, revision, and material are automatically populated using OCR.

Step Three: Balloon Drawing Dimensions – No Manual Entry

Ballooning the drawing works the same way as populating the project properties. OCR pulls the optical data directly from the PDF drawing, converts the text to a machine-readable format and places the numbered balloons. This happens simultaneously and automatically, eliminating the need for manual entry, when box-selecting the dimensions required for inspection.

When ballooning drawings in SOLIDWORKS Inspection, the nominal value and tolerancing are displayed in the Characteristics tab. This allows easy verification of accuracy and manipulation if needed. Once captured, the nominal value, tolerancing, min/max values, and character ID are recorded in the Bill of Characteristics within the Table Manager.

This operation is achieved by selecting the Dimension tool in the Document tab and box-selecting the inspection-required dimension. Box-selecting the next selection automatically finishes the current operation and switches to the next dimension requiring inspection, automatically ballooning and numbering the drawing. This simple switching from one characteristic to another allows for streamlined population of the Bill of Characteristics.

Step Four: Exporting the FAI Report and Ballooned Drawing

Everything captured in SOLIDWORKS Inspection is neatly compiled into a standard and editable Excel spreadsheet template and the drawing is exported as a standard ballooned PDF drawing.

To publish the FAI Report, go to the Home tab and select Excel from the Publish category. When selecting Excel, you can choose from the standard templates, or pick a custom template to use. To produce the ballooned drawing in PDF format, select 2DPDF from the same area.

The FAI Report templates are Excel and can be modified meet your requirements. If you want to know more about customizing these templates check out this in-depth three-part SOLIDWORKS Inspection templates video series.

Here is a free AS9102 Excel template to use for your FAI reports.

Bonus: If you use a CMM, SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional will automatically populate the result data directly into the FAI!

All major Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) are supported. CMM work by analyzing the manufactured part and outputs specific measurements into a standardized text output. SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional imports these files and automatically fills in the result data. This eliminates the need to manually enter results into the Excel FAI Report.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection works both outside of SOLIDWORKS for PDF drawings and directly within SOLIDWORKS for native drawings. If you use a CMM, SOLIDWORKS Inspection Professional will automate the entire process from ballooning to result entry. No matter your manufacturing inspection needs, SOLIDWORKS Inspection will help automate the process and eliminate human error.

If you have any questions on SOLIDWORKS Inspection, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems for more information. Thanks for reading!

The post 4 Easy Steps to Create a First Article Inspection Report appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing (or SNL for short) relies on a lightweight server component to handout licenses to client PCs. As users load SOLIDWORKS products, the appropriate licenses are checked out from the license pool. When a user closes SOLIDWORKS or unloads an add-in such as SOLIDWORKS Simulation, the license is automatically returned to the pool.

If a user knows they need to go off-network, they can “borrow” or temporarily check out a license from the license server. Borrowing a license checks out the license for the assigned period of time (up to 30 days) and removes it from the available license pool. The licenses automatically return after the borrowing period or can be manually returned sooner using the SolidNetworkLicense Manager Client.

What follows are the major technical/IT considerations for deploying the SNL server. For a broader overview of SOLIDWORKS licensing options, consider our article “Everything You Need to Know about SOLIDWORKS Licensing Options.”

Requirements for SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing

The main requirements for running the SNL server are:

• Supported Microsoft Windows Operating System
• Network connection between server and client PCs

Let’s discuss these in a little more detail.

Operating Systems

Recommended: Windows Server 2016 or Window Server 2019
Windows 10 64 bit is also supported.

Note: SOLIDWORKS 2020 SNL will not install on Windows Server 2012.

See the latest SOLIDWORKS System Requirements under “SOLIDWORKS Server Products.”

Hardware Requirements

The hardware requirements for the SNL server are insignificant.

SNL installation should consume less than 1 GB of free disk space.

Virtual Environments

Supported VM hypervisors are listed in a subsection of the SOLIDWORKS system requirements page. It is possible to host the SNL on a supported virtual machine with a persistent instance and IP address so long as it also meets the network requirements.

Network Connection

Licenses should be accessed within the company’s LAN or equivalent network. For outside access, it is possible to establish a VPN connection. If connection latency is high, however, this may lead to delays in opening and saving files, as well as loading SOLIDWORKS add-ins. Licenses can also be borrowed over VPN connection.

Network Ports

Network licensing requires that the client PCs can connect to the machine with the SNL server. The connection can be specified by IP address or machine name.
The checkbox “A Firewall is in use on this Server” should typically be checked when using the SNL server. Default ports used by the SNL are 25734 (inbound) and 25735 (outbound) but can be customized.

It’s important to add firewall exceptions to the server so that these ports, and/or the SNL process itself are open for communication with clients.

Check out Network License SNL Troubleshooting Techniques for more info on testing connectivity.

Internet Access*

Initial activation and license updates (such as adding newly purchased products to the license) typically require internet access.

Note: a process exists for “air-gapped” systems that require activating the server without internet access (see the FAQ below for details).

Installation

The SNL is installed from the same installation media as SOLIDWORKS. If installation media is needed it can be downloaded from the SOLIDWORKS customer portal using the associated SOLIDWORKS ID.

When installing, choose “Server Products” and “SolidNetWork License Manager,” then follow the onscreen prompts.

On the client side, installations are automatically configured as network licensed based if a network licensed serial number is input and will prompt for the server name and port at time of installation.

Detailed installation guides are available:

2020 SOLIDWORKS Network Server Installation Guide

2020 SOLIDWORKS Network Client Installation Guide

Technical Support

Don’t forget, you aren’t in this alone! If you are a customer of Hawk Ridge Systems on active subscription, you can benefit from our technical support. Email support or use the contact methods below:

Support Portal
United States: 877.266.4469
Canada: 866.587.6803

Frequently Asked Questions

Read on for answers to common questions and additional resources.

Is the SNL “Backwards Compatible”?

Yes. The current generation SNL should be able to serve licenses to client machines running SOLIDWORKS Versions as far back as 2004.

However, the SNL must be upgraded with every release of SOLIDWORKS. It cannot serve licenses to newer versions of SOLIDWORKS than itself.

This means the SNL is the first thing that should be upgraded during any upgrade process.

Can a Client Point to More Than One SNL Server?

Yes, this is one method to achieve redundancy.

Can a Client Utilize a Combination of SNL/Network Licensed and Standalone Products?

Yes. Aside from the network license, other standalone or online activation based serial numbers can be loaded into the client installation.

What Happens in the Event of a Server Outage? How Often Does a SOLIDWORKS Client Check for Licenses?

There is a “heartbeat” signal that gets sent to the SNL server from the client approximately every two minutes, as well as during Open and Save operations and other actions such as loading add-ins.

If the heartbeat is missed or the server is down for a prolonged period of time (typically over 10-15 minutes) the user will eventually receive an error message stating that the network connection has been lost and prompting them to save their work, after which SOLIDWORKS will automatically close.

Can License Usage Be Monitored?

Actively checked out licenses are visible within the SNL License Usage tab. Basic debugging information is stored in a log file (LMGRD.log) in the SNL install directory.

For detailed reporting, our guide SolidNetWork License (SNL) Usage Monitoring recommends some known third party solutions.

Is There a Fee for Establishing a Network License?

There is an initial setup fee for the conversion to network licenses, and per license cost as well as subscription costs are slightly higher than standalone licenses.

Is There a Fee for Removing a License From the Network?

There is also an administrative fee for removing a license from the network and converting it back to standalone as it requires a new SOLIDWORKS serial number to be issued.

What Is the Underlying Technology Used by the SNL?

FlexNet FlexLM Licensing. Advanced configuration is possible through FlexNet options file configuration.

Options File Guide: SolidNetWork License Manager Options File For SOLIDWORKS.

Can Certain Licenses Be Reserved for Particular Users or Groups?

A user that needs a particular license for a while (or off-network) can reserve it by borrowing it from the SNL.

