SolidWorks Enables Innovative Auto Design

Innovation is often thought to spring from a flash of insight that occurs out of the blue. In fact, most creative designs are the product of years of work that build on linearly evolving concepts, pulling together the knowledge of the best minds in an industry. That is the case with the Ingocar, a hydraulic hybrid, whose design began in the mid 1980s.

This SolidWorks model shows the engine located in the front box of the accumulator assembly, including opposing pistons, accumulator plungers, and red and green magnets to control the fluid flow.

Ingo Valentin’s five-passenger Ingocar reduces the weight of the typical automobile platform by 50 percent. Its high-efficiency powertrain increases mileage to an incredible 170 mpg. The new combustion system is projected to reduce emissions significantly. And the unique design simplifies product planning, manufacturing, and maintenance, bringing costs down.

The Design Team
Valentin, the sole member of the Ingocar’s design team, began cultivating the expertise for this project when he developed a hydraulic motor for Hydromatik GmbH (now Bosch-Rexroth) in the mid 1970s. While he actually started the design in the 1980s, in early 2008 Valentin gleaned support from Prof. Rolf Reitz of the University of Wisconsin at Madison; Scott Goldsborough of Marquette University; Peter Achten of INNAS Corp. in The Netherlands; and Prof. Monika Ivantysynova of Purdue University.

Valentin adopted SolidWorks for its capabilities in the areas of dimensions, interference, and forces. It also enabled him to obtain data for the simulation and manufacturing of vehicle components. The software allowed Valentin to better address quality control and time-cost savings issues.

Problems and Solutions
The Ingocar is based on a new hydrostatic powertrain, with energy storage. Its main components are a new free-piston combustion engine, an accumulator to store energy, and new axial-piston wheel motors, one in each wheel. The accumulator is the load-carrying backbone of the car, and the engine, wheels, and active bumper system are attached to it. The car body is simplified and significantly lighter because the road forces are carried by the accumulator.

The hydraulic engine pumps fluid into the accumulator and turns off automatically when the accumulator is fully charged. The pressurized fluid drives the wheel motors. When braking, the motors are reversed and recoup the braking energy by pumping the fluid back into the accumulator. The round-trip-efficiency during braking is about 75 percent. Therefore, energy is consumed only to overcome the rolling resistance of the tires and the air drag of the car.

The free-piston engine (38 hp) operates at nearly constant speed and power when charging the accumulator. A new circumferential fuel injection system, with ultra-high injection pressure (50,000 psi) and a pressure wave charger mechanism, improves the thermal efficiency and power density of the engine. This reduces both fuel consumption and emissions significantly. How big an impact it will have depends on how willing car makers are to accept this level of change. And change never comes easy.

Blimp-based Power Plant Modeled in SolidWorks

Designs that Will Change the World, Third Place: Aerostat Wind Turbines has a keen interest in problem solving and an entrepreneurial spirit to raise wind power to a new level.

Barstow, CA–based Aerostat Wind Turbines has taken existing technology and materials, as well as time-proven concepts, and created the Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT). The design promises to enhance energy production, reduce manufacturing costs, drastically reduce the time required to achieve a return on investment, and deliver inexpensive electricity, particularly to remote locations.

The Design Team
Aerostat’s design team is a unique collection of people, and the team’s unusual composition shakes up conventional thinking about innovation and design.

The concept for the AWT was the product of an “idea man,” but not a trained engineer. Lynn Potter, the inventor of the AWT, is by profession a prosthetist. His efforts were supported by Brad Merrell, an engineer with the civil engineering firm of Merrell Johnson; Jim Merrell, who helped with project management; and Christopher Gorham, who produced the system’s CAD drawings.

Aerostat’s team used SolidWorks to design the ATW’s base station and shrouded turbine modules. The software proved particularly helpful in identifying spatial conflicts that occurred among system components. For example, the design tool enabled them to see where guy-wires would intersect and then develop solutions that optimized operations. They also used Autodesk’s AutoCAD Civil and ENERCALC’s Structural Engineering Library to calculate the configuration and strength requirements of the footings and foundation of the structure used to anchor the airborne system so that it could withstand the forces experienced when the system was aloft.

The Problem
Not all locations are practical or cost effective for ground-based wind-generated energy production. Some locations do not have dependable, consistent wind to drive turbines. Many areas that do enjoy steady wind suffer from periods of high turbulence. To generate energy in these areas, the turbines must be rugged enough to withstand the destructive bursts of wind over their operating life. To meet these structural demands, and still be large enough to produce necessary quantities of electricity, ground-based wind turbine manufacturing costs can be high.

