![solidworks 3d printing solidworks 3d printing](https://img-new.cgtrader.com/items/106525/9f52883058/large/medieval-castle-3d-model-obj-3ds-fbx-blend-dae.jpg)
I applied the maximum output torque of the spring along the channel where it will sit as seen in Figure 3. The loading of the simulation will come from the torque applied from the torsion spring.
![solidworks 3d printing solidworks 3d printing](https://www.protolabs.com/media/1011256/solidworks-3dp-analysis-blog.jpg)
Since my objective is to determine the effects the spring will have on the arm and I am not concerned about the contact forces with the stopper, so this is a viable assumption to simplify the simulation and solving time. This fixture is assuming that the stopper is infinitely stiff which will add some inaccuracy near the contact region.
![solidworks 3d printing solidworks 3d printing](https://blogs.solidworks.com/tech/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/img_54c82f0b36c29.png)
![solidworks 3d printing solidworks 3d printing](https://ctmprojectsblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/lofted-shape-example.jpg)
I used the fixed geometry boundary condition to remove all the degrees of freedom of the nodes on the face that will make contact with the stopper. Using a sketch and the convert entities tool I can generate a face the exact size and shape of the contact area. This is where the split line operation comes into play. For the boundary conditions, I wanted to fix the area where the stopper makes contact with the arm, but I did not have a selectable entity that size. The first simulation I set up was to test the strength of the arm when pressed against the stopper by the spring. My initial concerns were the spring tearing through the material and too much-bending happening during loading. The first objective was to test the strength of the arm. You can copy and existing material and manipulate the properties or create one from scratch as you can see in the image below.įigure 1: SOLIDWORKS Material Window with new material selected Arm This is done in the edit material command. Since SOLIDWORKS does not have the Markfordged ONYX material I had to create a custom material based on the properties listed online. SolidWorks has the capability to simulate orthotropic materials but for simplicity sake, I will assume an isotropic material as the printing orientation will be chosen to optimize material properties in the loading directions. The Markfordged printing process generates a material that is orthotropic with the vertical direction having different material properties than the directions planar with the print bed. For simplicity sake, I will ignore the dynamic effects and reduce the simulation to the maximum torque that the spring can apply. The areas where I am worried about structural integrity are on the two components that are impacting each other, the arm and stopper. The above image is a render of the final design but before I go physically prototyping I want to use SOLIDWORKS Simulation to validate the strength of the parts. I am going to be using a Markforged printer so I am going to keep my design inside of a cubic foot design space and don’t want to exceed a material volume of 8 in 3. The catapult is going to be 3D printed and shipped to me so I want it to be a flatly packed assembly that can be assembled without any fasteners to hold it together. I will be firing a Hawk Ridge Systems present to all of my coworkers! Spreading Holiday Cheer with Hawk Ridge Systems I have designed myself a catapult with some specific design criteria in mind with the intent on spreading holiday cheer through the office.