More advanced rules for reserving or restricting licenses for groups of users can be established by editing the SNL options file.

Do Licenses Automatically Time Out?

By default after two hours of inactivity a SOLIDWORKS CAD license will be automatically returned to the license server and prompt the user to save their work. This timeout does not apply by default to add-in products.

Timeouts are adjustable by product from an options file.

Can I Host the SNL On the Same PC that Has a SOLIDWORKS Client Installation?

This is possible, but not recommended for large multi-user environments. The machine with the SNL must remain powered on and connected to the network to ensure other users would have access.

How Does a User Choose Which License is Assigned to Them?

SOLIDWORKS automatically pulls the “least cost” license. Users launching SOLIDWORKS CAD will at first receive a license of SOLIDWORKS Standard until they perform an action that requires a higher version or add-in, in which case the license will be upgraded or swapped.

License order can also be manually controlled by the SolidNetworkManager Client to prioritize pulling certain license types over others.

How Do I Know If a Serial Number is Network or Standalone?

Network Serial Numbers generally start with the digits 9010
Standalone Serial Numbers generally start with the digits 9000

How Do I Add More Products to an Existing SNL?

See our guide: Adding Additional Serial Numbers To An Existing SOLIDWORKS License Server

Can Users Outside the Country Use Our Network Licenses Via VPN or Other Means?

SOLIDWORKS License Agreement states that the software is for use within the country it was purchased. Global Network Licenses are an exception to this.

How Can I Convert Existing Standalone Installations to Network Installations?

See our guide: Converting From A Standalone License To A Network License

How Can the SNL Be Activated Without Internet Connection for An “Air-Gapped” Server?

This is possible through a multi-step process that requires another computer which does have an internet connection.

The license request file can be generated from the offline server and transferred via USB drive to another PC with internet access to email the license request. Once the response file is returned, it can be transferred back to the offline PC via USB drive to complete the activation process.

In either case, once the activation is complete, internet access won’t be needed again unless the license needs to be transferred or reactivated (such as for adding additional products to the SNL server).

Can I Host the License Server On a Cloud Provider (Like AWS or Azure)?

See the notes at the beginning of this document regarding supported virtual machines. Our technical support team will be able to assist with ensuring that the SOLIDWORKS SNL runs on a supported virtual machine platform, but there are additional IT considerations that must be overcome such as enforcing that the virtual machine maintains a persistent image and providing for connectivity to clients.

Additional Resources

You may also be interested in the following Hawk Ridge Systems YouTube videos:

SOLIDWORKS Network License Manager Installation

Adding Firewall Port Exceptions for the SOLIDWORKS License Server

SOLIDWORKS: Using the SNL Client

Borrowing and Transferring SOLIDWORKS Licenses

For more information on SOLIDWORKS and if you have any related questions, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post IT Considerations for SOLIDWORKS Network Licensing appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

This blog post will reveal how you can automatically generate serial numbers for your 3D printed parts using HP Jet Fusion and Materialise Magics. In an additive manufacturing environment, traceability is a big deal. How can you monitor when a part was made? What material or what revision was a particular part? More and more, companies are moving to the digitalization of inventory to save on warehouse space and associated costs with storing physical parts. And with that movement there is a consistent need for higher volumes of “On-Demand,” “End-Use” 3D printed parts that are traceable.

In the past, the serialization of CAD data has been labor intensive with a large amount of manual data entry. With Materialize Magics, automatically generating serial numbers becomes a breeze. We are going to go step by step on how to add traceability to your printed parts through serialization.

Machine | HP Jet Fusion 5200

To start, we need the right machine for the job and that is the HP Jet Fusion 5200 3D printer. The HP Jet Fusion series of machines are leading the way in high volume production of end-use 3D printed parts.

Four key features give HP machines the edge over other systems on the market for high volume production printing, including:

1. The ability to continuously print with mobile build units and external cooling (natural and fast cooling).
2. One Pass printing mode for incredible layer to layer print speed.
3. Consistent and repeatable results for dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, and a high-quality cosmetic finish.
4. Low part cost due to high material recyclability of up to 80 percent.

Automated Serialization Software | Materialise Magics

The next piece of the puzzle is a software solution called Materialise Magics. The process of adding unique serial numbers to your CAD files can be automated using this software by completing a few simple steps. Let’s take a look!

Step One: Import your CAD file into Materialise Magics, which can easily be done by dragging and dropping the file.

Step Two: Orient the view screen normal to the surface that you want to place your serial number and then use the Mass Label command. To find this command, simply select the Tools tab and then Label → Mass Label. In this step, we also need to select a view plane to correctly orient our chosen surface for text. In this case, I chose the Front view plane to place my serial number.

Step Three: Select a Counter tab and then drag and drop your text zone.

Step Four: Customize the counter tab for your serial number:

• Quantity of Parts
• Counting steps
• Custom Text
• Engraved or Raised

Step Five: Duplicate the desired number of parts by selecting Apply as STL.

Nesting of Parts | Materialise Magics

Once you have all your parts duplicated, the next stage is to move into the nesting of parts. Again, Materialise Magics has the tools to get the job done. When using a powder-based printing system like the HP Jet Fusion 5200, it is advantageous to efficiently pack parts at a minimum build height. Once we have our build nested, it is time to send it to a printer! To learn more about nesting with Materialise Magics, check out the article, “How To Maximize Nesting Efficiency in Your 3D Printing Builds.”

There you have it, now it is time to start Serializing your 3D printed parts using Materialise Magics and HP Jet Fusion 3D printers. If you would like to learn more, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today!

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Whether you’re looking to try SOLIDWORKS for your first time or you’ve used it in the past and want to try it again, SOLIDWORKS has options that allow you to take a test drive.

Does SOLIDWORKS Have a Free Trial?

Yes! With the SOLIDWORKS free trial, you can access the latest versions of multiple SOLIDWORKS products.

A free trial is a great way to test SOLIDWORKS capabilities and functions without needing the commitment of installation or subscription.

What Products Are Included In the SOLIDWORKS Free Trial?

The free trial allows you to explore the latest release of SOLIDWORKS Premium. You can also access SOLIDWORKS Simulation, SOLIDWORKS MBD, SOLIDWORKS CAM and SOLIDWORKS Visualize.

If you’re not seeing one of the products that you wanted to try out, just let us know and we can work on getting those set up for you.

How Long Does the SOLIDWORKS Free Trial Last?

You can either do a seven, 15 or 30-day trial.

What Version of SOLIDWORKS Is the Free Trial?

Because no one wants to work on an outdated version of something (classic cars excluded), your test trial includes the latest version of SOLIDWORKS. That way, you can explore all of the new enhancements and features that have been added in that year.

Do I Need to Download or Install Anything to Use the Free Trial?

As we mentioned before, the SOLIDWORKS free trial has minimal commitment, including installation requirements. All you need is an HTML5 compatible web browser and you can access the free trial in an online trial environment that you can connect to an online storage account like Dropbox or Google Drive.

You can find more specifics on SOLIDWORKS free trial web requirements on the Try SOLIDWORKS site.

SOLIDWORKS Free Trial Walkthrough

For a more in depth look at everything you need to know about the SOLIDWORKS free trial, check out this video:

Covering the Basics

If this is your first time trying out SOLIDWORKS, we have some great tutorials to help you get started with some of the essentials:

Sketching Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Features Basics in SOLIDWORKS

User Interface Basics in SOLIDWORKS

Those blogs (and their corresponding video tutorials) are a great first step. If you’re still stuck or wanting a little more guidance, we have some great SOLIDWORKS training options that you can explore as well.

There you have it! Those are some of the basic things you should know about the SOLIDWORKS free trial. Explore our site and Hawk Ridge Systems blog for more information on SOLIDWORKS, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks for reading!

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More and more folks are looking at HP Jet Fusion color 3D printers for end-use parts and production level cosmetic prototypes. With this demand for high quality, there is a need to understand how to effectively prep your prints for success. In today’s blog, we’ll look at ten pro tips to get the most out of your color 3D prints using SOLIDWORKS and HP Jet Fusion technology.