The Solution
The best conditions for wind-turbine operation are 1,000 to 30,000 ft. above ground level. At these altitudes, turbulence is greatly diminished, and wind speed is continuous and stronger than it is on the ground.

For its design, Aerostat uses a tethered blimp, with six-turbine modules attached to the system’s base station. A shroud, or funnel, positioned in front of each turbine, concentrates the wind to higher pressure and velocity. Because the shrouds are suspended in the atmosphere, they can be 10 times larger than similar structures on ground-based systems. At the back of the turbine, a diffuser creates a vacuum that draws out and disperses the wind.

Because each turbine is shrouded, Aerostat was able to reduce the weight, size, and cost of the turbine blades. The blades can be similar in size to those found in a car turbo. The blades can also run at higher speeds, which allowed Aerostat to eliminate the gearbox and achieve greater efficiency.

The turbine modules attached to Aerostat’s AWTs can be stacked in layers 1,000 ft. apart up to 30,000 ft. The blimp self orients into the wind. Electricity is transmitted to the ground via a coaxial tether.

The Impact
The AWT solves one of the major problems blocking the broader use of wind-generated power systems. Regardless of wind conditions on the ground, an airborne platform places the turbines where the wind is continuous and strongest, making the overall system reliable and efficient. This approach makes geographic areas currently unsuitable for wind-generated power systems viable sites for this application.

It does not, however, solve objections relating to appearance and the 500 ft. height limit prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration. As a result, governmental approval for testing and operation becomes problematic.

Check out the whole article here:

http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aaated.htm

SolidWorks Customer BUB Racing Recaptures Motorcycle World Land Speed Record

367.382 mph in a Two-Wheeled Missile

CONCORD, Mass., USA, Nov. 30, 2009 – Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks) customer Denis Manning and his BUB Enterprises racing team have set the motorcycle world land speed record, recapturing a title Manning has now held three times since 1970.

The missile-shaped motorcycle, designed in SolidWorks® CAD software and optimized in SolidWorks Simulation software, broke the previous record by a margin of more than

8 mph. Piloted by Chris Carr, the BUB Racing Streamliner officially clocked in at 367.382 mph on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 over a measured mile at the hallowed Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah (see video: http://is.gd/3Qw8d).  

“The last thing we did before the run was make an eighth-inch change to the aerodynamics, and that made all the difference,” said Manning, CEO of BUB Enterprises. “The data was telling us the nose was trying to dive, so we raised it up and it worked. Our new alcohol-fueled V4 engine put the record within reach.”

Manning set his first motorcycle land speed record in 1970, and his team has since traded the record with opponents. As his Streamliner designs grew increasingly sophisticated, the BUB team realized it needed to use advanced mechanical design, simulation, and manufacturing technologies to stay ahead of its competitors.

“Until recently, going really fast basically required money,” Manning explains. “Breaking the record used to be pretty much, ‘Gentlemen, start your checkbook.’ Now it’s, ‘Gentlemen, start your gray matter.’ The designs that have a legitimate shot at speeds over 350 mph require a whole new level of engineering know-how and technology like SolidWorks helps deliver. CAD is our virtual prototyper, and Simulation is our crystal ball.”

BUB selected SolidWorks because it helps the team easily transform ideas into reality and successfully confront its steepest technical challenges. “SolidWorks software helped lower the bar for us to accomplish this record,” said Manning. “Because of the design and simulation tools, we no longer had to build and smash the bike a few times, or blow an engine, before we were ready for a record attempt. We knew the numbers, we knew how to do this, and we set the record again.”

 BUB also uses SolidWorks, including its Flow Simulation software, to design and analyze its BUB commercial exhaust systems. BUB Enterprises relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller GoEngineer for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.
Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a Dassault Systèmes S.A. subsidiary, develops and markets software for design, analysis, product data management, and documentation. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company’s Web site (http://www.solidworks.com/) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

 About Dassault Systèmes

As a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, Dassault Systèmes brings value to more than 100,000 customers in 80 countries. A pioneer in the 3D software market since 1981, Dassault Systèmes develops and markets PLM application software and services that support industrial processes and provide a 3D vision of the entire lifecycle of products from conception to maintenance to recycling. The Dassault Systèmes portfolio consists of CATIA for designing the virtual product – SolidWorks for 3D mechanical design – DELMIA for virtual production – SIMULIA for virtual testing – ENOVIA for global collaborative lifecycle management, and 3DVIA for online 3D lifelike experiences. Dassault Systèmes’ shares are listed on Euronext Paris (#13065, DSY.PA) and Dassault Systèmes’ ADRs may be traded on the US Over-The-Counter (OTC) market (DASTY). For more information, visit http://www.3ds.com/.

