During these past two weeks I have spent a lot of time on SolidWorks.  At present, most of the parts at this facility are drawn in a 2-D design program like AutoCAD.  Here shortly this program will no longer be supported.  Therefore, I have been working on converting these drawings to SolidWorks files.  However, there is another reason for this.  This company is presently installing a new plating line.  It is crucial that the surface areas of these parts be determined so they can be platted to accurate tolerance.  SolidWorks has the capability of finding surface areas of models.  So, my job has been modeling these parts and then transfering them onto engineering drawings.  This has required much patience and time.  I have learned to have a critical eye.  In the lock manufacturing industry, componants have to be manufactured within thousandths of an inch accuracy.  I have observed instances where parts were a thousandths of an inch off and the lock would not function.  So with that said, engineering is a field that requires observance to detail.

I’ll end this blog with one final note.  I am really glad that the Western class I took last semester introduced me to SolidWorks and other 3-D modeling programs.  I am beginning to apply what I learned in the classroom to the engineering world. 

Thinking engineering? Think Western.

Charles