DesignPoint Blog

Dissolving Sketch Text

Posted on July 3, 2018July 3, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

It is common place to stamp or etch machined parts, so they can be identified easily on the shop floor. As many users know, SOLIDWORKS has a sketch tool that can be used as the basis of modeling a feature like this: Sketch Text. Sketch Text is a fairly simple tool that can lead to [...] Read more...

Preaching To The Choir…Using 2 Separate CAD Systems

Posted on June 27, 2018July 6, 2018 by Steve Vakulyuk

“You’re preaching to the choir – a busy choir…” Have you ever been in a situation where there was a big issue at hand? An issue that overtime, was accepted as…normal? How does that even happen, right? This situation might sound all too familiar. You might even say that I'm "preaching to the choir!" Well, [...] Read more...

How 3D Printing Crushes The Competition At Robotics Tournaments

Posted on June 27, 2018June 28, 2018 by Andrew Garchik

Recently I was speaking with a teacher who runs a robotics program in North Jersey and I was inspired to address how 3D printing brings a competitive edge to the industry. Here are a few reasons why anyone competing in robotics needs to check out the latest 3D printing technology. Time – One of the [...] Read more...

Shaky Breaky Part: Analyzing a U-Joint Driveshaft with SOLIDWORKS Motion

Posted on June 8, 2018June 27, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

We all know how amazing the internal combustion engine is. From weed wackers to cars to bulldozers, it powers much of the equipment that makes our lives convenient. However, the engine wouldn’t be as useful without a way to transfer its motion. Without a way to get the engine’s power to the trimmer head of [...] Read more...

Mechanics of Mozzarella: Section Properties of Pizza in SOLIDWORKS

Posted on June 6, 2018June 27, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

My mother always told me to never play with my food, but little does she know, you can get a lesson in engineering from it! In this article, I will discuss this with one of my favorite foods: pizza! As delicious as it is, it can prove to be a little bit difficult to eat [...] Read more...

Sheet Metal Simplified with SOLIDWORKS [Webinar]

Posted on May 29, 2018May 29, 2018 by Andrés Lesmes

Request a Demo Let’s explore together how easy it is to create sheet metal parts in SOLIDWORKS without compromising manufacturability. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll learn: How to efficiently model sheet metal parts in SOLIDWORKS How to add Industry standard features How to clearly communicate our designs for manufacturing Request a Demo Below! Read more...

How to Prepare for Industry 4.0: A Practical Guide [Webinar]

Posted on May 21, 2018May 21, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Learn what Industry 4.0 means for your company, the business benefits offered by Industrial IoT, and how your business should prepare for it. Request a Demo Hear from Dr. Ching Au, CEO of Durabrite, a leading manufacturer of industrial lighting solutions, about how the company has adopted and integrated IIoT into their product line. This [...] Read more...

One ‘STEP’ Beyond [Webinar]

Posted on April 27, 2018April 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Introducing the latest design technology for a seamless integration between your electrical and mechanical design teams. Request a Demo For the past decade, the STEP format has been instrumental in assisting in the collaboration between the MCAD and ECAD tools. But, STEP has its limitations. Those who have imported STEPs from ECAD tools know that [...] Read more...

Bridging the Gap between Plastic Part Design and Manufacturing

Posted on April 23, 2018April 24, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Live Town Hall Webcast : Bridging The Gap Between Plastic Part Design and Manufacturing Join SOLIDWORKS panel of experts, from plastic injecting molding industry, as they discuss plastic part design and manufacturing best practices and share ideas on how to avoid costly errors and rework. Register Now Bridging the Gap between Plastic Part Design and [...] Read more...

Get Your Plastic Part Designs Tested

Posted on April 18, 2018June 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Have your plastic part designs ever suffered the embarrassment of short shot, shrinkage, uneven cooling or deformation? If your designs are having difficulty performing during the injection molding process, it’s time to get tested. SOLIDWORKS Plastics gives you the tools to easily assess your designs for manufacturability by simulating the plastic injection process. By using [...] Read more...

The Ham Sandwich Theorem in SOLIDWORKS

Posted on April 17, 2018June 27, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

Happy spring everyone! With the weather finally improving after a barrage of Nor'easter storms, it’s time to break out those picnic baskets and have some sandwiches! But what if you want to share a sandwich with someone? Cutting a sandwich may sound like the most mundane task, but only if the sandwich was made neatly. [...] Read more...

Be Your Own Injection-Mold Mastermind

Posted on March 27, 2018April 18, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Plastic is a pliable material that can be molded into many complex shapes and patterns. Easier said than done, right? Accurately injecting liquefied plastic materials into a mold, perfecting the solidification process and effectively ejecting the molded part can at times seem like a lot more luck and magic than science. Instead of living on [...] Read more...

Fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS Plastics 3D Design Software

Posted on March 22, 2018March 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Validating your plastic part designs with SOLIDWORKS Plastics will ensure proper fill, determine best gate location, and eliminate potential defects and improve part quality. Request a Demo Fill out the form below for a SOLIDWORKS Plastics demo! Read more...

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Made Easy [Webinar]

Posted on March 20, 2018March 20, 2018 by Roy Mutalik

Request a Demo Explore how easy and powerful virtual flow analysis 3D design software is to use, and discover the cost savings and productivity-boosting benefits in this webinar. In less than 30 minutes, you'll learn: What CFD is Why it is important How to set up easy, intuitive fluid-flow simulations Intake manifold - velocity and [...] Read more...

Best Practices for Optimizing Plastic Part Designs [Webinar]

Posted on March 18, 2018April 18, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

SOLIDWORKS Plastics gives you the tools to easily assess your designs for manufacturability by simulating the plastic injection process. By using SOLIDWORKS Plastics, you can catch potential defects in the early stages of your design, gain the insight to make smarter decisions earlier, save money by avoiding costly late-stage design changes, and get to market [...] Read more...

DesignPoint Announcement of Winning Customer Satisfaction Award by SOLIDWORKS

Posted on March 16, 2018March 16, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

SOLIDWORKS awards DesignPoint “#1 in Customer Satisfaction in North America” for its second consecutive year. Recognized for the personal touch and value DesignPoint adds to every client interaction, More is Possible rings true. CLARK, N.J. | MARCH 16, 2018 DesignPoint, experts in 3D design software and 3D printers for engineering and manufacturing companies in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic [...] Read more...

How Much Is Your Current CAD System Costing You? [Webinar]

Posted on March 14, 2018April 13, 2018 by Brett Dunn

Learn More Don't let cost hold you back from enhancing your design productivity and innovation. Discover how it's possible for you to cut 3D design software costs AND boost innovation during this 30-minute must-see webinar! You'll learn: Why companies using SOLIDWORKS have a lower cost of ownership and higher productivity The benefits of a customer-friendly [...] Read more...

3 Reasons Why You Should Be Hiring Millennial Engineers

Posted on March 13, 2018March 15, 2018 by Lorenza Jerez

Millennials get a lot of backlash. Many are convinced that they're lazy, entitled, coddled, naive, job-hopping brats. Yikes! I beg to differ, and sure, that's biased because I'm a 20-something-year-old young adult. You can say what you want about me, a sales and marketing professional doing her thing, but what I won't allow you to do [...] Read more...

Getting in Touch with Your Electrical Roots

Posted on March 6, 2018March 6, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

Root mark is important because it identifies the type of component at a glance. When we place a symbol on our page, the root mark comes in automatically, but where does it come from? There are five different places where we can define the root mark of a component, from most general to most specific. [...] Read more...

Identify Plastic Part Deformations Before Manufacturing [Short Video]

Posted on March 3, 2018April 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

3D Design Software: Which One Is Right for You?

Posted on February 23, 2018March 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Investing in 3D design software is like a getting a tattoo. It's a decision that will reward you with joy and confidence, but you also plan to live with that decision for many, many years. This means making the right decision the first time is critical. Heck, some folks have even gone as far as [...] Read more...

Design Better Parts with SOLIDWORKS Plastics [Short Video]

Posted on February 22, 2018May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Designing a Puzzle Toy for My Dog in SOLIDWORKS

Posted on February 20, 2018February 20, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

If you have ever spoken with me on Tech Support or read any of my SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing blogs, you know my passion for SOLIDWORKS technology and engineering as a whole. Aside from doing what I love every day – engineering – I have a second passion, and that is dogs! For Christmas, I was [...] Read more...

Engineering Love with SOLIDWORKS Motion

Posted on February 13, 2018February 15, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

While many of us will be enjoying a movie, going out to a fancy dinner, or chowing down on chocolates this Valentine's Day, I will be spending my time engineering love itself! An urban legend has it that a heart gear has a conjugate gear of another heart gear. That’s probably the most romantic thing [...] Read more...

Why You Don’t Need to Be a Genius to Run CFD Analyses

Posted on February 1, 2018March 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis doesn’t have to be hard, and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. Let’s uncover why. I’m going to pull that wool away from your eyes and demystify the industry misconceptions of robust 3D CAD analysis software so that you, the everyday mechanical engineer or product designer, can innovate more [...] Read more...

Is 3D Printing on the Production Line Actually Feasible?

Posted on January 29, 2018January 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Implementing a realistic 3D printing strategy may seem like a distant, formidable plan for the future, but we promise, it's easier to get started than you might think. In fact, many of the largest cost saving additive manufacturing (AM) opportunities in manufacturing are produced in low volumes when compared to the number of parts they [...] Read more...

