Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures

ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

June, 2014

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Summary This white paper will illustrate the typical mechanical design process, further explain the key issues which simplify the whole mechanical design process, and introduce solutions to overcome those mechanical design challenges.

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Table of Contents

1. The Concerns of Mechanical Design ......................................................... 5

2. Flexibility of Personalization ........................................................................ 7

3. Design and Machining Synchronization .................................................... 8

4. Conclusion .................................................................................................... 9

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Index of Images

Figure 1 ................................................................................................................................ 5

Figure 2 ................................................................................................................................ 5

Figure 3 ................................................................................................................................ 6

Figure 4 ................................................................................................................................ 6

Figure 6 ................................................................................................................................ 7

Figure 5 ................................................................................................................................ 7

Figure 7 ................................................................................................................................ 8

Figure 8 ................................................................................................................................ 8

Figure 9 ................................................................................................................................ 9

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

1. The Concerns of Mechanical Design

Typically, mechanical design procedures include: 1) Convert 2D drawings to 3D models

Each company has many 2D assets, therefore the ability to easily convert 2D drawings into 3D data is important to accurately maintain the existing data, which can be done by simple 3D modeling.

Figure 1

2) Make use of the library The library is the one feature that should never been neglected, as it allows designers to use millions of blocks from a library of global providers. For instance, I can get the gear, shaft or any standard parts or specified parts from third-party manufacturers without designing them from scratch, saving huge amount of time.

Figure 2

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

3) Setup the constraints and animation A simple animation can be more vivid and informative than lengthy descriptions in words, and far easier to be understood.

4) 2D documentations or file communication Documentation shows more details and enhances the design collaboration between people or companies using BOM, 3D PDF, etc.

Figure 3

From the above procedure of mechanical design, once we make any changes to the part, the whole series of parts and assembly can be updated quickly. If we take a deeper look, we can summarize it as the power of parametric technology, and the below example would have further introductions. For example, in the gear design below, we can see how the parametric technology plays an important role in the modifications. The gear design can be controlled by variables or equation sets. From simply controlling the variables, different sets of gears can be generated or changed according to different specifications.

Figure 4

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Furthermore, with the design optimizer of ZW3D, the best choice for the design can be analyzed by the system for better results. The above mentioned is the procedure involved in a typical mechanical design. However, if we take a look at other cases, we will find that most mechanical designs are not typical. They include machining processes and flexible design changes. In this case, if the mechanical design doesn’t suite the machining requirements, the work efficiency would decrease by 40%, which was the loss for most mechanical design companies. It reminded us that machining should be considered during the mechanical design. In order to get a better understanding, let’s take a look at the following examples.

2. Flexibility of Personalization

Standard parts are extremely important as they enhance the design collaboration with parts providers. On the other hand, there are a few areas of personalization, such as logos and transitions of the contour, which are time-consuming before the whole mechanical product is finished. Let’s pick a few points for explanation. 1) The transformation of the parts shows the flexibility of personalizing them with just a few clicks.

Figure 6

2) In ZW3D, simply by using the emboss feature or the wrapping commands, the shape of the logo

can be mapped to the mechanical parts in seconds.

Figure 5

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Figure 7

3) The transition of the connection can be achieved and adjusted accordingly. For instance,

Figure 8

3. Design and Machining Synchronization

After we design the parts and send them to the machining process, the communication between the design department and machining department is crucial, with a change of the mechanical parts immediately requiring an alteration to other parts, as well as the whole machining process. Since the power of top-down assembly technology fixes the design changes between parts, machining changes can be also associated to the change of parts in the same system.

Secrets on Simplifying Machine Design Procedures ZW3D CAD/CAM White Paper

Associative Parts Assembly CNC Program

Figure 9

1) Benefiting from the power of all-in-one CAD/CAM in ZW3D, each change to the part can quickly

update the machining program. As shown in figure 9, the machining program is immediately updated according to the part revision by one-button recalculation of the tool path.

2) With the built-in CAM solution, ZW3D shares the same database between CAD and CAM. The design and machining communications can be included in one file, which brings incomparable convenience to the design and machining collaboration.

4. Conclusion

Mechanical design has strict regulations in standard parts to help global collaboration. It covers simple part designs or assembly animations, while more personalization is required, instead of standard ones. This means that the solution required should be more flexible. What’s more, mechanical design is not just design. Design-for-machining is an extremely important element in increasing efficiency. With its flexibility in the modeling and integrated CAD/CAM system, ZW3D makes the design and machining communication becomes easier and simpler than ever.