That's awesome, I'm glad we could help!

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The type of serration and where it goes will determine how to proceed. Some features can be modeled and then toolpaths applied, while others may simply be a toolpath using a special tool or toolpath option to create that feature (similar to threading with a tap). This is a great question for your support provider, if you are an MLC customer you can reach out here: www.mlc-cad.com/technical-support/

That is interesting, I just did some testing to confirm. Weldment Cut Lists have no problem keeping track of item numbers for flat patterns of bodies, but when a weldment is displayed and dissolved inside a BOM the rules are slightly different. If you have multiple configurations of any part available, and ConfigA is active in the assembly and BOM, then a view containing ConfigB is not actually included in the BOM and shows an asterisk inside the balloon. Since flat patterns always have unique configurations, that makes them difficult to use with a BOM. I can think of a few workarounds. First, if you can use a Cut List instead of a BOM that would work a lot better. You could also put a small isometric view of the weldment or body next to the flat pattern for reference, and add the balloon there. If you add a note or view label, you can click on a balloon to link to and include that balloon in the note, so you could use a note that links to a balloon on another view or sheet. That would be parametric, but it would have to be manually created so it could be prone to error. This is the perfect scenario where you should report this to the support team at your value-added reseller. There is likely a bug report that exists, and if enough people send in the same report it acts as a vote to push it up the priority list for a code fix. If you are a customer of MLC CAD Systems, you can do that by phone, email, or web. www.mlc-cad.com/technical-support/

@@MLCCADSystems Thanks for the help! i just do my best to find a solution first. (learning opportunity) i guess i just got a bit frustrated yesterday. :D Using cutlist indeed helped. didn't know i could use weldment cut list, on a non weldment part. But indeed it keeps the reference when using flat pattern in drawing. did write to our re-seller (PLM-group) so they can make a rapport to dassault. Finally passed the first year at my new job, designing HVAC systems. So i can start getting some courses to step up my game. Done with entry level education as a machinist and diy skill. :D (requirements in the country i live in, before i can demand courses)

That's the goal, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

You're welcome!

Sorry about that, here is a link that does not expire: www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/78oi5v1qcwhxt98xyb4jb/Motion-Tutorial-Files.zip?rlkey=ef60nu31mi5sfn2auc1f5z504&st=b0k1izfv&dl=0

That's how we like it, we've got work to do!

You're welcome, thanks for watching!

Those are good ideas, and we agree that fast iteration is so powerful. We didn't leave enough time while preparing this webinar to iterate this design so we pushed it to another event, you can watch that one here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYXRknSCqLCjfpY and we have another one planned soon. These videos have generated a lot of great ideas and feedback from the community, it is great to see how the design process sparks so many great ideas!

Some posts are provided for free but in most cases you will need to buy a customized post from a post developer. MLC can help, if you are interested in a quote please submit your details according to this article: www.mlc-cad.com/mastercam-help-center/how-to-request-post-processors/

You can modify the execution of the program to debug it, that topic is covered in a later video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJ2waH6spppqoNUsi=ZrdSYJnHSgTJlxYn&t=498

You're very welcome, thanks for subscribing!

If it fails at the same point every time, it is often some form of security software or server protection. You may have better luck on another network or even downloading from home. If it is a slow or inconsistent network or a server-side issue, it should work with some persistence. Reach out to your value-added reseller for support, and if that is MLC we're ready to help! www.mlc-cad.com/technical-support/

Thank you for the feedback! We learned a lot and knew this would be interesting to anyone using or thinking about SLS. It was a great project and the technology really made things easy for us.

All enabled bodies are merged during meshing. Bodies like lids or rotating regions can be disabled so they don't mesh, but I don't know if that would still allow you to select it for a heat source. If it does, it may have the potential to create singularities because the applied surface is zero volume, meaning all thermal energy must be dumped into nearby cells, and if the nearby cells are very small and not eligible for conduction it could create some weird results. To disable a body, go into Component Control and turn it off. It won't mesh and you can try to apply a surface heat source to it and see what happens. If that gives you trouble, consider the same approach with a non-zero thickness thin solid and see if that works a bit better. Good luck!

This can absolutely be applied to the templates so it is ready to go for all new drawings. The zones themselves exist in the sheet format, so it is important to understand the difference between a drawing template and sheet format, and how to update them fully. This would be a good next resource: www.mlc-cad.com/solidworks-help-center/difference-between-drawing-templates-and-sheet-formats/ and then www.mlc-cad.com/solidworks-help-center/how-to-create-solidworks-part-assembly-and-drawing-templates/

@MLCCADSystems thank you. I am learning all the behind the scenes setup all over again coming from a long time using PTC CREO. This helps a lot. The templates/formats are controlled by someone else so the scope of integrating SW Inspection has to include requesting that change.

Max GHz is going to be the main difference regardless of brand, but in general we see slightly better benchmarks for SOLIDWORKS on Intel CPUs. Performance can also vary based on the specific task, so balancing the SOLIDWORKS performance against gaming performance is another thing to balance. At the end of the day, you're paying for performance vs. cost, and benchmarks are the easiest way to measure that, regardless of brand.