Risk Mitigation – PDM, PLM, MRP, ERP and the Like

Posted on January 26, 2018January 29, 2018 by Brett Dunn

The economy is strong these days and many engineering and manufacturing companies are looking to make investments in enterprise solutions, such as PDM, PLM, MRP, ERP and the like. As strong as the economy is, many of us have had experiences in the past that have molded us into what we are today ... more [...] Read more...

Why 3D Print Manufacturing Cradles?

Posted on January 23, 2018January 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Parts like this UHMW cradle for manufacturing industrial vehicle frames can be slow and costly to produce for many manufacturing departments. These types of tools and materials are excellent opportunities for additive manufacturing on production lines. A high strength 3D printer, like one from Markforged’s Industrial Series line, can make quick work of such a [...] Read more...

What’s New in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2018

Posted on January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

Learn five new features in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2018 in five minutes. Save yourself time and avoid the frustration of manually updating design changes throughout your entire schematic with these savvy tips! Happy New Year! If you know me, you know I love SOLIDWORKS Electrical, and it seems like every year it gets better and better. [...] Read more...

Getting Lucky with SOLIDWORKS: Creating a Skew Pair of Dice

Posted on January 18, 2018January 18, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

Ever wondered how to skew the odds in your favor? Well, we can try to make some dice that are skewed using SOLIDWORKS 3D design software so that we can win at craps. But the funny thing is, as biased as these bones look, NumberPhile explains that they are perfectly fair given that you have [...] Read more...

How to Smoke the Competition with Easy Answers to Complex Physics

Posted on January 15, 2018April 13, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Be fast, not furious: Learn how to use SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation to solve complex physics with ease. With track speeds of well over 200 MPH, stock car racing is all about having the fastest car. Some drivers would even claim that when it comes to racing, “if you’re not first, you’re last.” To finish in [...] Read more...

The Magic of SOLIDWORKS and 3D Printing: Unveiling the Trick Behind the Ball and Vase

Posted on January 5, 2018January 5, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

Spoiler alert: all secrets revealed! See how we unveil the magic behind the Ball and Vase trick using SOLIDWORKS 3D design solutions and 3D printing. I’ve considered myself a magician since the age of nine, so it has been a passion of mine for quite some time now. I actually used to have my own [...] Read more...

Never Fully Migrated Your 3D Design Data? No Problem!

Posted on January 3, 2018March 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Did you inherit a 3D CAD program with your 2D package with no guidance on how to use it? We did, too. In fact, we, DesignPoint, used to be an Autodesk reseller back in the day. So why did we make the switch? SOLIDWORKS total cost of ownership Huge user efficiency gains Superior technical support [...] Read more...

Winter Challenge: Create a Snowflake Using all of the SOLIDWORKS Patterns!

Posted on December 26, 2017January 18, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

There’s no better way to end 2017 than with a SOLIDWORKS challenge! I’ve tasked myself to design a snowflake using all of the feature patterns available in SOLIDWORKS. Do you think I can do it? The patterns I will use for this challenge include: Variable Curve Driven Mirror Linear Sketch Driven Circular Table Driven Fill [...] Read more...

5 Ways Automation Can Make Your Job Easier [Electrical Schematic Webinar]

Posted on December 22, 2017April 27, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

Learn More Overcome the bottlenecks slowing down electrical design! Level up your electrical schematic designs by: Effectively planning your projects Reusing work instead of redoing work Automating intelligent, data-rich design documentation Propagating design changes instantaneously Improving communication between users simultaneously working on projects Ready to achieve more with your designs? Fill out the form below [...] Read more...

If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen! [Webinar]

Posted on December 19, 2017April 24, 2018 by Roy Mutalik

Learn More Better understand what happens when you open a hot oven and that plume of heat escapes, and determine how much the temperature in your kitchen rises by watching this webinar. Achieve more with your designs. Fill out the form below to request a demo! Read more...

SOLIDWORKS Tech Tip: Surfacing Techniques Made Easy! [Short Video]

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Many high-quality designs are created using surfacing commands in SOLIDWORKS 3D design software. These commands can seem daunting to use if you’re not too experienced, however, many of them are a lot simpler than you might think! For example, many thin-walled bodies, like this fan blade, are created from just a couple of features. Often [...] Read more...

Retro SOLIDWORKS: Students Try CAD From the 90s

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Five engineering students and one SOLIDWORKS veteran went back three decades to immerse themselves in the world of 1990s SOLIDWORKS 3D design software! Watch the video above to see their reaction. Request a demo of SOLIDWORKS 2018 below! Fill out the form below to request a demo! Read more...

Designing the First Ever Jet-Powered Surfboard in 3D CAD

Posted on December 12, 2017December 14, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Learn More The visionary designers and engineers at Gilo Industries and Mako Boardsports have created the first ever jet-powered surfboard. Go behind the scenes to see how these pioneers of product creation brought their vision to life using SOLIDWORKS 3D design software! Request a demo below! Fill out the form below to request a demo! Read more...