Export Resolution | What You See Is What You Get

Adjusting your Export Resolution is one of the simplest ways to improve your final part quality. For the highest quality exports, we recommend using the 3MF file format. Within the 3MF format, there is a “Coarse” default resolution that is often too low for high-quality prints. The effects of low resolution are more prevalent on cylindrical or curved surfaces.

In the example below, you can see the tessellation differences between three resolution settings. The “Custom” setting specified in the image is what I use for high-quality exports. Note that finer resolution settings can slow down your machine if your part geometry is complex, so it is important to find that right balance of resolution and file size.

Logos and Graphics | Don’t Use Decals, Use Appearances

Placing your logo or graphic on a part can be a daunting task if you do not know which tools are right for the job. A common issue we see is that logos will disappear when exporting from SOLIDWORKS into the HP Build Manager. This is normally because the user selects a Decal rather than dragging the image in as an Appearance. Simply drag and drop your PNG or JPEG image onto the face that you want to place your logo.

Logos and Graphics | Use High Resolution Images

When printing a logo or graphic, using a good source image is key to achieving a high-quality color print. Just like the case with resolution on the 3MF export, what you see is what you get. Shoot for a 300dpi image if possible. Many engineers don’t have access to a program like Photoshop for producing high-quality images. With a little adjustment, it is possible to export 300dpi images from PowerPoint.

The example below exaggerates the effect of using a low-resolution image. Low-resolution images that are blurry to begin with will be just as blurry in the final part. This simple tip will make your print images crisp and easy to read.

Containing an Image to a Boundary | Become a Split-Line Pro

Oftentimes it is necessary to contain an image to a localized boundary on the surface of a part. Many users attempt to do this is by extruding a square in or out of the surface. What if you want the image to remain flush with the surrounding surface? That’s where the Split Line command comes into play. Use the Split Line method to ensure that images are integrated flush on the surrounding surface.

Color Matching | Seamless Logo Integration

Matching the color of your logo background to surrounding areas of the part is an easy way to improve the final part appearance. The best way to make it happen is to match the RGB values of your logo background with the surrounding color or vice versa. I typically use PowerPoint to measure the RGB value of an existing logo and then match the SOLIDWORKS part color using those RGB values.

One note of caution is that SOLIDWORKS lighting and reflections can make the colors look like they do not match up even though the RGB values match. The 3MF color export does not carry “Reflection” or “Brightness” values, only RGB values. Look at the example below to see how this can happen in practice.

Color Faces and Bodies Rather than Parts

Another issue that happens quite often is that a primary color will be lost on color export. This is most likely because the color was assigned to the “part” rather than by individually selecting the body, faces, surfaces or features.

This tip is straightforward, but it will save you the headache of having color disappear on your export.

Going the Extra Mile | Smooth Surface Finish with Secondary Post Processing

Vapor smoothed HP Jet Fusion part

This next tip will be covered in a future article, but it is necessary to mention here. There is an increasing demand for smooth HP Jet Fusion parts with a surface finish that can compete with an injection molded surface finish. To accomplish this goal, there are three secondary post-processing methods to consider: clear coating, industrial tumbling and vapor smoothing. Clear coating is going to be the most cost-effective method to improve surface finish, but only tumbled or vapor smoothed HP Jet Fusion parts can match injection molded surface finishes for smoothness or roughness average (RA). For more information on these options, contact the Hawk Ridge 3D printing team to learn more.

DEFAM for Success | Optimize Part Design for the MJF Process

Design your parts for the HP Jet Fusion by following the guidelines found in your User Guide. Below are a few of the recommendations found in the guide:

Another good rule of thumb is to avoid dense parts or dense sections in parts. Improve designs with high-density sections by doing the following: shelling out the part with ribs, hollow the part or adding lattice structures. Even if you trap powder inside the part from hollowing or internal structures, it is a good idea to reduce the density of the part. You will reduce the overall heat in the part and save money on fusing agent. This simple tip will minimize the risk of your parts warping or sinking.

Effective Print Orientation and Nesting

You could have followed all of the previous tips to a “T,” but you won’t be able to produce high-quality parts without understanding effective print orientation and nesting. Here is a short summary list of things to consider:

Print Orientation

• Avoid cosmetic flat surfaces facing upward in the Z direction
• Angle parts about the X and/or Y-axis a minimum of 20 degrees to minimize sinking and stepping (Free to rotate about Z-axis)
• Place fine details facing downward

Nesting Parts in a Build

• Minimum of 5mm spacing between parts
• Ensure consistent angles (about the X and Y axis) and/or print orientations with duplicated parts
• Shoot for 8-12% packing density for maximizing the system efficiency
• Space dense parts at least 10mm away from surrounding parts
• Utilize a third party nesting solution such as Materilise Magics for higher packing densities

Follow Maintenance and Cleaning Schedules for the Machine

Performing proper maintenance of your machine is key for long-lasting high-quality results. Consult your User Guide for maintenance schedules. Regular maintenance primarily involves cleaning the print area, fusing lamps and filters. Failing to keep up with maintenance will lead to print quality issues and decrease the lifespan of critical components in the system. Do yourself a favor and take good care of your machine and it will take good care of you!

By following these ten pro tips, you are sure to have excellent color prints with SOLIDWORKS and HP 3D printers. For a more detailed blog on color parts, check out my blog post “How To Print a QR Code Using SOLIDWORKS and HP Jet Fusion.” If you would like to see how you can start producing your own color parts, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today!

The post 10 Pro Tips for Making Color Prints with SOLIDWORKS and HP Jet Fusion appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

When it comes to the world of consumable products, most experts know that economies of scale are everything. Whether they be food containers or medical supplies, producing these items quickly and cheaply enough in order to be enjoyed by the world’s population is only possible with mass production and the technologies that make it possible, such as plastic injection molding.

As if producing vast quantities of products wasn’t already challenging enough, the world’s supply chains have faced an unprecedented challenge in the face of the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. Shortages have cropped up in everything from bottled water to toiletries, and of course medical equipment.

Most companies manufacturing plastic products probably don’t plan on making changes to their process during times of high demand, but unfortunately the current crisis has mandated just that. For example, supplies of many common plastics, such as the PET used in viral testing kits, have occasionally run low.

Planning for Production

In that type of environment, coming up with a new solution quickly is critical for maintaining a steady supply of products, and searching for alternative materials is one area where injection molding simulation software like SOLIDWORKS Plastics can help.

Running directly from within the SOLIDWORKS environment, this add-in can simulate the mold filling process on any solid-body part file, either native or imported. The only necessary inputs are the material and gate location on the part:

The Fill analysis run on this blood vial shows that the existing design works fine. The Results Advisor states it will fill in the desired time of 0.5 seconds, with a low injection molding pressure. But what would happen to production if this grade of Ultrablend PET were to run out, and the molder was forced to find to an alternative?

The polymer library in SOLIDWORKS Plastics has roughly 4,700 thermoplastic materials (and counting). Finding another option isn’t too hard, especially taking advantage of the material search tool. In this case, it appears BASF also has a similar plastic available, Ultrablend KR 4084.

By duplicating the study and re-running the analysis with this material, we can see what will happen. A few moments later, the study completes, and the Results Advisor gives us a summary.

Unfortunately, this grade of PET has slightly lower viscosity, just enough to raise the required molding pressure, triggering a warning. Even though we haven’t exceeded the specified limit of the machine, this amount of pressure could become an issue once we design a large multi-cavity mold with the required runner system, or if the mold starts to wear out after long hours of constant production.

Alternative Options

In order to find another solution, we can try a design change (such as modifying the wall thickness or other features), again taking advantage of the Duplicate function. We can also change the gate design. By adding a split line feature to the top of the part, we can select that area to be the new injection location and see if it brings the pressure back down.

Success! We now have a setup that will work with the new material. We can also decide if this change has introduced other negative qualities to the product, such as weld lines, and try out other ideas before we take a risk on reworking the mold.

