Introduction to SolidWorks
SolidWorks is a CAD, CAM and CAE software which integrates Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing, and the Computer Aided Engineering in one environment. Solid works is a powerful software package it is widely used for part modelling, surface modelling, sheet metal design, and simulation purposes the solidWorks is developed by a German company named Dassault System at 1995. (Aksenov, A., Dyadkin, A. and Pokhilko, V., 1998)
The Solidworks offers wide range of packages and Add ins. The solid works CAD package offers wide variety of choices, A Computer Aided Design is the visualization or the representation of the product to be produced virtually in a computer or also the representation of a three dimensional element in a mathematical way. The produced part or assembly file is nothing but a mathematical curves and lines.
The solidWorks Computer Aided Design package offers wide variety of features and tools for the modeling of the parts, assembly of the parts and checking the parts, if it is in a proper manner. The Command manager of solid works part modelling consists of Feature tab which consists of different features tools such as extrude cut, Hole wizard, Revolve Cut, Swept cut, Lofted cut, Boundary cut, Swept boss, Lofted Boss, Revolve base, Fillet, round, pattern, rib, draft, shell, wrap, intersect, mirror, etc. Next tab in command manager is the sketch tab which consists of different sketch tools such as line, rectangle, circle, spline, arc, Ellipses, hexagons, polygons, trim command, linear sketch pattern, mirror entity, move entity, display delete relations, and etc.
The next tab is the surface tab, one need to activate the surface tab in the Tools – add ins, the surface tab consists of various commands and the tools required to construct a surface model or to carry out a surface design. Tools such as surface extrude, surface trim, surface sweep, surface loft, surface boundary, ruled surface, surface knit, etc. are present. The next tab is sheetmetal tab which also consists of various tools required for the sheetmetal design such as Base flange, Convert to sheetmetal, Jog, Hem, Miter Flange, Cross break, Sketched bend, Forming tool, etc.
The Assembly modeling window of the solidWorks consists of various tools required to assemble the parts which were created using the part modelling Window. The various constrains to mate the parts, the various tools to check the mating and the various tools required to validate the models are provided on the Assembly windows. The various Constrains that are available to mate the components are Coincident, parallel, perpendicular, Tangent, Concentric, angle, and some advanced mates are also available for the user conveniences. (Choi, G.H., Mun, D. and Han, S., 2002)
Features and tools of SolidWorks
Then the model produced using the Part and Assembly Modelling tools can be simulated in order to check the compatibility of the product with the real world environment, as how the product react to various load conditions, various temperatures and the various fluid pressures, etc. can be done using the solidWorks simulation package which is a CAE package known as Computer Aided Engineering. The simulation consists of studies such as Static study, Thermal study, Frequency study, Buckling study, Fatigue study, Pressure vessel design, Design study, Sub modeling, non-linear study, Linear Dynamic study, and 2 dimensional studies. Each of the studies finds its applications on its own way and its unique requirements. For example the static study is conducted in case of a design of a beam, bar, shaft, etc. and the thermal study is considered in case of design of a fin for IC engines, Microprocessor heat distribution, heat conduction through walls, etc. (Kao, Y.C., Cheng, H.Y. and She, C.H., 2006)
After the CAE process the product is fed into CAM process which is known as Computer aided Manufacturing, Which is also integrated in the solidwokrs CAM package. The CAM Package includes, generating codes for the manufacturing of the product such as machine language codes like G and M codes. Then the machining process is visualized by the solidWorks CAM, then the prototype is developed and further manufacturing process is carried out.( Chen, S.K. and Liu, J.T., 2006)
Thus the solidWorks can be used in a number of ways, to design, to simulate the behavior of a real part or assembly as well as checking basic geometry. (Aksenov, A., Dyadkin, A. and Pokhilko, V., 1998)
Engineering design is the process of iterative steps to achieve the final outcome of the product requirement. It can be a work of an individual or a group of members. Design process is always an iterative process it is not straight process. Every steps after it has been done should be checked. The general steps of any design process consists of,
- Recognition of the need.
- Problem definition and the specification.
- Studying the feasibility.
- Design synthesis.
- Preliminary design.
- Detailed or complete design.
- Developing prototype and testing.
- Design for mass production.
- Releasing the complete product.