Awaken Your Design Skills With the Power of 3D CAD [Star Wars]

Posted on December 8, 2017December 8, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

An engineer or designer without 3D CAD is like a Jedi without a lightsaber. This elegant weapon … for a more civilized age … enabled those attuned to the flow of the force to overcome insurmountable galactic feats. And the same applies to you. Staying up-to-date with the latest engineering technology will allow you to [...] Read more...

Taking Your Designs to the Next Level With the Power of 3D CAD [Video]

Posted on December 4, 2017December 8, 2017 by Robert Maldonado

In less than six minutes, learn how SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD can solve your biggest CAD binds. Application Engineer at DesignPoint, Rob, will show you how to: Optimize the cost of a sheet metal part and reduce scrap Perform an interference check on all items within your assembly Check the harmonic modes on this ukulele model [...] Read more...

Stop Wrestling With Your Design Data – The Fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS PDM

Posted on November 30, 2017December 1, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Watch this 2-minute video to learn how you can focus more on design and spend less time wrestling with your design data! Learn More With SOLIDWORKS PDM, you can: Minimize redundant data and save time when searching for files Work with intelligent file versioning and revisioning controls Share and sync data that can be accessed [...] Read more...

Creating a Sound Design Part 4: Will It Fill? Fixing Our Headphones Using SOLIDWORKS Plastics [Webinar]

Posted on November 29, 2017November 29, 2017 by Roy Mutalik

Learn how you can better understand real-world mold flow behavior and detect problems in molding earlier with SOLIDWORKS Plastics. Watch this webinar with Application Engineering Manager at DesignPoint, Roy Mutalik, for the details! Learn More Here View the Full Series In part four of this webinar series, you will learn how to set up and run [...] Read more...

Your Engineering Team’s Transformation [Webinar]

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

You no longer need to accept that "good" is "good enough" within your engineering department – More is Possible®! Learn More Learn how to solve these three common industry challenges: There is tremendous time pressure to get things done. Tedious, manual processes are slowing the team down. The team isn’t using their tools as effectively [...] Read more...

SOLIDWORKS Magic Up in the Sky: Building Parade Balloons

Posted on November 27, 2017January 18, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

As we wind down from the fantastic Thanksgiving parade that happened last Thursday, now is a great time to reflect on the preparation and engineering that goes into making those parade balloons soar! The first instance of parade balloons being used was back in 1927. This is where Felix the Cat made his first-ever appearance. [...] Read more...

5 New Features in SOLIDWORKS 2018 for Workflow Speed Demons

Posted on November 21, 2017January 22, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

As CAD users, you want nothing more than to work fast. For decades, SOLIDWORKS has introduced additional functionality to its suite of tools to make CAD speed demons work as quickly and efficiently as possible. And SOLIDWORKS 2018 is no exception. Try out these five new enhancements in 2018 design to learn how you can improve your [...] Read more...

Turn Your Engineering Status Quo Into a 3D Mastery Machine

Posted on November 17, 2017November 29, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Your Engineering Transformation – Make It Happen! Accelerate your engineering efforts for maximum impact. Watch the webinar to learn how! Watch It Here Formalize your vision for your engineering team by flipping internal inefficiencies into productivity-boosting strategies. How much time have you spent over or under analyzing a design concept? Having a second set of [...] Read more...

Driving Efficiency in Engineering [Webinar]

Posted on November 16, 2017April 24, 2018 by Roy Mutalik

Learn about the correlation between engineering and product data management (PDM) systems. Application Engineering Manager at DesignPoint, Roy Mutalik, will walk you through how PDM can save you time with tasks such as searching for parts and helping with standardization. Learn More In less than 20 minutes, you’ll learn about: Standardization of file and folder [...] Read more...

Creating a Sound Design Part 3: Simulating a Plastic Part With SOLIDWORKS Simulation [Webinar]

Posted on November 14, 2017November 29, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Prevent future design failures by knowing exactly when and how your products will fail using SOLIDWORKS Simulation. Watch this webinar for the details! Learn More In part three of this webinar series, you will learn how to run studies on a broken plastic part from a set of headphones in SOLIDWORKS Simulation to prevent it from [...] Read more...

SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD First Look

Posted on November 3, 2017December 14, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Learn More SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software provides dedicated tools and workflows that streamline the design and development of your products from concepts through to reality. Watch the video above to learn more! Request a demo below! Fill out the form below to request a demo! Read more...

Wrap Feature Fun: Carving a Jack-O’-Lantern in SOLIDWORKS

Posted on October 31, 2017November 10, 2017 by Robert Maldonado

The Wrap Feature in SOLIDWORKS has been around since the early versions, but it just recently got a major enhancement. In SOLIDWORKS 2017, this feature gained the ability to apply the wrap to any surface, an upgrade from just analytical ones. I’ll show you exactly how this upgraded functionality can be leveraged to carve a [...] Read more...