The best part of SOLIDWORKS Plastics is that this kind of fill analysis can be done with any license of the program, with minimal setup, so that you can run these simulations every time you make a change to a part. When you’re ready to go deeper, such as optimizing the runner or cooling system in the mold, an upgrade beyond SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard is always available.

Visit our website to learn more about our SOLIDWORKS analysis tools, and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post How SOLIDWORKS Plastics Can Help Maintain the Supply Chain appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

A compliant mechanism is a flexible device that achieves force and motion transmission through elastic body deformation. A compliant mechanism gains its motion from the relative flexibility of its members rather than from rigid-body joints. The fact that a complaint mechanism uses the elasticity of the material to move makes it perfect for a linear static study. In a SOLIDWORKS Simulation linear static study, the results have to stay within the linear elastic range of the material or return to its original shape once all loading is stopped, making this the perfect domain for compliant mechanisms.

Problem Statement

This article will take you through the simulation process used to validate a compliant mechanism. For this example, the pawl for a ratcheting gear system will elastically deform to release the gear as seen in the figure below. Normally, a pawl would have a spring or lock to keep it in place, but we are going to use the elasticity of the material instead.

Elastic deformation of pawl to release the gear.

The challenges in this design were having enough material at the compliant connection point to not induce yielding but not too much material that it was so stiff that an inhuman amount of force was required to move it.

The pawl is connected to the mechanism by a cylindrical extrusion as seen in the figure below. As the thumb button pressed the pawl will release, caused by the torsional displacement in the cylindrical extrusion.

Cylindrical extrusion of the pawls compliant connection point.

Will the Compliant Mechanism Yield If Pushed to Maximum Range of Motion?

The way that I approached this problem was to use a prescribed displacement to see how much force was needed to push the pawl into contact with the part, which would be its maximum allowable displacement. This would be a worst-case loading scenario and if the compliant mechanism can withstand this then normal operation will be fine.

Since I did not know how much force to apply but did know how far I wanted the pawl to displace, I used the prescribed displacement fixture. This will use a boundary condition to rotate the blue face approximately four degrees about the axis of the pink face, as seen in the image below. In order to prescribe a rotational displacement, I had to change from the cartesian coordinate system to a cylindrical coordinate system. This was done by choosing a cylindrical face as my reference direction, the pink selection box, in the figure below.

A prescribed displacement being applied to the compliant mechanism.

In the simulation, the perfect amount of force will be applied to displace the selected face the prescribed amount. That deformation will cause internal stresses and strains which will be compared to the material model. After a few more fixtures were added to keep the model restrained the study could be run.

This study was intended to test the range of motion of the compliant mechanism and determine the amount of force required to max it out. The failure criteria I used was the flexural strength because the material is not isotropic due to the printing process, and this is the strength data I have for the 3D printed material I am using to manufacture this part. The maximum allowable stress is going to be 65 MPa with an allowable strain of 15 percent. As we can see in these images, when the pawl is pushed to the maximum position the stress and strain are below the material limits.

Maximum strain on the compliant mechanism when pushed to the maximum position.

Maximum stress on the compliant mechanism when pushed to the maximum position.

To understand how much force is required to put the pawl in this maximum position, SOLIDWORKS Simulation has the ability to list resultant forces as seen in the figure above. The result force tool will tell you how much force is required to ensure a fixture stays fixed when you are evaluating the reaction forces. In order to force the pawl into the maximum position, a total of 450N is required. This number is on the higher end of the human grip capacity but that is okay because this amount of force is not required to release the pawl.

The resultant force required to put the pawl in the maximum position.

From these studies, we can conclude that the compliant mechanism will not plastically deform or yield when it is put through its maximum range of motion.

How Much Force Is Needed to Release the Gear?

In order to answer this question I first needed to know how far the pawl had to displace to release the gear. I did that by measuring the distance from the center of the gear to the tip of the pawl tooth, and then subtracting the radius of the gear, as seen in the images below. The amount the pawl needs to move to release the gear is approximately 0.03 in.

The distance from the center of the gear to the tip of the pawl tooth.

The maximum radius of the gear.

A parametric design study was used to find out how much force is required to create the clearance for the pawl to release the gear. A thumb force was created which was linked to a simulation parameter and a sensor was created to measure the radial distance from the pawl tip to the center of the gear. To create a sensor or plot that can measure a radial distance, you have to choose an axis as a selected reference for the displacement in the x-direction.

Creating a sensor to monitor the radial displacement from the center of the gear.

Setting up the design study was the quickest way for me to find the required force to release the pawl. To start, I varied the thumb force in a range of 50N to 200N with a step size of 50N and set the goal to have the pawl tip displace 0.03 inches in the radial direction. This set up ran four scenarios as you can see below.

Design study set up with the goal of finding a force that will cause the pawl to displace 0.03 inches in the radial direction of the gear.

The design study saved me from having to do a trial and error approach to find the force required to move the pawl. From the results in the image below, we can determine that about 150 N of force is required to move the pawl enough to release the gear. This amount of force is easily achievable with a human grip.

Summary

In conclusion, we used SOLIDWORKS Simulation to validate a compliant mechanism. We found that if push the limit of its motion the material will not yield and that the human hand can release the mechanism as intended.

Visit our site for more information on SOLIDWORKS, and be sure  to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!

The post Understanding a Compliant Mechanism Using SOLIDWORKS Simulation appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

You may have heard talk of polishing Markforged Metal X parts but haven’t actually seen a sample part, much less how this can be accomplished. In today’s blog post, we are going to remove the veil and show you how to achieve a near-mirror like surface finish on your Markforged Metal X parts.

The How, When and Where of Smoothing | Markforged Metal X Printing Process

First, we need to look at the printing process to understand where and how we can improve the final surface finish of printed parts. The Markforged Metal X has a three-step printing process.

Here are stages in the printing process where surface finish can be improved:

• Printing
• Green state (pre-sinter)
• Post-sinter

Printing | Understanding the Technology

The Markforged Metal X print process works similarly to traditional fused filament machines. Material starts out on a spool that is then extruded through a heated nozzle to build up parts layer by layer on a build platform. Within the print process, there are two key areas to consider: print orientation and layer height. In this print process, layer lines are going to be visible and surface quality will not be as good on support structure surfaces and overhangs. A cosmetic defect known as stepping can also occur on domed or curved surfaces with this process as well as many other printing processes. To mitigate some of these defects, a good print orientation can help.

Cosmetic Surfaces Facing Upwards

The first tip is to ensure that cosmetic surfaces are facing upwards. This will ensure that the non-cosmetic surfaces are interfacing with any support structure.

45-Degree Overhangs to Eliminate Supports

It is possible to get the best of both worlds by introducing 45-degree angles on bottom surfaces to eliminate the need for support. This ensures that you have a consistent surface finish throughout the part.

Fine Layer Height to Minimize Stepping

Next, layer height can also improve the surface finish. The Markforged Metal X system can print as fine as 50 microns for 17-4 Stainless Steel (default: 120 microns). While printing at a finer layer resolution does increase print time, it can improve the surface finish especially on surfaces susceptible to stepping. Curved surfaces tend to show visible steps more than vertical or horizontal surfaces. Utilizing finer layer heights is a good strategy for small parts that don’t take too much print time.

Green State Sanding | Matte Finish

The Green State is known as the time between the printer and the wash station. At this stage, the part still as a wax binder mixed in to hold the metal powder together. While the part is still fragile at this stage, it is a good stage to significantly improve the surface finish. The preferred method of smoothing is to wet-sand parts to a matte finish through the use of 230-300 grit sandpaper under warm water. This process can take time, but it is more than worth it to get the job done right. Green State sanding without polishing will provide a smooth matte finish once the part has been sintered.

Post-Sinter Polishing | Near-Mirror Shine

To achieve a nice reflective finish on your Markforged Metal X parts, the last step is to polish parts post-sinter. To ensure this process is successful, it is critical to perform Green State sanding in addition to the polishing steps covered next. There are many alternative ways to polish parts, the method we will cover is with a polishing wheel and compound.