In Engineering design there are many types of methodology one can handle to carry out the required design such as, top down, bottom up, iterative, completely new, etc. In any of these process the first and foremost step is to set up the design goal in case of new product or Study the flaws and requirements of the product in case of redesign or iterative design process. (Ullman, D.G., 2002) (Curtis, B., Krasner, H. and Iscoe, N., 1988)
Simulation and CAM process using SolidWorks
The design goal is the customer requirement and expectation of the product, it is dependent upon the type of the product such as safety, Thermal insulation, Strength, Light weight, Low energy consumption for manufacturing, low material consumption while manufacturing, lower emission of harmful gases to the environment, etc. Either the design is new or redesign process the customer requirement is the most important goal to be satisfied, so that the product will be successful in the market. (Lin, Y., Krishnapur, K., Allen, J.K. and Mistree, F., 1999) (Slater, S.F. and Narver, J.C., 1999)
The product that we are considering for the sustainability study and redesigning is the mug. A mug is a form of cup which is generally used to pour any hot liquid and drink such as coffee, hot chocolate, tea, soup items, etc. Any product must have its own requirement or its need as such, the mug is to have a perfect look, comfortable grip, high quality, good surface finish, rich look, perfect thermal insulation, in order to minimize the heat loss to the environment as the law of clausius states that the heat always flows from the higher gradient to the lower gradient, that is the heat from a hot fluid always tends to flow to the surrounding and bring equilibrium. Thus to lower this phenomenon the thermal insulation is must. A mug which have good thermal insulation will hold the heat of the fluid inside it for more time. (Siddique, Z. and Zhou, Y., 2002)
The mug that is to be designed must have good strength and durability so that it can withstand rough handlings, unexpected falling, accidental drops, a sudden strong grip, etc. The mug should be able to withstand and withhold high temperature fluids inside it, as the hot fluid will be poured inside the mug. The mug inner material which is to be containing the fluid must be chemically inert and should not react with the fluid that will be poured insisde it. So that the mug will be safe for the human usage. The lifetime of the mug must be high. The mug must look attractive from the outside and it should be strong, light in weight, comfortable to grip, and should be designed ergonomically. (Schlager, T., Hildebrand, C., Häubl, G. and Herrmann, A., 2014)
The characteristics of the product is the most important design goal that the product need to satisfy. The most important Design goal in case of the mug is,
Engineering Design Process
To have good outer look
To have good thermal insulation
To have good strength to withstand sudden loads and impacts
To have good comfort while holding in hands
To have good Product lifetime
The mug material be inert or non-reactive with the fluid that is poured inside the cup.
To withstand working temperature with some safety fators.
The selection of material is the most important factor for any design process as the material is the building block of the product, the material bounds all the characteristics and behaviour of the final product such as, strength, stiffness, look, themperature distribution, thermal insulation, etc. (Ashby, M.F. and Johnson, K., 2013) (Jee, D.H. and Kang, K.J., 2000)
The material selection not only affects the product but it also plays an important role in the production, Finance and transportation and use also. As the material changes the manufacturing process will change, as there are different manufacturing techniques for different type of material, when the manufacturing process changes the production process also changes, as the production process changes the final outcome, cash flow, balance sheet, and the raw material requirement varies which leads to a greater change in the financial state of the organization. (Hill, T. and Hill, A., 2009)
The material selection also influences the transportation and usage of the product as the manufacturing unit must be planted in a place where the raw material is available abundantly, if not one must spend money on the transportation of the raw material and the usage of it according to the continent where it is used.
Sustainability study must be carried out in order to find out which material is effective and most applicable for the product, the sustainability study also explains the environmental effects and the financial factors involved on using a particular material over the other. An organization must include sustainability study during the development of its product in order to mark a firm stand in the market, it should analyze each and every factors such as raw material availability, Manufacturing place, the place in which the product will be used, the energy consumption for the production of the product, the greenhouse gas emission, transportation cost, etc. shall be studied in order to maintain its place in today’s market. (Petala, E., Wever, R., Dutilh, C. and Brezet, H., 2010)
The sustainability study can be easily done with the help of the solidWorks software package, which incorporates many useful Add ins for the customers. The one such Add ins is the sustainability study. The study can be carried out with the sustainability express, which is located under the tools. The sustainability window sill open as
Design Goals and Characteristics of the Product
The sustainability study is carried out for the given old Mug product which is to be redesigned. The mug can be made up of materials like paper, plastic, and metal but the factor of lifetime and environmental impact is the major factor.
Lifetime, usage and environmental impact of manufacturing and using paper, plastic and metal.
|
S.no |
Material |
Environmental Impact |
Thermal conductivity |
Usage (Frequency) |
|
1. |
Paper |
Low |
Low |
Only once |
|
2. |
Plastics |
High |
Low |
Moderate (limited as 10 to 20 times) |
|
3. |
Steel |
Medium |
Very high |
High (upto 100 times) |
So we also collected results from the sustainability study of comparing paper (not available in solidWorks replaced with pine wood) with the plastic and metals as,
- Results for the comparison of base material (paper) with plastic
- The base material is wood pine and the comparison is with metals
So, we can clearly see that the paper is the environment friendly yet the cup can only be used once as the paper does not give long lifetime yet it may be made of metal but the metal is having high thermal conductivity, which will not withhold the heat of the fluid. So the suitable material is plastic only as the plastic is having very low thermal conductivity and it can be recycled.