Creating a Sound Design Part 2: Reverse Engineering With Geomagic for SOLIDWORKS [Webinar]

Posted on October 26, 2017November 29, 2017 by Andrés Lesmes

See how easy it is to manipulate 3D scanned data within SOLIDWORKS. Learn how to reverse engineer a plastic part for production in this webinar with Andrés Lesmes, an applications engineer, at DesignPoint. Learn More In part two of this webinar series, you will learn how to reverse engineer a plastic component from a set of [...] Read more...

Introducing the World’s First Mini Workstation Designed for CAD Users

Posted on October 24, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Get a FREE HP Z2 Mini with Your SOLIDWORKS Premium Purchase! Learn More Out of 7 billion people, 5 million designers imagine, engineer, and shape our world. You are 0.1% of the population. And now, there’s something designed specifically for you. Introducing the world’s first mini workstation designed for CAD users – the HP Z2 [...] Read more...

Building Custom, High End Ships Using SOLIDWORKS

Posted on October 20, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Learn More Kvichak Marine retains every part of their high-end boat models within SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS PDM. This ensures every part is modeled to a standard, allowing them to not only re-use parts on other boats but also stay compliant. See for yourself how SOLIDWORKS has helped them greatly reduce rework and simplify production by [...] Read more...

Streamline Your Quality Control with SOLIDWORKS Inspection [Webinar]

Posted on October 18, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Improve quality control within your engineering processes and enhance the accuracy of your inspection reports with this simple to use tool, SOLIDWORKS Inspection. Want to learn more? Fill out the form below to request a demo! Read more...

Creating a Sound Design Part 1: Reverse Engineering With the Geomagic Capture Scanner [Webinar]

Posted on October 12, 2017November 15, 2017 by Andrés Lesmes

Welcome to DesignPoint’s Reverse Engineering Video Series! This series will walk you through how to reverse engineer a plastic component from a set of broken headphones. Join us as we prepare this part for manufacturing or 3D printing without the hassle of using calipers, micrometers, calculators and other antiquated tools. For each major step in [...] Read more...

SOLIDWORKS 2018: 8 New Ways to Work Smarter

Posted on October 6, 2017January 22, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Great products begin with great designs — from concepts to manufactured parts and assemblies. SOLIDWORKS 2018 provides new tools and enhancements to help you get your design to manufacturing faster, with higher quality and at lower costs. Take a look these at 8 new features and enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2018 that will help accelerate innovation [...] Read more...

SOLIDWORKS 2018: Powerful Model Based Definition

Posted on September 27, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Learn More Model Based Definition in SOLIDWORKS 2018 is more powerful than ever allowing you to more accurately define all the manufacturing information needed within the 3D model. You can now apply datum features to patterns more accurately representing real life designs like the three mounting holes in this cover. Model Based Definition helps companies [...] Read more...

The Longest Scoring Shot in the History of the NBA in SOLIDWORKS Motion

Posted on September 22, 2017January 18, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

On February 17, 2001, a basketball game was played between the Bobcats and the Bucks. It was in this game that a world record was set. As time expired in the third quarter, a teammate passed the ball to Baron Davis who hurled it 89 feet landing right into the basket. This is the longest scoring [...] Read more...

3 Ways Collaboration Enhances Electrical Design

Posted on September 19, 2017December 27, 2017 by Loretta Stiurca

We live in a world where collaboration is the key to success. Without it, projects often aren’t completed on time and mistakes are much more likely to go unnoticed. Because of this, we need tools that enable a highly collaborative environment. You’ve probably used tools like Skype, Dropbox, Asana, Slack, and One Drive, but when [...] Read more...

4 Ways to Get the Most From Your SOLIDWORKS License

Posted on September 8, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Many necessary evils live within the product development cycle. They can appear as design rework, hardware order mishaps, a chaotic quoting system or too many slow and manual processes just to name a few. But becoming more efficient with the capabilities already inside SOLIDWORKS can save you significant time on grueling, manual labor while monitoring the [...] Read more...

Designing a Button Insert for My Truck with SOLIDWORKS and 3D Printing

Posted on August 31, 2017February 16, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

I drive a Toyota Tacoma, and I love this thing. Numerous cross-country trips have made this machine close to my heart, almost like a childhood home. I only want the best for this truck. I’m always looking for new ways to take care of and improve my baby, and recently I decided I wanted to [...] Read more...

The Holy Grail of 3D Printing: The Markforged Industrial Series [Webinar]

Posted on August 23, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Watch this quick webinar to learn how industrial strength 3D printing is now financially attainable for every manufacturing business! Request a Demo In this webinar, we introduce a variant on an established 3D printer line! Learn how the new Industrial Series 3D printers from Markforged are the go-to solution for manufacturing tooling such as jigs, [...] Read more...