You will first need to obtain a polishing compound. Here at Hawk Ridge Systems, we have had success with “Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream.”

The next step is to find a polishing wheel. We like to use a bench-grinder buffing wheel for polishing our metal parts. Apply the polishing cream to the buffing wheel and have at it!

Here is the finished part compared to a duplicate right off the printer. Parts shrink about 17 percent during the sintering process.

There you have it, the mystery of Markforged Metal X polishing has been revealed. Creating strong, good looking metal parts has never been so easy! If you would like to learn more about the Markforged Metal X printing process, please contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today!

The post The Secret to Polishing Markforged Metal X Parts Like a Pro appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

HP has made a great expansion to their Jet Fusion material portfolio with the announcement of Polypropylene (PP) for the 5200 this year. PP is one of the most widely used injection molded materials in the world; second only to Polyethylene (PE). This material has some key advantages that make it a heavy hitter in injection molding, and now it is set to make a splash in additive manufacturing.

Why Polypropylene?

Polypropylene is commonly used in applications that require excellent chemical resistance combined with great flexibility and impact resistance. Amongst commercial plastics, PP has a very low density, allowing for the production of lightweight parts. Automotive, consumer goods, industrial and medical are key sectors that heavily use PP already. Living hinges and watertight applications are good fits for the material, as well as applications requiring electrical resistance. Drawbacks of the material include flammability and low UV resistance.

Jet Fusion Material Comparisons | PP VS PA12

Polyamide 12 (PA12) is the most common material used in Jet Fusion machines. Over 75 percent of Jet Fusion installations out in the field are using this material. PA12 has great dimensional stability and cooling behavior that make it excel with the HP Jet Fusion printing process. This combination of factors along with an excellent part cost has allowed HP to compete with injection molding processes for low-mid volume quantities of end-use parts.

So how does PP fit in comparison with PA12?

PA12 is stronger and stiffer than PP, however, PP has more elongation to break. This additional elongation is good for applications such as living hinges. When we look at other general properties, the real value of PP begins to show.

The combination of higher powder recyclability along with a lower price per Kg of material make PP the lowest cost material in the HP lineup (previously PA12). In high volume manufacturing, part cost is a big deal, and PP excels in this area. The other two properties to note deal with weldability and moisture absorption. Jet Fusion PP is suitable for welding with injection-molded counterparts. Since PP is already so widely used in the world, the ability to additively produce PP parts that weld together with traditionally manufactured parts is a great advantage. Below are welding techniques that have been tested with Jet Fusion PP:

PP is known to be hydrophobic, meaning that it is water repellant and resists moisture absorption. This behavior is great for any application involving fluid-tightness or fluid management. There is a higher rate of shrinkage observed in PP parts, so looser design tolerances are recommended with printing with PP.

Comparison Chart for All HP Materials

Here is a quick comparison chart for the complete HP Jet Fusion 5200 printing portfolio:

Jet Fusion Workflow | Special Processing Requirements with PP

PP has specific considerations due to the heat retention properties of the material itself. Additional care must be taken when prepping builds compared to PA12. Here are two key considerations when working with PP:

• Optimize Dense Parts – Dense parts must be optimized to ensure a Volume (mm^3) / Surface Area (mm^2) ratio of <5mm (<2mm recommended). This can be done by hollowing parts, applying internal lattice structures, or through topology optimization.

• Homogeneous Part Distribution – The next key consideration is to ensure slice distribution is under 2.5dm2 (25000 mm2) per layer. Here are some techniques to minimize slice area: Even part distribution across Z-layers, changing the part orientation, and finally using the same techniques discussed above to decrease part density. Utilizing a third party nesting software such as Materialise Magics allows for the automated nesting of parts to optimize slice distribution.

Example of build with slice distribution slightly too high for PP.

Now we have provided you with key information to understand Polypropylene with HP Jet Fusion 3D printers. If you would like to learn more about this technology or if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today!

The post The Benefits of Polypropylene for HP Jet Fusion Technology appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Over the past few years, Markforged has aimed to develop materials that open doors to new applications for their users. One such example is Onyx FR, a material capable of self-extinguishing at thicknesses of 3mm or greater.

Now, Markforged is continuing this trend by launching Onyx ESD, or electrostatic discharge, for their Industrial Series composite printers.

What is Onyx ESD?

Similar to the standard Onyx material, Onyx ESD is nylon-based and contains chopped carbon fiber for additional strength. This means that parts made from Onyx ESD will have the same great surface finish and strength that is typically seen from Markforged printers.

Onyx ESD parts are also able to be reinforced with all available continuous fibers, which includes Carbon Fiber and Kevlar.

However, Onyx ESD contains an additional additive that helps to dissipate electric charges which could potentially damage electronics. Parts printed with Onyx ESD have a surface resistance between 10^5 and 10^7 ohms, meaning that static charges flow slowly and do not discharge onto contact surfaces.

Being able to swap between other Markforged materials and Onyx ESD without changing hardware means users can now print parts specifically for anti-static applications. These can include items such as assembly trays, electronics fixtures and custom enclosures.

Availability

Onyx ESD launches on December 8, 2020. As mentioned, it will be compatible with the Markforged Industrial Series of 3D printers.

Thanks for reading! Check out our site for more information on Markforged 3D printers, and if you have any questions be sure to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today.

The post Introducing Onyx ESD for Markforged Industrial Series 3D Printers appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Vacuum forming tools are an application that is usually overlooked when exploring production tooling using additive manufacturing. If you are looking for a quick tool to pull just a few prototypes, or if you are looking for short-run production tooling, this may be the application for you.

I have seen companies produce a printed prototype of the product they are developing using additive manufacturing and then create a blister pack by printing the vacuum form tool for the packaging of the product. This allows them to show the product as it would appear on the shelf; making a better presentation to a marketing group looking for new products.

These can also be used to produce packaging for short-run production whether it be for display or packaging or any other application of vacuum forming. I have even seen an application where the vacuum formed parts were used as inserts for fragile parts that need more support when shipping.

Why Use Additive Over Conventional Tooling?

Here are a few of the reasons that additive can be a great option over conventional tooling methods:

• Additive parts require no CNC programming compared to a machined tool.
• The additive machine will run lights out without an operator needed.
• Depending on the size of parts, multiple variations can be run at the same time, reducing turnaround time.
• Honeycombing the inside of the part to reduce weight and needed material is an option.
• There’s no need to drill vacuum ports individually.

These tools can easily be produced using HP Jet Fusion 3D printers. Since the HP Jet Fusion parts are airtight, you may think it would be hard to produce a vacuum forming tool that is easy to post-process since these tools have very fine vacuum ports. We have developed a process to make post-processing powder removal easy by just following a few quick steps below.

Post-Processing Powder Removal Steps

Step One: Create your part using a CAD package such as SOLIDWORKS and save this file as an STL. Use your usual design practices as you would for any vacuum forming tool including draft angles and feature details.

Original Solid

Step Two: After saving the original solid part, create a shelled out version “Shell One” by shelling the part in SOLIDWORKS. Wall thickness depends on the strength of part needed, I used .080”. Save this as an STL.

Shell One

Step Three: From the original solid file create “Shell Two” by shelling the original part again in CAD with a shell that is .001” thicker than the Shell One part. Example: Shell 1 = 0.080” Shell 2 = 0.081.”

Step Four: Place your vacuum hole locations on the inside of Shell Two using the countersink hole technique in SOLIDWORKS. Position them as they would be placed when designing your vacuum forming tool to get the draw required for the part to be formed. Save the file as an STL.

Note: Make your small diameter hole on the outside of the part as small as possible but still allowing the powder to be cleared from the hole. I used a 0.020” diameter hole. Make the shaft of the hole as short as possible I used a 0.010” length. The countersink outer diameter needs to be larger than the walls of the honeycomb structure created in the next steps. This allows the powder, when bead blasted, to be cleared out of the holes around the honeycomb wall that may block the holes.

