Mike Puckett's Blog

Solving Manufacturing Problems With Solidworks

One of the biggest benefits of using Solidworks, is how big the popularity of the software has grown.  This in turn encourages pre-made part manufactures to provide their products on-line in native Solidworks format.

Recently I was tasked with designing a tool to remove optic insert blanks from a mold while the mold was still in the molding press.  The tool needed to be light, small, easily machinable, and had to use readily available replaceable parts.  My first stop was Reid Supply.  They supply and stock over 17,000 items.  But the best part is all their catalog items are available for download in Solidworks format!  So off I went to download away, and easily got what I needed for my project.  Once in Solidworks I was able to make sure everything fit just right, and was able to create a quick animation showing the procedure for the correct use of the tool.  Furthermore I was able to perform some simple strain tests to make sure my tool would actually work!

So the result was a tool that was easy to make, but more importantly, functions as designed.  Thats a true example of how the power and popularity of Solidworks helped me perform my job quicker, and better.  Here are a couple of pics:

Tard'n, Cart'n, & R.C.'n

No it’s not the newest

Manhattan

law firm, its three extra curricular activities rolled into one. The nice thing about having a Monday thru Friday job is that usually means you get to have the weekends to have some fun.

 

So today were out near Victorville in the

Mojave Desert

at a small racetrack that’s in the middle of no where. I’m here with a friend of mine to check out ‘Motarding’. A few years back, someone took a dirt bike, slapped on some street tires, and started riding around an asphalt track. Most of the guys here also ride street bikes like myself, and this hobby has just naturally become an extension of racing street bikes around the track. So that’s ‘tarding’!

 “Cartin”, well the track is also hosting go-carts today, and these things look fun too. They fly around the track, and tend to get sideways in the corners. The single cylinder engines are quite deceiving as far as size until you see them hit the track. As tempting as they seem, I don’t think I can afford another hobby!

 

 And the “RC’in” is my brand new Traxxas Revo remote control truck. While its fast on the street, taking it out in the surrounding desert dirt, makes playing with the thing that much more fun. I surprisingly haven’t broken anything on it yet, but the day is still young, and the hobby store is on the way home and loaded with replacement parts!

While here at the track I noticed an advertisement for a new type of shock absorbing dirt bike handle bar mount.  Upon looking at it closer, its a product that I helped a guy design in Solidworks last year!  He had come to me to get some SW tutoring, and I helped him model his design.  I guess its working out for him!

So while a lot of people have to suffer and work on weekends, its nice to be able to come out and enjoy the mild temps, and the crystal clear skies out here in the Southern California desert.

A New Endeavor....

So here I am beginning another endeavor in relation to my Solidworks use.  At Solidworks World in New Orleans I was asked about writing a blog, and I said sure, why not!

But first a little about the person who will be sharing lots of hopefully interesting information on this page for some time to come:

My name is Mike Puckett.  I work for Dauntless Molds in Covina California.  We build thermo-plastic injection molds for plastic products covering a wide range industries.  Our company is mainly known for the quality and design of molds that produce optic lenses.  Our most notable customer in this field is Oakley Sunglasses.  We design and build the molds for all their sunglass lenses.  We use Solidworks at Dauntless to completely design and detail all the molds and inserts we build. 

Personally I have been using Solidworks since 1999 where I first started to play around with it on my lunch breaks.  8 years later here I am using it full time, running a user group for the Los Angeles area, and recently earned my certification becoming a Certified SolidWorks Professional.

So what is to be expected from me for you spending a few minutes of your time here a few times a week?  Well I hope to mainly be able to share with you how Solidworks makes my job easier on a daily basis.  That shouldn't be too hard considering how great the software performs for us at work.  I will also try to give you an insight into the Solidworks User Group Community by sharing stories about the running of the L.A. User Group.

So sit back, relax, grab some popcorn, and stay tuned for more to come( hopefully your popcorn wont' go stale!).