The Holy Grail of 3D Printing Has Arrived!

Posted on August 17, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

You no longer need to accept the trade-offs between strength, part-quality, and affordability when selecting a 3D printer. We are pleased to introduce the Markforged Industrial Series line of composite 3D printers! With this introduction, Markforged has made industrial strength printing financially attainable for EVERY manufacturing business, allowing them to compete on a global stage. [...] Read more...

Markforged and SOLIDWORKS Join Forces

Posted on August 11, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Watch the video to see how these two companies are bringing carbon fiber and metal 3D printers into the mainstream. Request a Demo Aerospace engineer, innovator and three-time entrepreneur, Greg Mark, went from creating wings for race cars made of carbon fiber to redefining the way engineers are building parts made with carbon fiber. By merging [...] Read more...

Stop Guesstimating and Start Validating Your Designs [Webinar]

Posted on August 9, 2017March 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Watch this 23-minute webinar to learn how you can solve common design challenges that disrupt product development before it's too late. Request a Demo Product designers and engineers face many of these obstacles throughout development: Material costs are too high Product warranties get in the way Project delays Product failures in the field Long prototyping [...] Read more...

5 Things to Consider When Selecting 3D Design Software

Posted on August 2, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Live Webinar: How Much Is Your Current CAD System Costing You? Wednesday, March 14th 11am - 11:30am EST Learn about the different licensing options and best practices for a smooth transition. Learn More Are you looking to switch CAD tools? Or maybe you’re seeking a better way to position your organization to bring higher quality [...] Read more...

Production Quality 3D Printing Software for the Everyday Engineer

Posted on July 28, 2017December 20, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Whether you are brand new to 3D printing, use it for tooling and fixtures, prototyping, end-use parts, educational purposes or any combination of these applications -- adding materials for strength and calculating that cost has never been easier. You can leave your manual calculations in the 80s along with Microsoft Paint, and step into the [...] Read more...

7 Things I Learned in a SOLIDWORKS Fundamentals Class as a CSWE

Posted on July 21, 2017January 18, 2018 by Robert Maldonado

Here at DesignPoint, we always talk to our customers about the benefits of formal SOLIDWORKS training. Even if you’ve used SOLIDWORKS for years, there’s always more you can learn from being formally trained. Recently, I had the opportunity to experience this first-hand when I attended a SOLIDWORKS Essentials class. As the newest Applications Engineer with [...] Read more...

Dragons Are Coming! Can Engineer Johnny Snow Save the Realm?

Posted on July 16, 2017April 13, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation: A Song of CAD and CFD Brace yourself; dragons are coming. Now the only person standing between saving the realm and watching its cities burn is the warrior engineer Johnny Snow. While some wild folk believe he knows nothing, Johnny knows of a special weapon: SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation. Equipped with this powerful [...] Read more...

3 Ways to Reduce Your Number of Physical Prototypes

Posted on June 30, 2017March 28, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Frustrated by long lead times and excessive design iterations? Reduce your number of physical prototypes before they get to production. Whether you make several prototypes at once, go with your gut or use chintzy materials to gauge functionality, these methods are no longer efficient in today’s digital world. Making “course corrections” as quickly as possible [...] Read more...

Is the Future of Manufacturing in 3D Print Farms?

Posted on June 28, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Your dependency on vendors for parts and prototyping, with long lead times, will soon be obsolete. Printing strong parts and functional prototypes on a large scale are now within arm’s reach. While the marketplace continues to demand more, faster, businesses need an efficient way to keep up. Implementing a 3D print farm is the most [...] Read more...

3 Reasons Why Your Current Electrical Schematic Design Process Is Failing You

Posted on June 23, 2017December 27, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Test Drive SOLIDWORKS 3D Software Join us for an upcoming Hands-On Test Drive event. Test out the software at one of our three locations! View Events Speed up electrical schematic creation and say goodbye to exhausting, manual processes! Dreading your schematic design documentation? Unable to update your designs unerringly? Cumbersome communication methods causing a conundrum? [...] Read more...

Why Are My Products Failing in the Field?

Posted on June 23, 2017March 28, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Do you jump right into prototyping or production only to have a part break or find out it did not perform as expected? In 1954, two crashes involving the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the DeHavilland Comet, brought the words “metal fatigue” to newspaper headlines and into long-lasting public consciousness. The aircraft, also one of [...] Read more...

Why Are My Projects Continuously Getting Delayed?

Posted on June 16, 2017March 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Projects can get delayed for a number of reasons, but it all comes down to where you’re spending your time and the amount of rework or redesign associated with it. Getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible involves meeting such targets as minimal performance, market timing and manufacturing costs. Unfortunately, as [...] Read more...