Shell Two With Holes.

(These image shows them separated for display purposes only)

The Final Steps

Bring all three files into Materialize Magics software. They should come into the software located on top of each other.

Follow these simple steps:

Step One: Select the solid part by checking the box in the parts window.

Step Two: Honeycomb the original part using the Materialize Magics honeycomb feature. I use the settings in the screenshot below. This can be adjusted depending on the strength of the structure needed and ease of powder removal in post-processing. Experiment with the settings to get the best strength and minimal material you can.

Step Three: Check the boxes selecting the solid part that has now been honeycombed and the “Shell One” part. Leave the “Shell Two” part with holes unchecked. Subtract “Shell One” from the honeycomb part.

Step Four: This will leave you with the honeycomb structure alone.

Step Five: Select the honeycomb part and the “Shell Two” with holes.

Step Six: Merge these parts together. Because Shell Two was created thicker by 0.001”, it will merge with the honeycomb structure. This will create a honeycombed part with the vacuum holes in the surface. Save this file as an STL or a 3MF file and import it into the HP Build Manager for printing.

Final Pulled Part

To achieve a smooth part for better forming of thin sheets or clear materials, the parts can then be post-processed after bead blasting powder removal by sanding, vibratory finishing or vapor smoothing. Be careful not to allow the vacuum holes to close off.

Note: Keep the heat deflection temperatures in mind when selecting materials for vacuum forming using HP parts.

Once the parts are designed in SOLIDWORKS, the process in Materialize Magics can take as little as less than a minute. This technique can also be produced completely in SOLIDWORKS if you do not have Materialize Magics available, but I find using Materialize Magics combined with SOLIDWORKS makes for a quick workflow.

Thanks for checking out this workflow and don’t forget this valuable application for HP 3D printers. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today.

The post How and Why You Should Be Vacuum Forming Your 3D Printed Parts appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

In today’s market, there is a high demand for skilled workers (especially in technical fields). This makes 3D CAD training more important than ever – because companies can’t afford to lose employees due to lack of training.

This is where continuing your education through SOLIDWORKS training and certifications can come into play.

Reasons to Pursue Training and Certification

Oftentimes, designers and mechanical engineers overlook technical training, but we’re here to tell you it is a must for these reasons (to name a few):

• Productivity improvement: The faster you become a pro with the software, the sooner you can complete your design projects – pretty straightforward. Not to mention that the more time you invest into your knowledge of the software, the easier you can move to more specialized applications like electrical design or data management, if that’s your end goal.
• Greater efficiency: SOLIDWORKS has been around long enough to be a user-friendly, intuitive tool, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t come with its own set of best practices, tricks and shortcuts. Learning these tips and tricks inside out will help you create your best designs quickly and with minimal iterations.
• Engagement and satisfaction boost: Everyone values learning and improvement. Taking training and becoming certified can help you become more proficient at your job and allow you to grow professionally.

Hopefully those reasons alone are enough to convince you of the value of SOLIDWORKS training and certifications. We’ve been around long enough to know, however, that the most common objections are cost and time required.

How Much Does SOLIDWORKS Training Cost?

Hawk Ridge Systems offers a wide range of training courses (not just in SOLIDWORKS) that you can explore. Whether you’re needing to cover the basics in a SOLIDWORKS Essentials type of course or you want to advance your skills in a more difficult area like Simulation, there’s a course option for you.

Oftentimes, your employer will cover the cost of your class but if not, they come with a pretty reasonable price tag considering the education you will receive. For example, our SOLIDWORKS Essentials course is $1,795 but you could take the SOLIDWORKS Simulation course for $1,500 or SOLIDWORKS Assembly Modeling for only $800.

How Much of a Time Commitment is SOLIDWORKS Training?

The answer here depends on which kind of learning you prefer. If you’re more of a face-to-face kind of interactive learner and would ideally take an instructor-led class in person, you’d likely have a couple days of being in the classroom.

If you’re more of an online, do it at your own pace kind of learner, then the time commitment depends on you and your schedule.

Maybe you’re not really interested in taking a SOLIDWORKS class and that’s fine, we get it. But at the very least, you should consider becoming a Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA). There are multiple degrees of SOLIDWORKS certificates you can achieve, but at a basic level you should look into CSWA or CSWP (Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional). Learn more about the SOLIDWORKS certifications and which one might be right for you in our blog post, “Why You Should Take One of These 4 SOLIDWORKS Certifications.”

Becoming certified can help you stand out from other job applicants and show that you’re well-versed in the software and capable of efficient design practices.

How Much Does SOLIDWORKS Certification Cost?

SOLIDWORKS certification tests cost $99 USD. Not bad for potentially unlocking future jobs and promotions.

You may even want to check with your employer first, as sometimes they are given free test vouchers with their purchase of the SOLIDWORKS software.

To be fully confident in your knowledge during your SOLIDWORKS certification exam, you may want to consider taking our core SOLIDWORKS training courses to ensure you’ve covered everything you need to know before taking your exam.

While it may seem like a lot of time, money and energy to further your CAD software training or become certified, it all pays out in the long run with greater hiring and promotion potential. And who wouldn’t want to become a certified master in their field?

For more information on our SOLIDWORKS training courses or to pick the brains of our experts on which certification to take, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading and happy learning!

The post Why You Should Invest in SOLIDWORKS Training and Certification appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

HP Jet Fusion has become one of the premier printing technologies for end-use parts that are strong and functional at incredible print speeds and low part cost. With all of these great benefits, there is an opportunity to take these parts to the next level. The surface finish of printed parts is becoming a big deal as printing systems such as the HP 5200 are bridging the gap between prototyping and injection molding. There is a need to produce parts that are smooth to the touch; matching the look and feel of injection molded parts.

The solution to these challenges is here, and that is vapor smoothing. In today’s blog, we are going to look at the advantages of vapor smoothing HP parts with the AMT PostPro3D.

What is Vapor Smoothing? | PostPro3D and BLAST

Before diving into the advantages, we need to first understand what vapor smoothing is and why this process is so effective compared to other smoothing processes. AMT’s process is called BLAST (Boundary Layer Automated Smoothing Technology). In the BLAST process, parts are suspended in a thermally controlled, closed-loop chamber, and submerged in a recirculated mist or vapor. This vapor is a proprietary chemical called BLAST X which re-distributes surface material rather than removal of surface material. This normalization of peaks and valleys on a surface has a minimal dimensional impact at an average of less than 0.4% on dimensional change. The PostPro3D pictured above is the flagship model in AMT’s lineup.

Improvement of Surface Roughness | Matching Injection Molded Finishes

In our experience, vapor smoothing is the most effective way to improve the surface finish on an HP Jet Fusion part. BLAST has been proven to be effective at smoothing surfaces for the whole suite of HP Jet Fusion printing systems including the full-color 580. Surface roughness is measured using Ra values or “Roughness Average.” The natural surface finish of an HP Jet Fusion part has a Ra value of 6-13μm. After undergoing the BLAST process, parts are smoothed to around 1.5μm after a single 1hr operation. They can then can be further smoothed to sub 1μm with a second operation if desired.

Mechanical Properties | Increase in Elongation

Elongation at break increases approximately 6% for a PA12 HP Jet Fusion part when vapor smoothed using the BLAST process. Other materials such as TPU or TPA can see even further improvement to elongation properties. Ultimate Tensile Strength stays the same after processing while the Young’s Modulus decreases. Improvement of elongation to break can be attributed to the reduction of micro-crack initiation points along the geometry through the reduction of surface porosity. This increase in elongation will help with impact resistance of parts as well as fatigue improvement.

Water Absorption | Improve Water Resistance

Water absorption in printed parts can be attributed to material properties and porosity of the surface. Parts that are BLAST processed have very little water absorption over time. Unprocessed parts, however, will absorb water with prolonged immersion. Looking at the chart below, the mass after water immersion of an unprocessed HP Jet Fusion sample increases over time, while the vapor smoothed version undergoes very little mass gain. Check out this video from AMT showing the change in water absorption.