So from the study the materials chosen for the mug are plastics and the steel.
Sustainability study and material change for the existing design
The procedure for carrying out sustainability study for the product parts will be elaborated:
The existing design is made up of five parts they are,
- The Inner plastic part
- The outer metal part
- The cover
- The handle
- The base
The parts 1,3,4,5 are assigned as its material to be ABS plastic and the second part is assigned stainless steel (ferrite) material.
So overall the mug is made up of ABS plastic and stainless steel materials. It is enough to study, modify and compare the material properties of the ABS plastic and the stainless steel with the other feasible material available.
So the sustainability study is carried out by,
- Open solidWorks open the plastic inside part
- Now, open the sustainability express
- Now the sustainability express shows the applied material for the part that is opened.
- The material is shown as plastic and the type is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)
- Now enter the manufacturing continent as Asia and the continent to be used also the same and mention the transportation by road. Also set built to last 20 years.
- Now set this as the base material and search for other similar materials, now after comparing for many types of plastics, the PE (high density film) Plastic get the more effectiveness when compared with the base material that is ABS, it reduces the environmental damages by 31% for the term of 20years.
- Now Set the material and save the part.
- Repeat the same Procedure for the parts 3, 4, and 5.
Sustainable study for the metal outer part,
- Open the metal outer part
- Open sustainability express.
- The material previously assigned for the metal outside part is the stainless steel (Ferrite)
- Now assign the manufacturing place to Asia and the place of usage also to Asia, and manufacturing technique to stamping.
- Now the process to milling and the part is built to last for the term of 20 years
- Set transportation to automobiles.
- Set this configuration as baseline
- After that check and compare the environmental Impact and financial impact of various similar materials.
- Now the Alloy Steel (SS) shows more promising results than the baseline material so the Alloy steel (SS) is assigned as the new material for the redesign.
Now, the sustainability study is carried out for the whole assembly
Sustainability study of the assembly,
- The assembly is opened
- Then the sustainability express is opened
- With the existing material already set to the mug, set the values of manufacturing continent and using continent as Asia and set duration of life to 20 years.
- Now set this value as baseline value.
- Now assign the new materials for the parts as, replace ABS plastic with PE high density film and Stainless steel to Alloy steel (SS)
- Now go to sustainability express and press update.
- Finally save the report
The report of the sustainability study, which shows the brief comparison of the Environmental impact, energy consumption and the financial impact of the baseline value and the Changed value is represented as,
|
Sustainability Report |
|
Glossary Air Acidification – Sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxides other acidic emissions to air cause an increase in the acidity of rainwater, which in turn acidifies lakes and soil. These acids can make the land and water toxic for plants and aquatic life. Acid rain can also slowly dissolve manmade building materials such as concrete. This impact is typically measured in units of either kg sulfur dioxide equivalent (SO2), or moles H+ equivalent. Carbon Footprint – Carbon-dioxide and other gasses which result from the burning of fossil fuels accumulate in the atmosphere which in turn increases the earth’s average temperature. Carbon footprint acts as a proxy for the larger impact factor referred to as Global Warming Potential (GWP). Global warming is blamed for problems like loss of glaciers, extinction of species, and more extreme weather, among others. Total Energy Consumed – A measure of the non-renewable energy sources associated with the part’s lifecycle in units of megajoules (MJ). This impact includes not only the electricity or fuels used during the product’s lifecycle, but also the upstream energy required to obtain and process these fuels, and the embodied energy of materials which would be released if burned. PED is expressed as the net calorific value of energy demand from non-renewable resources (e.g. petroleum, natural gas, etc.). Efficiencies in energy conversion (e.g. power, heat, steam, etc.) are taken into account. Water Eutrophication – When an over abundance of nutrients are added to a water ecosystem, eutrophication occurs. Nitrogen and phosphorous from waste water and agricultural fertilizers causes an overabundance of algae to bloom, which then depletes the water of oxygen and results in the death of both plant and animal life. This impact is typically measured in either kg phosphate equivalent (PO4) or kg nitrogen (N) equivalent. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) – This is a method to quantitatively assess the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire lifecycle, from the procurement of the raw materials, through the production, distribution, use, disposal and recycling of that product. Material Financial Impact – This is the financial impact associated with the material only. The mass of the model is multiplied by the financial impact unit (units of currency/units of mass) to calculate the financial impact (in units of currency). |
Thus the sustainability study is done. The environmental impact has been greatly reduced to more than 30 % as per the chart and the reports. Also the financial impacts also reduced to a greater extend.