3D Printing Helps Students at Olin College of Engineering

Posted on June 13, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Come Experience the Strongest 3D Printed Parts in the World! Join us at one of our upcoming open houses to see the new Markforged carbon fiber 3D printer in action and learn about the latest 3D printing technology! View Open Houses Every year, engineering students from around the world come together to compete with their [...] Read more...

Create Your Design Documentation Faster

Posted on June 6, 2017December 27, 2017 by Loretta Stiurca

The typical electrical design documentation process goes something like this: Draw Document Audit In the drawing stage, you select parts, draw up panel layouts and determine the connections. In the documentation stage, you generate reports such as the bill of materials, wire lists, cable lists and more. And in the auditing stage, you verify that [...] Read more...

Why Am I Losing so Much Money in Warranties?

Posted on May 25, 2017March 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Create more accurate product warranties by adding restrictions based on virtual testing and analysis versus speculation. Can you recall a time when you wish you had known the consequences of a decision before you went through with it? If you’re a business owner or an engineering manager, this scenario may resonate with you when thinking [...] Read more...

Why Are My Material Costs Eroding My Margins?

Posted on May 18, 2017March 27, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Do you rework expensive designs after you’ve started production, or eat that cost for the high price of reassurance that your product will perform properly in the field? Being caught off guard with high material costs after the fact can leave you and your organization in a panic. After spending so much time and energy [...] Read more...

Getting Your Designs Right the First Time With SOLIDWORKS Simulation

Posted on May 11, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

“I’m surprised every day by what I find out running simulations. I don’t know that I could do my job anymore without it.” – Todd Turner, Senior Product Development Engineer at Macro Plastics, Inc. Macro Plastics, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of large agricultural bins in the citrus and apple industry. They rely heavily on [...] Read more...

Planning for Success With SOLIDWORKS Electrical

Posted on May 5, 2017February 1, 2018 by Loretta Stiurca

Test Drive SOLIDWORKS 3D Software Join us for an upcoming Hands-On Test Drive event. Test out the software at one of our three locations! View Events Today’s world is so fast-paced that you often don’t have the time you wish you had to fully plan a project. But what is this really costing you? In [...] Read more...

Metal 3D Printing Redefined

Posted on May 2, 2017January 23, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Ready to benefit from 3D metal printing, but don’t have the space or budget to accommodate this technology? Then ADAM (Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing) technology from Markforged is right for you. The metal 3D printers of today are very expensive ($500K - 1M) and can take up a large amount of space. Markforged's revolutionary ADAM technology [...] Read more...

5 Reasons Why You Should Be Reusing Your Design Data

Posted on April 18, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Reusing design data can benefit you and your organization on a daily basis, helping you and your team work more efficiently. You’ve just been assigned a new project. As you think through the design, you suddenly remember you’ve recently created the same part about a year ago. Where to find it is the big question. [...] Read more...

4 Ways to Reduce Design Rework

Posted on April 11, 2017December 27, 2017 by Loretta Stiurca

The bane of every engineer's existence – rework! You’ve just translated your brilliant idea into a beautiful schematic. You’ve created all of its related documentation and verified that all connectors are properly constructed. So now you’re feeling pretty great about it! But with all great designs, there’s almost always changes that will need to be [...] Read more...

Why Engineering Is a Company’s Greatest Asset

Posted on April 4, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Streamline the day-to-day work and consistently meet your deadlines by accurately identifying and resolving bottlenecks throughout your development process. Are you not as productive as you need to be? Do you find yourself treading water in a never-ending flood of emails, new projects, projects that need to be re-designed, projects that need to be optimized, [...] Read more...

How to Save Time When Prototyping

Posted on March 31, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Tired of your prototypes breaking? Sick of the prolonged lead time, only to discover you have a new iteration and your previous prototype is no longer applicable? We hear you. All you want to do is create the perfect design. Everything looks great in your CAD model, but after your prototype arrives you discover one [...] Read more...

Implementing “Trouble Sheets” to Easily Document Design Change Requests

Posted on March 30, 2017November 10, 2017 by Roy Mutalik

Your engineer team works tirelessly to design a product. After days, weeks, months, maybe even a year's worth of work, you finally approve and release your product design. Your job is done. Everything is sure to work out perfectly -- of course, this is hardly ever the case. Organizations, small and large alike, identify problems [...] Read more...

Why Can’t I Get My Electrical Schematics Done Fast Enough?

Posted on March 23, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Test Drive SOLIDWORKS 3D Software Join us for an upcoming Hands-On Test Drive event. Test out the software at one of our three locations! View Events The days of drawing schematics with pen and paper, Microsoft Paint or any other general-purpose drafting tool are gone – free up your time and get projects done faster [...] Read more...