Color Uniformity | Color Improvement

An add-on bonus of vapor smoothing parts is the improvement to color and color uniformity for HP Jet Fusion parts. Parts from the larger HP 3D printing systems such as the 4200 or 5200 have a natural gray color to them. Vapor smoothing normalizes the thin gray exterior and reveals the solid black color underneath. Full-color prints off of the HP 580 are also improved when vapor smoothed; colors pop from the smooth glossy texture. We have seen very fine detailed color models shine for an impressive final product with the BLAST process.

Advantages of AMT BLAST Compared to Other Finishing Technologies

There are four major advantages of BLAST compared to other common abrasive processes such as tumbling.

Complex Geometries and Internal Chambers

Vapor in the BLAST process can reach areas such as small internal chambers or features that abrasive media cannot reach due to size constraints. Vapor can normalize those hard-to-reach areas.

Faster Turnaround Times

The AMT PostPro3D takes 1-1.5 hrs for a batch to complete while tumbling systems take 4-8 hrs to reach a similar surface roughness level. This faster turnaround time is key to producing large volumes of HP Jet Fusion parts.

Higher Retention of Sharp Features

BLAST tends to hold sharp edges and corners more effectively compared to abrasive techniques.

Color Uniformity/Color Improvement

BLAST will improve the color on an HP Jet Fusion part from gray to black. Abrasive techniques typically provide a mixed color part (partially gray/partially black).

There you have it, we have looked at the advantages of vapor smoothing HP Jet Fusion parts with PostPro. Producing smooth end-use parts has never been so easy. If you would like to learn more about how you can take your 3D printed parts to the next level with PostPro vapor smooth, feel free to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today!

The post Advantages of PostPro Vapor Smoothing for HP 3D Printed Parts appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

The software industry is constantly changing. One of the recent trends, particularly in CAD software, is a move to named-user licensing where each individual user has a license assigned to their individual email address. This has become the primary mode of delivery for vendors like Autodesk and Adobe, and covers popular products like Inventor, Fusion, AutoCAD, Illustrator and Photoshop.

Alternatively, shared network licensing, where licenses are temporarily pulled from a central pool as users log in and out of the software, is a great option for many medium and large design teams. The nature of using CAD software is that the amount of time an individual user spends inside SOLIDWORKS will vary depending on the phase of the project. Additionally, many users within a company might have a need to dip in and out of the CAD software to review designs. Network licensing allows these needs to be balanced out at a much cheaper cost than buying a single license for each necessary individual.

A project manager, for example, may need to review CAD files on a project for a couple of hours a day over a two week span but then may not engage with SOLIDWORKS for a couple of months after that. Network licensing is a flexible solution to empower this situation.

Autodesk recently announced that network licensing will no longer be available from them. This has understandably caused concern to many companies, as it is a popular and cost-effective way to use CAD software.

SOLIDWORKS Licensing Options

While many other vendors have removed or greatly restricted the availability of alternatives to named-user licensing, we in the SOLIDWORKS channel believe it is important to provide a variety of licensing options. This means that companies can choose the best option to get the most out of their software investment.

SOLIDWORKS network licensing has long been one of the best deals in the industry. There is a one-time flat fee to establish the network license and move any current standalone licenses to the pool, and then new licenses and subscriptions cost just a few percent more than a standalone license, where some vendors charge up to three times as much.

Of course, network licensing isn’t for everyone. SOLIDWORKS maintains a range of licensing options, from perpetual to term, and named-user, machine-locked and network-based licensing options. Check out our article, “Everything You Need to Know About SOLIDWORKS Licensing Options,” for more info on those.

What About AutoCAD?

The recent announcement from Autodesk stating that network licensing is no longer available for AutoCAD has been a shock to many organizations. For many companies that have switched to 3D CAD, licenses of AutoCAD are retained to review important legacy drawings, send converted drawings to suppliers and collaborators, and prepare models for production. Under these modes, it is often used occasionally by a large group of users. Having to buy a license for each participating user, as per the new Autodesk policy, would consume more of the software budget than the value seen.

Draftsight represents a viable and cost-effective alternative to AutoCAD. It offers the majority of the same functionality of AutoCAD, and Draftsight Enterprise includes network licensing capability in both perpetual and term-based licenses. You can learn a lot more about Draftsight on our website.

The math is pretty simple. AutoCAD costs $1,690 per user, per year on a named-user plan, whereas Draftsight Enterprise costs $399 per user, and can be shared on a network license among your entire team. So, for the cost of one AutoCAD subscription that enables a single user, you can have four concurrent users running Draftsight simultaneously, with no limit to the number of users that can access the license. There is also no one-time fee to establish a Draftsight network license, but if you already have a SOLIDWORKS network license, it can be hosted from the same location.

If you prefer a perpetual license model, that’s available at $499 per license, with an annual maintenance cost of $299.

If you’re interested in exploring your software licensing options, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems and our team would love to have a conversation with you. Thanks for reading!

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Somewhere between late January and early February is my favorite time of the year – when I’m lucky enough to attend 3DEXPERIENCE World (formerly SOLIDWORKS World). It is a time to connect with others in the community and be inspired by the innovation and brilliance of SOLIDWORKS users around the world.

A Unique Year for the Conference

This year, as with so many things, is going to be very different. The conference is being held virtually. That has some benefits that haven’t been possible in the past, including free attendance and all sessions being streamed across the world (and available for consumption in different time zones).

I’ve been to SOLIDWORKS/3DEXPERIENCE World 16 times, and this one will be the most different. While there are a few things that I’ll miss (I doubt you’ll find me on a rooftop in Nashville at midnight this year), most of my favorite parts are still being replicated in the virtual format, including:

• Inspiring general sessions featuring some of the most innovative thinkers and designers in the world.
• Hundreds upon hundreds of technical breakout sessions, with SOLIDWORKS employees, resellers and users sharing their expertise in SOLIDWORKS and related tools. I’ve learned some of my best tips and techniques at these sessions, and they’re the highlight of the conference.
• A virtual “exhibition floor,” the 3DEXPERIENCE Playground, where you can explore new and emerging technology from Dassault Systèmes and SOLIDWORKS partners. You’ll see the latest in 3D printing and computing technology, as well as partner products that can augment and enhance your SOLIDWORKS experience.
• Virtual Model Mania, where you can pit your design skills against your peers in a live (virtual) SOLIDWORKS modeling test.

Hawk Ridge Systems at 3DExperience World

As always, Hawk Ridge Systems has a presence at the event.

On Tuesday, February 9 at 1:30 PM PT, I will be presenting a session called “Taming the Beast.” This presentation seeks to demystify the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and presents three simple workflows that existing SOLIDWORKS users might be able to take advantage of today.

Pedro Santana, from our new strategic partnership with SolidProfessor, has a session called “Not Like Riding A Bike,” about getting the most out of your CAD software through ongoing training.

This year’s virtual conference presents a great opportunity to get involved without the barriers of travel, expense or having to take a week off work. We encourage you to sign up for 3DEXPERIENCE World, and take advantage of all the event has to offer.

If you have any questions, be sure to contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

The post This Year’s Virtual (And Free) 3DEXPERIENCE World Is Approaching appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

Parts printed with Markforged composite 3D printers exhibit incredible print quality, dimensional accuracy and excellent mechanical properties that allow them to be used in a wide variety of end-use applications. To achieve these results from the CFF process, however, it is critical that your plastic print material is kept free of moisture. In this article, you will learn all you need to know about troubleshooting and preventing wet material in your Markforged system.

Why Do Markforged Materials Material Get Wet?

Nylon, which is the primary component of Markforged’s Onyx, Onyx FR, Onyx ESD, and Nylon White materials, is very hygroscopic, which means that it readily absorbs water. Because of this, Markforged plastic materials will quickly absorb moisture when it is present in the environment in which they are stored.

