Surfware, Inc. is pleased to announce support for SolidWorks 2013 for the latest version of SURFCAM 6.
Surfware’s commitment as a certified SolidWorks CAM partner ensures customers that SURFCAM will continue to support the latest versions of SolidWorks as they are released. SURFCAM 6 users can now work associatively with SolidWorks 2013 data immediately by simply downloading the most recent updates for SURFCAM 6 at the Support Downloads page of the SURFCAM website.
SURFCAM’s powerful associativity enables programmers to open native SolidWorks 2013 files directly into SURFCAM 6, completely eliminating the translation process. When changes are made to the SolidWorks design models, SURFCAM automatically recognizes the design revisions and offers to regenerate the affected toolpaths in SURFCAM. With this seamless interoperability between these two systems, SURFCAM users can quickly adapt to SolidWorks design changes and efficiently update their programming environment.
SURFCAM users also take advantage of the complimentary SURFCAM tutorials to learn more about SURFCAM and SolidWorks associativity on http://www.surfcam.com/surfcam_tutorials.aspx
Check out the tech tip below to find out how to upgrade your SURFCAM 6 install to work with SolidWorks 2013 today!
Earlier this year, we featured the SURFCAM sponsored FIRST Team 987, “The HIGHROLLERS,” from Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas, NV. At the time, they were preparing for the 2012 season with a fresh contest, the Rebound Rumble.
The 2012 season began on January 7th when the Rebound Rumble was announced to the world via webcast. Teams were then given six weeks to design, build, test, and re-design the competition robot. This year’s event required Team 987 to design and build a robot that would be able to shoot layups into three sets of baskets (each offering a different amount of points) and balance on a bridge on the field during the 2 min 15 sec round. For the first 15 seconds the robot would be completely autonomous, relying solely on a Microsoft Kinect. Each team would be paired with two other teams as part of an “alliance” that would compete together in events.
“All parts on our robot were designed and manufactured by students using SURFCAM. Most parts were actually cut on our small mill at Cimarron-Memorial High School,” explains Marc Rogers, Team 987 Robotics Advisor. “Each year students begin by prototyping and then designing in SolidWorks. When the design is completed, the models are seamlessly imported into SURFCAM to prepare toolpaths for our in-house mill. One of the reasons we continue to use SURFCAM is the ease-of-use that allows the students to jump right in and start working with their SolidWorks models or create new models directly in SURFCAM.”
This year Team 987 set a US FIRST Robotics record by winning their first 40 matches. The previous record was 36 in a row in 2006. The team won and went undefeated at both regionals they attended in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, which guaranteed their spot at the World Championship in St. Louis.
At the World Championship, teams were randomly assigned to one of four divisions, each comprised of about 100 teams. The HIGHROLLERS’ alliance (with Team 233, The Pink Team, from Rockledge High School & Cocoa Beach High School, FL and Team 207, METALCRAFTERS, from Centinela Valley Union High School in Hawthorne, CA) won in their division and were able to move on to the semifinals. Their won the first two matches which put them in the finals. They lost in the finals, ending their season as the #2 team in the world.
In St. Louis at the World Championship, Team 987 won the Innovation in Control Award sponsored by Rockwell for our complex aiming/shooting mechanism. This is a national award, and the first time a Nevada team has won this award. Popular Mechanics featured the team in an article on April 30th based on the control system for our robot. See the article at: http://www.popularmechanics.com/how-to/blog/father-and-son-video-game-programmers-team-up-on-first-robot-8484437.
Surfware would like to congratulate The HIGHROLLERS on their win and wishes them the best of luck for the upcoming 2013 season!
-Marc Rogers, Cimarron-Memorial High School, Team 987 (http://www.team987.com)