As the material is changed from ABS plastic to the PE plastic the thermal conductivity of the plastic Material increases, as the material is changes the thermal conductivity of the PE is higher than that of the ABS plastic so redesign is required.
Importance of Material Selection
Now we need to change the inner plastic part, the outer metal part, cover part, and the base part.
Remodelling of different parts:
Now, let us make change in the inner plastic part using solidWorks CAD,
- Open soildworks, open part, inner plastic.prt
- Go to sketch1 and make the edit, change the thickness as 6mm and save the part.
- Close the window.
Redesign of the outer metal part
- Open the solidWorks and repeat the procedure as same as the previous part.
- Save the part and exit
Redesign of the base part:
- Open the base part
- Select sketch1 and change the diameter of the to the max diameter of the metal outer part.
- Save the changes
- Exit
Redesign of the cover:
- Open the cover part
- Change the diameter of sketch 1 by adding 12 mm to the existing diameter
- Assembly of the Remodeled parts
- Open the solidWorks assembly
- Now open the required files
- Assemble with the appropriate constrains and mates.
- Save the assembly.
- Final assembly
Now let us simulate the parts for the study of its reaction to various real life loads and the thermal gradient of the material when it is exposed to the liquid
Thermal study
The thermal study is conducted by,
- Open solidWorks
- Go to Tools – add ins and select flow simulation.
- Now open the assembled part
- Go to simulation and create new thermal study.
- Select thermal loads from the inner side of the cup
- Select the convection mode
- Then select the ambient temperature
- Now mesh and run
- Result
- Thermal study is done
Static study
The static study is conducted by
- Open the assembled part
- Go to simulations and start a new static study.
- Select fixture geomentry by right click fixture – select fixed geometry – Select bottom,
- Next, Right click External loads – Force – Select outer faces of metal- set value as 400 N
- Now Mesh and run
- Results
- Go to Results and select factor of safety
- So the results are shown clearly.
Static study of the handle:
- Open the assembly, suppress the cover
- Follow similar steps as done for the previous static analysis
- Here the fixed geometry is the handle inner surface,
- Now select the inner bottom and give 20 N load
- Final Results
- Displacement
Conclusion
Thus the existing non-environment friendly mug materials are replaced with more economic as well as environment friendly materials with the help of sustainability study using SolidWorks. The redesign and the remodeling of the product is done using powerful CAD packages and, the thermal and static studies are done using solidWorks Simulate package. The final outcome is a product that has low environmental impact and financial costs, than the existing one.
References:
Aksenov, A., Dyadkin, A. and Pokhilko, V., 1998. Overcoming of barrier between CAD and CFD by modified finite volume method. ASME-PUBLICATIONS-PVP, 377, pp.79-83.
Choi, G.H., Mun, D. and Han, S., 2002. Exchange of CAD part models based on the macro-parametric approach. International Journal of CAD/CAM, 2(1), pp.13-21.
Kao, Y.C., Cheng, H.Y. and She, C.H., 2006. Development of an integrated CAD/CAE/CAM system on taper-tipped thread-rolling die-plates. Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 177(1-3), pp.98-103.
Chen, S.K. and Liu, J.T., 2006. Design and Numerical Control Machining of Disc Groove Cam Based on SolidWorks and Mastercam [J]. Coal Mine Machinery, 12, p.046.
Ullman, D.G., 2002. The mechanical design process. McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math.
Curtis, B., Krasner, H. and Iscoe, N., 1988. A field study of the software design process for large systems. Communications of the ACM, 31(11), pp.1268-1287.
Lin, Y., Krishnapur, K., Allen, J.K. and Mistree, F., 1999. Robust design: goal formulations and a comparison of metamodeling methods. ASME Paper No. DETC99/DAC-8608.
Slater, S.F. and Narver, J.C., 1999. Market-oriented is more than being customer-led. Strategic management journal, pp.1165-1168.
Siddique, Z. and Zhou, Y., 2002, January. Automatic generation of product family member CAD models supported by a platform using a template approach. In ASME 2002 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences and Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (pp. 197-203). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Schlager, T., Hildebrand, C., Häubl, G. and Herrmann, A., 2014. Product gamification. ACR North American Advances.
Ashby, M.F. and Johnson, K., 2013. Materials and design: the art and science of material selection in product design. Butterworth-Heinemann.
Jee, D.H. and Kang, K.J., 2000. A method for optimal material selection aided with decision making theory. Materials & Design, 21(3), pp.199-206.
Hill, T. and Hill, A., 2009. Manufacturing strategy: text and cases. Palgrave Macmillan.
Petala, E., Wever, R., Dutilh, C. and Brezet, H., 2010. The role of new product development briefs in implementing sustainability: A case study. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 27(3-4), pp.172-182.
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