Why Is It a Problem?

While this is usually not a problem for parts that have already been printed, this moisture ingression can cause several issues in the printing process. When the filament is melted in the nozzle during the printing process, the water that the filament absorbs will be heated rapidly and significantly. This causes the water droplets in the filament to expand as they turn into steam. As this steam expands, it creates bubbles in the material that is in the nozzle, which both forces material out of the nozzle and creates voids in the extruded material. This leads to parts that not only have an unacceptable appearance and surface finish, but that are also functionally compromised.

Signs That Your Material is Wet

When it comes to identifying wet material, there are several telltale features that will manifest themselves on your prints if your material is wet. If your material is wet enough to cause issues with the printing process, you will likely see multiple signs of wet material at once. Below are some of the most common signs that you are printing with wet material:

Nozzle Drip

As mentioned previously, when wet plastic material is melted in the nozzle, the water droplets expand as they turn to steam. This expansion forces material out of the nozzle, even if the printer is not currently extruding material. For this reason, if you are printing with wet material, you will notice that the nozzle “drips” material when it is not depositing plastic material and it is heated to printing temperatures. This manifests itself in a small amount of plastic slowly growing and hanging from the nozzle while it is hot.

Stringing

A consequence of nozzle drip is that when the printer is not extruding plastic material, it will continue to drip out of the nozzle. This will result in a phenomenon known as stringing and can be identified by the presence of several undesired “strings” of material attached to the surface of your prints, particularly between separate parts or isolated features.

“Crackling” and “Popping” Sounds

If you hear crackling and popping noises coming from the nozzle of your machine while you print, you are likely printing with wet material. This is caused by the water in the filament turning to steam and expanding as it is melted. This forms bubbles in the plastic, which most often pop when they exit the nozzle, which results in a “popping” or “crackling” sound that will emanate from the plastic nozzle on your printer.

Steam Coming Off the Nozzle

When printing parts with wet material, particularly while the printer is printing a large purge line, you may notice that steam is coming off the nozzle. While this is normal while printing a large purge line after the printer has sat unused for a while, seeing steam come off your nozzle while your part is being printed or with subsequent purge lines is a sure sign that your material is wet.

Bubbling, Under-Extrusion

If your material is very wet, you will notice that the surface of your parts will be rough and porous. Like with many of the other signs of wet material, the formation of bubbles in the plastic due to expanding steam results in a porous, rough and inconsistent texture on the surface of your part. These defects, particularly consistent under-extrusion, are most often caused by worn consumables. Ensure that your printer is maintained properly to prevent this from occurring and being confused with wet material.

How to Test for Wet Material

Aside from identifying the symptoms of wet material on your prints, Markforged has included a test print that can be used to help diagnose and highlight any problems that might be present within your system, including the presence of wet print material. This test print, known as the Onyx Pillars Test Print can be accessed by going to Menu > Utilities > Test Prints > Onyx Pillars Test Print on your device.

When printing this test print, please note that it will pause after 15 minutes so you can examine the interior of the print, so you will need to resume the print after this happens. If you see any of the signs of wet material mentioned above, particularly stringing, and possibly some extrusion inconsistencies while printing this part, you are likely printing with wet material (as shown below).

What If My Material Is Wet?

If you have found that your material is too wet to print with, you should discard the wet spool and switch to a new one. If you just opened and started printing with this spool and have stored it appropriately, please contact us and we will help you diagnose if this spool is defective.

Before discarding a spool, however, particularly if the material has been loaded in the machine and been left unused for an extended period of time, try running the Wet Plastic Purge Print a few times. This print can be found in the test prints section of the menu where the Onyx Pillars Test Print is located. If the material does not stop steaming after 2-3 attempts, you will likely have to discard the spool.

How to Prevent Material from Getting Wet

Since you will have to discard wet spools, it is important to ensure that you prevent your material from being exposed to moisture. You can do the following to ensure that you are always printing with dry filament:

Inspect Newly Received Material

Upon receipt of any new material spools, inspect the packaging for any tears or damage. Contact us if you find that any of your new spools feature torn or damaged packaging.

Keep Spools in Their Original Packaging Until They are Needed

Do not open your material before you need to use it, the packages that Markforged materials come in are sealed and contain desiccant to keep them dry. If new material is opened and not quickly placed in a drybox with its desiccant packs, it will need to be discarded.

Keep the Desiccant That Comes in the Bag with the Spool

When storing or loading Markforged plastic materials, make sure to always store the spools with the desiccant packs that came in the packages with them, and only store them with these desiccant packs. When you load a spool into your printer’s drybox, make sure that you place the included desiccant packets in the bottom corners of the drybox. When you remove a spool from the drybox, make sure to remove the old desiccant packs with the spool as well. If you are exchanging two open spools, make sure to keep the desiccant packs that came with each spool with the spool they shipped with respectively.

Keep In-Use Spools in a Drybox

If you need to switch materials (for example, from Onyx to Nylon White), make sure that you have a spare drybox on hand to store the spool that is not in use. Markforged recommends that you have a Pelican 1430 case (or similarly sized airtight container) on hand for each spare spool you need to store.

If you plan on keeping unloaded filament in your printer’s drybox, make sure to remove the feed tube from the adapter and insert the included plug to seal the drybox.

Pay Attention to Shelf Life

The minimum shelf life of an unopened plastic spool is two years, and an open spool properly stored in a drybox can last for up to one year. If these intervals are exceeded, you may run into issues with your plastic material.

If you keep your filament stored properly and know what to look out for, you will seldom be printing with wet filament.

For more information on this subject, review Markforged’s material storage and print issue troubleshooting pages. If you have any Markforged or 3D printing-related questions, please contact us and we will do our best to help you!

The post Identifying and Preventing Wet Markforged Material appeared first on Hawk Ridge Systems.

At Hawk Ridge Systems, we’re proud to have established relationships with a range of respected product and service suppliers through our Certified Partner Program. We vet the solutions these companies offer based on their ability to fill the gaps in a typical SOLIDWORKS-based engineering process. One such partner, designPORT Product Development, is our official partner for product creation and engineering services in California, Oregon and Washington.

DesignPORT was established in 2006 to provide engineering services to Western US and Canadian customers, and this experience gives their engineering team an unrivalled perspective and success record. Engineers at designPORT are experienced in building medical, military, industrial and consumer products through their time-tested process. In addition to products, their in-house incubator has launched multiple medical devices, industrial equipment, iOT and sporting goods companies.

That record is why, with the coronavirus raging and causing the closure of small businesses, designPORT was contacted to help produce safety equipment to prevent the transmission of the virus.

Developing Protective Barriers

The American Dental Association recommended that dental offices stop using high-speed tools that aerosolize and spread virus particles throughout an office until adequate protection could be devised.

Within 90 days, designPORT designed, prototyped and successfully laser tested the Corona Shield, their solution for a protective barrier that was both lightweight and easy to manufacture.

“The SOLIDWORKS Simulations were so accurate that the very first prototype passed FDA 60601 stability requirements and the vacuum system fully evacuated the shield” said Doug Porter, President of designPORT. “For a portable medical device with seven degrees of freedom and a weightless arm that is simply incredible. With COVID-19 raging, even a week is critical.”

At the same time the prototypes were being started, the SOLIDWORKS models were also being used for ergonomic studies. Every position a dentist or hygienist might be in was simulated to make sure it would be comfortable. The 3D models were used again to animate them for training videos.

The End Result

Testing at Oregon Health Science University proved that the Corona Shield captured more than 96 percent of aerosols, enabling teaching hospitals and dentist offices to reopen and use rotary instruments. DesignPORT and the University of Milan in Italy are conducting further tests to explore additional benefits of creating a perimeter of containment.

This is just one example of how our community pulls together during a crisis. We are proud to have a long history with designPORT and showcase what they were able to do during the ongoing battle against COVID-19. For more information on SOLIDWORKS and the tools used, contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems. Thanks for reading!

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