SolidWorks 2009 SP5.0 is available for download

This service pack is now available to Subscription Service customers. To download, click here. Or log into the SolidWorks Customer Portal at https://customerportal.solidworks.com and click Download Software and Updates to access the update.

For a listing of SPR’s fixed in this Service Pack click here: http://tinyurl.com/yzm26ay

Get It While It’s HOT!! SolidWorks 2010 SP1.0 EV (Early Visibility) is available for download

This service pack is now available to Subscription Service customers. To download, log into the SolidWorks Customer Portal

Why Shouldn’t the Blind Drive? – Virginia Tech Students Advancing the Possibilities with SolidWorks

A team of Virginia Tech students is trying to make this possible by helping blind drivers see with their hands and ears. Blind individuals have been driving Virginia Tech’s specially equipped dune buggy in parking lots throughout the summer YouTube Video.They have full control of the steering, accelerator, and brakes.

Check it out here!

SolidWorks Launches Donation Program to Raise Awareness of Sustainable Design

Donates $1 for Each Download of  SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress Solution to Hybrid Auto Design Competition

CONCORD, Mass.– Dassault Systèmes (DS) SolidWorks Corp. has  launched a donation program to promote  environmental sustainability among designers of products as simple as water bottles and as complex as industrial machinery.  

SolidWorks will donate $1 for every download of its SolidWorks^® SustainabilityXpress solution, up to $10,000, to Formula Hybrid™, an international competition of university engineering students to develop high-performance fuel-electric hybrid vehicles. SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress is professional-grade software providing advanced functionality that aides engineers in determining a product’s carbon footprint, energy consumption, air and water impact. By downloading SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress, engineers and designers will help educate the next generation about environmentally friendly design while gaining a tool to help them create “green” designs today. SolidWorks’ goal with this new program is to spread the idea that any product can be designed with the lowest possible environmental impact.

“Environmentally sound principles apply to every product, not just those we automatically think of as ‘green,’ like wind turbines and solar cells,” said Rick Chin, SolidWorks director of product innovation. “A water bottle can be designed around environmental principles if the engineer considers the material they use, how much of it they use, how and where it’s manufactured, and what happens when the bottle isn’t useful anymore. Is it made of injection-molded plastic? Or formed aluminum? Those are the kind of basic decisions that any product designer can make to reduce the environmental impact of their designs, given the right tools and the right mindset.”

SolidWorks’ donation will help offset the cost of Formula Hybrid’s annual May competition, where students from North America, Europe, and Asia test their designs for speed and fuel economy in a professional-style race. Last year’s winning team, from Texas A&M University, used SolidWorks to design its vehicle. Formula Hybrid Deputy Director Wynne Washburn said “Putting sustainability tools like this into the hands of engineers/designers at the earliest stages of the design process is innovative, forward thinking, and vitally important for the future of all product and process design.

“SustainabilityXpress will aid in student’s decision making process regarding sustainability and life-cycle of any one component and/or material that is used in building their plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles for the Formula Hybrid Competition. This product gets students thinking, from the very beginning of the process, about where their resources are coming from,” Washburn said. “If they know a certain material is created through a process that’s not environmentally sustainable while an alternative material is sustainable, they can decide to use the sustainable material. Today, issues of sustainability are critical; this tool sheds light into an area where, previously, there has been very little information.”

 

SolidWorks Helps TiLite Wheelchairs Save $400,000 a YEAR!!

SolidWorks Drives Custom 3D CAD Models, Helping the Company Outperform Competition

CONCORD, Mass.  — The maker of the world’s highest-performing wheelchairs has also brought exceptional efficiency to its design studio and shop floor, using SolidWorks^® CAD software to save an estimated $400,000 per year over traditional methods.

TiLite, of Kennewick, Wash., automates the design of its custom titanium wheelchairs using SolidWorks, CAMWorks^® CAM software, and specialization in the assembly stage. These measures produce superior-performing chairs fitted to each client as snugly as a knee brace.