@@MLCCADSystems Thank so much for your completely feedback ✌

The lifespan of the tool is a factor for the person/company/institution making purchasing decisions, though it is not the only variable, and it certainly isn't a 1:1 relationship. In addition to the factors you correctly identified, you can make molds that are designed to last days, months, or decades with commensurate increases in cost at each level. Family molds, advanced cooling, and other mold features like hot runners also have an impact on tooling costs and production costs. Each situation is unique, but one of the primary goals here is to help delay the initial investment long enough to keep the cost of change low, allowing for more rapid and effective improvement during the critical first phases of product testing.

The orientation of the part was determined based on the feature itself. In Mastercam, the software recognizes the selected chain of the feature. When using wireframe, it's also possible to create planes to drive the toolpath. One advantage of creating planes is the ability to control the rotation, allowing you to set the toolpath at your desired angle. This approach is particularly useful if you prefer not to machine the feature directly from the face T-plane. I hope that helps!

You're welcome, good luck with your projects!

See if this video helps at all: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZe6XmR8hM6Mb7s, if you import it as an assembly does that help with the file names? When a step file is created, you have lost the link back to the original files, meaning anything that was not exported into that file is lost, and so the only thing you can do is work with what you have or go back to the original document. Occasionally .stp files will become corrupt or problematic, which may be why the import filter is crashing. If you have the option, parasolid (.x_t) is a good file type, and there are a lot of native files we can import too. Good luck!

Well we used a coworkers solidworks and everything worked properly. So I think I have a bad install. Thanks for the help anyways!

It can be a challenge, and there are a few tricks you can use, but for this the flexible build plate is perfect. It flexes outward to quickly release parts and then restores to flat for printing. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaWrcqSYa66bppYsi=g6STlHa-3GCVu5ak&t=80

I'm glad you found it helpful! We try to be clear and concise.

Great point, you can pin it open so it is easily accessible, or let it collapse to maximize your graphics area.

We considered doing that for this part and others, it would be a long video but I think insight from a professional on a complex part like this would be really interesting. Thanks for the feedback, I'll share it with the team.

You're welcome, good luck with the certification!

I just confirmed the option is in the same place in 2025 with the default lathe machine and requires only a basic lathe license. If you are running a mill turn environment you may need to look under the standard lathe toolpaths, and your specific machine may not configured to support this option.

Thank you, and making a playlist is a great idea, here you go! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gai1apuZiM2or6s

@@MLCCADSystems thank you very much learnt a lot from you guys.

Great idea, this video shows only our first iteration and we are continuing to learn more and refine this approach. You can see our second pass here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYXRknSCqLCjfpY and we plan to keep experimenting and sharing our journey.

It's not clear from your explanation exactly what is going on and would be difficult to troubleshoot here in the comments section. I would reach out to your support provider or instructor to discuss your setup and see what is going on. This video is also a bit more advanced than most and doesn't necessarily show you every detailed step. If you are struggling with any of the basics, I recommend a more formal tutorial where you can follow along with files provided by the instructor. Check out Mastercam University or SolidProfessor for great examples.

That's right, depending on how you source your molds and what production level you need from them, they can vary wildly in price. Every scenario is different. For a lot of operations, this prototyping workflow could be used strategically during the process to save a lot of time and frustration.

@ again thanx for taking the time to explain this so people are aware of what is available. Just remind your audience that molds made by 3D printing generally cannot take very much injection pressure, and the person doing the injection molding needs to understand this, so usually only high flow plastics such as polyethylene or polypropylene are used. Materials such as abs and nylon, although high flow, have a much higher melt temperature and will shorten the life of the mold considerably. I am not being critical just want you to have information you may not be aware of. There are companies now that print molds with metal filled materials to increase mold life and complexity.

Great idea! I love how rapid functional prototyping inspires new ideas to test out, and then gives you the ability to try them almost immediately. I like the idea of a taper, I was also wondering what impact glue would have, for better or for worse. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm sorry, I can't seem to find that file. It looks like this project is about 10 years old now! Maybe it's time for another beer tutorial 🤔, or maybe just another beer! 🍺🍺

I'm glad you found it helpful, let me know if you have any questions!

@@MLCCADSystems well i do have one i am very new to solid works and i have a old version of it its 2021 i made a sketch (2D) but i need to save it to svg or .nc for use with my cnc but i don't find the option to save it in that format i may be missing it or it may not support it i am not sure do you have an idea or is there a add on for this that must be installed.

Sorry for the delay in responding to this question, but .nc files are toolpath files, and they contain a lot more than just geometry. They tell the spindle when to turn on, how to approach and engage the material in cuts, how fast and deep to cut, and how many passes to remove all of the material. To create an .nc file, you'll need a CAM software to define the toolpath and export that data. SOLIDWORKS CAM is included in newer licenses that are on active subscription. There may be some low-cost or free CAM tools out there. Good luck!

There could be a lot of reasons why the models are behaving as they are, including templates, imported models, system settings, or something related to your workflow. I hope the video is helpful in providing some overall guidance, but if you are still experiencing issues it is time to reach out to your support provider. If you are an MLC customer you can reach out online www.mlc-cad.com/technical-support/, or contact your local provider. If you are in a school, check with your instructor.

Merci beaucoup, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

You can ask here or reach out on our website www.mlc-cad.com. We'll do our best to help if we can, but the author of this project video is no longer with MLC so we may be limited depending on the specific question.

I think my favorite thing about the API is that you aren't limited by anything, which is great when you are doing something that is different than everyone else, but you want to customize the software to fit your needs.

You're welcome, glad you found it helpful!

yes Sir