SOLIDWORKS® Awards DesignPoint Highest Customer Satisfaction in North America for 2016

Posted on March 17, 2017March 29, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Coveted award presented to DesignPoint at the SOLIDWORKS World 2017 event, demonstrates DesignPoint’s unwavering commitment to delivering the highest levels of customer service. CLARK, NEW JERSEY | JANUARY 31, 2017 DesignPoint — experts in 3D software and 3D printers for engineering and manufacturing companies in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states — received the coveted SOLIDWORKS [...] Read more...

5 Reasons Why Good CEOs Outsource [Infographic]

Posted on March 9, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Whether you have skill gaps to fill within your team or a need for additional capacity to crank out time-consuming, repetitive work -- outsourcing can help. Are you inundated with more projects than you can handle, have the desire to take on new projects without the bandwidth, receive requests from customers with no in-house expert [...] Read more...

Reverse Engineer Cheaper, Faster and More Accurate

Posted on March 2, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Imagine being able to capture anything in the physical world and have a digital model of it within minutes. Learn how to make this possibility a reality with 3D scanning technology. Trying to meet deadlines, but you are constantly slowed down by tedious reverse engineering processes? You are not alone. Many companies spend countless hours [...] Read more...

Need a Good Picture? Why Not Render It With SOLIDWORKS Visualize.

Posted on February 28, 2017September 19, 2017 by Roy Mutalik

Photo-realistic rendering is a powerful tool for CAD designers. It allows you to output true-to-life images of your design before you’ve even built a model. The ability to create customer-facing marketing or sales materials earlier in the design process has huge benefits in cost and time savings later downstream in the design. However, that’s not [...] Read more...

Making Life Easier with Shaded Sketch Contours in SOLIDWORKS

Posted on February 24, 2017September 19, 2017 by Roy Mutalik

One of my personal favorite enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2017 is a new feature in sketching called Shaded Sketch Contours. With this enabled, any closed sketch contours I create are automatically shaded on screen, as shown below: Why is this useful? I thought you’d never ask. What happens if I have a gap in my sketch? [...] Read more...

How to Secure a Firm Grip in Robotics Automation

Posted on February 21, 2017November 10, 2017 by Danielle Harrison

Looking to improve and expand production line solutions? Learn how Dixon Valve eliminated weeks of manufacturing lead time and developed new product solutions with 3D printing. Getting a Grip An industrial FANUC robotic arm gracefully swings from one automated machining center to another with a pipe fitting firmly gripped between its jaws. Dixon Valve, a [...] Read more...

DesignPoint Expands Offerings to Include Markforged 3D Printers Enabling their Manufacturing Customers to Create High-Strength Parts

Posted on February 16, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Revolutionary Markforged 3D printers use materials such as Kevlar®, carbon fiber, and fiberglass which make it possible to create parts for manufacturing applications and in finished products. CLARK, NEW JERSEY | JANUARY 31, 2017 DesignPoint, a leading provider of solutions for product design, engineering, manufacturing and 3D printing in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, is [...] Read more...

How to Add Wire Numbers to Schematics in 10 Seconds or Less

Posted on February 7, 2017September 19, 2017 by Loretta Stiurca

Adding wire numbers to a schematic with standard 2D CAD software can be a tedious, time-consuming and error-prone task – especially if a project is revised before sending it out to production. Power lines are often numbered differently than other wires, and there might be even more variation based on the type of wire we [...] Read more...

Meet the Markforged Line of 3D Printers

Posted on January 6, 2017May 29, 2018 by Danielle Harrison

Most users of 3D printers complain that the strength of their plastic prototypes is simply not strong enough -- not anymore! If you need functional, accurate and durable prototypes for your grueling product development efforts at a price point that may surprise you, look no further. Among the many great benefits of 3D printing, strength and [...] Read more...

How to Fix Circles That Look Like Hexagons

Posted on December 15, 2016September 19, 2017 by Loretta Stiurca

Has this ever happened to you? I just extruded cylinder and I’m looking at it from the top, but the profile doesn’t look circular at all! In fact, I can see 14 distinct, flat, edges. I know I created this from a circle, so what’s the deal? Did my SOLIDWORKS completely break? Of course not! […]

Bring Home an Olympic Gold With SOLIDWORKS PDM

Posted on August 14, 2016October 18, 2016 by Jenna Boyle

SOLIDWORKS PDM allows us to build up our approval process using a feature called Workflow. As we push our files through our custom workflow, all of the appropriate managers and personnel responsible for approving these files are automatically notified along the way.

Reducing the Need for 2D Drawings ‘ Summary of the MBE Summit

Posted on July 22, 2016October 18, 2016 by Jenna Boyle

SOLIDWORKS MBD helps companies define, organize, and publish 3D Product Manufacturing Information (PMI) including 3D model data in industry standard file formats such as eDrawings’ and 3DPDF. Unlike traditional 2D drawings, SOLIDWORKS MBD guides the manufacturing process directly in 3D, which helps streamline production, cut cycle time, reduce errors, and support industry standards.