Utilizing SolidWorks in Our Robotics Project

Introduction

In the world of robotics development, having a powerful and flexible 3D CAD tool is essential for turning concepts into reality. At Cyber Fusion, we've adopted SolidWorks as our primary design platform for our robotics projects. This comprehensive tool enables us to create detailed models, ensure design accuracy, and streamline the manufacturing process. In this article, we'll share our approach to using SolidWorks in our robotics workflow.

Designing Robots in SolidWorks

Our design process begins with breaking down the robot into logical sub-assemblies - structural components, actuation systems, electronics housing, and more. For each component, we create detailed 3D models with precise measurements and material specifications.

SolidWorks' parametric modeling capabilities allow us to make design iterations efficiently. When one dimension changes, related features automatically update, saving considerable time during the development cycle. We maintain strict naming conventions for all parts and assemblies to ensure clarity across our team, following a hierarchical structure that reflects the robot's architecture.

Organizing SolidWorks Projects

Organization is crucial when managing complex projects with hundreds of components. We employ a structured folder system:

/Project_Name
  /Assemblies
    /Main_Assembly
    /Sub_Assemblies
  /Parts
    /Structural
    /Electronics
    /Actuators
  /Drawings
  /Exports
    /STL
    /STEP
    /URDF

This clear structure helps every team member locate files quickly and understand how different components relate to each other. We maintain a master bill of materials (BOM) that tracks every component, its material, quantity, and sourcing information.

Version Control with GitHub

Version control is essential for collaborative engineering. Unlike traditional CAD workflows that might use network drives or cloud storage, we've integrated our SolidWorks projects with GitHub. While not natively designed for binary files like CAD models, GitHub offers several advantages:

• Change tracking: We can see who modified what and when
• Branching: Team members can work on different design variations simultaneously
• Issue tracking: Design challenges and discussions are documented alongside the files
• Integration: Our mechanical designs stay in sync with software development

Our version control approach follows a semantic versioning pattern. Major design iterations get new version numbers, while minor adjustments increment the subversion. This disciplined approach helps maintain clarity about which design version corresponds to which physical prototype.

Creating Technical Drawings

Once 3D models are finalized, we generate technical drawings to guide the manufacturing process. SolidWorks excels at converting 3D models into 2D drawings with all necessary details:

1. We create detailed views with appropriate dimensions
2. Critical tolerances are highlighted to ensure proper fits
3. Assembly drawings show exploded views to clarify construction
4. We include materials and finish specifications

These drawings serve as the primary reference for fabrication, whether we're machining parts in-house or sending specifications to external manufacturers. The drawings follow standard engineering practices for clarity and precision.

Exporting URDF Files

The Unified Robot Description Format (URDF) is crucial for robotic simulation and control. It describes the robot's physical structure, joint limits, and dynamic properties in a standardized XML format that our software stack can interpret.

SolidWorks, with appropriate plugins, allows us to export our designs directly to URDF format. The process involves:

1. Setting up the proper coordinate systems for each joint
2. Defining joint types (revolute, prismatic, fixed, etc.)
3. Specifying joint limits and dynamics properties
4. Generating simplified collision models alongside detailed visual models

While the automated export gets us 80% of the way there, we often make manual adjustments to the URDF files to optimize them for our simulation environment. Having SolidWorks as the single source of truth ensures that any design changes propagate through to the software side of our development process.

Conclusion

A robust CAD workflow is fundamental to successful robotics development. Our approach combines detailed 3D modeling, structured organization, version control, and seamless exports to bridge the gap between mechanical design and software development.

This methodical process has allowed us to reduce design errors, accelerate iterations, and maintain consistency across our projects. While our specific tool of choice is SolidWorks, the principles of organization, version control, and export pipeline design are applicable across various CAD platforms.

We encourage robotics developers to establish similar structured approaches to CAD work, as the upfront investment in proper design methodology pays dividends throughout the development lifecycle.