“Without SolidWorks we wouldn’t have achieved the success we have,” said TiLite Vice President of Engineering Alan Ludovici. “We save about $400,000 a year by automating our designs, documentation, and part creation instead of paying 100 skilled craftsmen to draw designs up from scratch and cut every tube.”

TiLite makes wheelchairs for everyday use and sports like basketball and tennis. Most have titanium frames, making them lighter, faster, and easier to propel than twice-as-heavy steel chairs. Performance is as vital to everyday users as it is to athletes, since propelling a chair inevitably wears down shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints.

Highly trained TiLite sales consultants configure wheelchair specifications based on each client’s size, shape, weight, disability profile, activity patterns, and taste. SolidWorks automatically produces custom chair and manufacturing drawings. The data is fed into CAMWorks, a SolidWorks Certified Gold partner product, which helps automate cut lengths of titanium tubing. TiLite delivers chairs within two weeks but can turn one around in a day if necessary. According to Ludovici, It would take twice as long without design automation.

“We’re like the shops that make high-end motorcycles to order,” Ludovici said. “The difference, however, is that every chair is completely documented as a SolidWorks model, meaning if it’s lost or stolen, we can clone you a new one in a couple of days. SolidWorks documentation also enables us to be FDA-compliant in our custom work, which is a rarity in the industry.”

TiLite uses SolidWorks Simulation Professional software to help make TiLite chairs safer, lighter, and more affordable. For example, Ludovici’s team recently discovered aluminum footrests were prone to overheating and developing sharp edges. The team virtually prototyped injection-molded composite replacements, validated the design with the help of SolidWorks Simulation, and saved $11 per chair in materials costs.

Elite wheelchair tennis player Ronald Vink of the Netherlands used a TiLite to reach the doubles finals at September’s US Open and win two Wimbledons previously. “I need to get to the ball fast, stop on a dime, then chase down the next ball,” he said. “TiLites are the quickest, most comfortable, and most agile chairs I’ve ever used. I definitely have the edge.”

More info? Check out www.solidworks.com

Calling All Educators! The CAD Academy Edition No. 3 Has Arrived!!

The CAD Academy Edition No. 3 was developed to prepare students for advanced education and the careers of the new design economy where sustainability is taking center stage.

•  Does your program featuring industry certification for students?
•  Does your mechanical engineering program feature a software title which is requested 12X more frequently by industry employers?
• Does your civil engineering program prepare students with the same resources utilized by United States Army Corps of Engineers and 47 of 50 State Departments of Transportation?
• Does your architectural design program feature a BIM tools which allow for one click energy performance analysis of buildings?
• Does your program feature comprehensive software tools for student to learn sustainability as it relates to manufacturing and building?                                                                                                                                                                               
• Does your program allow for student software downloads, schools to receive software + curriculum updates on demand and instructors access to a learning portal?

The CAD Academy features industry leading 3D engineering, architectural and related design software titles; curriculum which maps to state and federal standards; green + sustainable design tools and learning resources; instructor training + student certification programs.  Today’s student must be able to compete in a global market where sustainability regulation will govern design. The CAD Academy was created to prepare students for advanced education and the job opportunities of the new design economy.

Software Included:  SolidWorks + Sustainability Express; Bentley MicroStation + Learn Server; Graphisoft ArchiCAD + EcoDesigner; A+CAD 2010; Blender & 3D VIA Shape

Program Features:

• Certification – Validation of student industry competencies
• The CAD Academy certification programs provide academic institutions with a proven methodology for effective measurement of program, instructor and student industry competencies. Academic program tracks for mechanical, architecture and civil  prepare students for industry and software certification.  The CAD Academy enables students to develop a digital portfolio to include: resume, certifications, design projects and research completed. Open the doors of opportunity for your students today with The CAD Academy.
• Mechanical Engineering featuring SolidWorks – 12X the number of job opportunities for students
• Everything in our man-made world has a carbon footprint association. Green regulation is impacting and will continue to impact design decisions as it relates to manufacturing. SolidWorks is more than the industry leading 3D mechanical design software it is leading the sustainability movement as it relates to mechanical design with Sustainability Xpress. Sustainable design is more than blue skies, clear streams and green fields it is JOBS! Prepare your students today with The CAD Academy.
• Civil Engineering featuring Bentley solutions – Standard of US Army Corps of Engineers + State Departments of Transportation
• Civil engineering solutions learning is simplified with Learn Server from the Bentley Institute. Learn Server featuring a blended learning approach allows you to prepare civil engineering students to succeed with the software and resources used by The United States Academy at West Point to prepare cadets for advancement into the Army Corps of Engineers. Bentley software is the standard the Army Core of Engineers and 47 of 50 State Department of Transportation. Bentley software is used to create airports, rail terminals, subdivisions, urban complexes, parks, campuses, golf courses, dams, drainage, utility, floodplain projects, commercial buildings, plant and manufacturing sites the world over.
• Architecture featuring Graphisoft ArchiCAD + EcoDesigner – BIM centric featuring Energy Analysis for Green Building
• Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability. ArchiCAD is the most powerful BIM solution available for architects and now features EcoDesigner. EcoDesigner provides invaluable feedback on the energy performance of buildings so designers can make educated decisions on energy efficiencies and conformity to regulations. Give your students a competitive edge as they learn how to deliver simpler, smarter and more sustainable designs with The CAD Academy.
• Green + Sustainable Design – 4 million jobs in the United States by 2012
• Sustainable Design will account for an estimated 4 million jobs in the United States by 2012. Green regulation is impacting and will continue to impact design decisions as it relates to energy performance, material selection and manufacture location. The CAD Academy is committed to preparing students for the new design economy where green and sustainable design is center stage. We will accomplish by providing green and sustainable resources used by leading industry professionals the world over.     www.thecadacademy.com/green
• In Network Benefits Program Introduction for Schools
• Starting with the shipping of Edition No. 3 we will be announcing our “In Network Program”. Schools will be considered “In Network” for a 12 month term from their initial purchase or program update. We are not referring to this program as subscription as our program is perpetual. In Network benefits will include access to (4) portals: STUDENT, SCHOOL, INSTRUCTOR and TCA COMMUNITY.

STUDENT Portal Includes: Student Software Downloads, Basic Software Tutorials, Internship Opportunities, Student Design Competitions + Student Portfolio Developer

SCHOOL Portal Includes: Software Title Downloads and Curriculum Updates on Demand

*INSTRUCTOR Portal Includes: Installation + Curriculum Guides, Software Quick Starts and more

*TCA Community Portal: Subscribers will receive key trick and tips from our experts and be able to post questions for our program development team to answer

*All TCA schools will have access to these resources (IN & OUT of Network)

www.thecadacademy.com

www.dfeacademy.com

 

SolidWorks Sustainability = “Green Designs”

“Going Green” is without a doubt the most prolific topic in our world today.  But instead of just creating products that help the Environment……….how about creating products that are “Green” THEMSELVES!!!

Proving once again that SolidWorks is the Leader in Mainstream Solid Modeling, with the introduction of SolidWorks 2010 comes SolidWorks Sustainaiblity!  SolidWorks 2010 provides tools that have been previously unheard of in the CAD industry. 

SolidWorks Sustainability and SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress allow users to understand and improve the environmental impact of their products early in the design cycle. Through a process known as lifecycle assessment (LCA), SolidWorks Sustainability and SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress look at all aspects of the production, use, and final disposal of products—including all transportation involved. The software is powered by PE International’s GaBi product and relies on the extensive LCA database that PE already has in place.

SustainabilityXpress, like all other “Xpress” tools, is available to EVERY SolidWorks user!  It allows the user to test the Environmental Impact of Parts within SolidWorks.  It takes into account the Carbon Footprint, Energy Consumption, Air Acidification and Water Eutrophication caused by ALL steps in a products life cycle…….all the way from the Ore Extraction, thru a parts Manufacturing Process, Transportation, Use and ultimate Destruction.

By integrating the wealth of knowledge from PE International’s nearly 20 years of experience in Green Design, SolidWorks is able to analyze the impact of the part design itself based on the Material it is made of, where it will be Manufactured and Used, as well as how it will be disposed of after its useful life if over.

In addition, a more feature rich version called SolidWorks Sustainability is also available that gives the user more control over what Transportation Methods will be used to move the parts as well as what Energy is used in the Manufacturing Process.  SolidWorks Sustainability also extends the capabilities to work on Assemblies as opposed to single parts.

Both of these tools are available immediately in SolidWorks 2010.

For those users who have not migrated to SolidWorks 2010 yet…………You too can use SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress in SolidWorks 2009!!!

Visit http://labs.solidworks.com to download SustainabilityXpress for SolidWorks 2009.