The new release of
SOLIDWORKS Electrical is, as
ever, packed with lots of new
functionality.
Here are my top enhancements for
this year's release.
Electrical users can now be
assigned to user right profiles
or groups, that control how they
can view and modify within
projects. Previously, five
profiles with gradient
permission levels were provided.
Now in 2020, you can create new
profiles and enable
functionality access with one
click.
This is great for those managing
teams, as contractors or new
starters could be given reduced
permissions compared to more
advanced users,
preventing accidental or
unwanted edits to the library
data.
Let's take a look at the new
improvements to report in 2020.
I would like to pass this bill
of materials off to my part
supplier,
where I need to make some edits
first. The headers don't stand
out enough and I'd like to make
the text bigger. But also, add
some padding. In 2020,
in addition to changing text
height, you can define the row
height. Select fixed to set a
custom row height, or up the
minimum height to set an
incremental value.
Adding row numbers is also
easier in 2020 than before.
You can add rows to any report
with a single click of a button.
These row numbers dynamically
update with filters and other
edits, which helps prevent
errors. SOLIDWORKS Electrical is
continually improving report
functionality, making customized
reports fast and easy. Text and
balloons with leader lines are a
common method to convey design
notes, Particularly on Cabinet
layout drawings. New to
SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
There are now dedicated commands
to add these annotations. Styles
for text and balloons can be
saved within the manager tool,
helping you to keep projects
consistent across the board.
My favourite enhancement in this
year's release is the ability to
re-import Electrical data into
an existing route in ELECTRICAL
3D.
Here we have a drawing and
sub-assembly which have been
routed in SOLIDWORKS Electrical.
We now need to make some change
to the schematic. In 2019 and
previous releases,
it was necessary to delete the
root and recreate it
, if any changes to the
schematic had taken place. In
this example though, we're going
to change the wire stlye, can
change the thickness of the wire
as well.
we could even go to the extent
of changing a connector,
maybe adding or removing a
connector from the completed
loom. Now in 2020, the data is
re-imported.
Maintaining any route changes
that have taken place, even
things like clips and coverings
are kept.
Improved workflow also helps
with PDM integration.
Subassemblies and flatten loom
drawings, remain the same file
after any updates. Once the root
harness command has been rerun,
you can now see that the wire
style is altered, with a new
size of wire applied to the
assembly. This also reports
through to the drawing sheet,
meaning that all of the
connected tables, circuit
summary and bomb information is
updated on the drawing. Also
includes new lengths for the new
routes that have been applied to
the 3D model. A real improvement
to the design workflow in
Electrical 3D means its easier
to finish your design work and
get products to market quicker.
In SOLIDWORKS Electrical 2020,
you now have a new routine tool
at your disposal. Finish harness
routes manually, by adding only
the components to the harness
creating guidelines for
connections.
This is particularly useful for
disjointed routes, as well as
more complex looms, giving you
more control on the routed
harness connections. Fan-outs
for multi-pin connectors are
also included, to make the
workflow even more efficient.
In designs like this telescope,
calculations around the centre
of mass and moments of inertia
are essential.
The approximately 4000 fibre
optic cables coming from the
instrument, would add
significant weight to the
rotating portion of the
assembly. Instrument position
accuracy needs to be incredibly
precise,
just the tilt degrade must be
correct to four decimal places.
SOLIDWORKS 2020 includes the
ability to fill in mass
properties for wires, cables and
even coverings including partial
coverings of a root.
This can be defined from the
SOLIDWORKS Electrical libraries,
or from the routine library
manager.
So, in addition to generating
root subassemblies, with circuit
summaries and connected pinout
details, we will also have the
mass calculated automatically
even as changes are made to the
roots. Now with 2020,
we can easily understand how the
wires and cables will affect the
central mass and moments of
inertia in the project.