Alignex and the Minnesota SolidWorks User Group Sponsor "Virtual Pinewood Derby" Contest for the upcoming SWUGN Technical Summit on August 19th

If you once were or grew up with a Cub Scout, then you know all about the Pinewood Derby. Now, the Minnesota SolidWorks User Group, with help from Alignex, is geeking up the Pinewood Derby concept with SolidWorks, COSMOSFloWorks and COSMOSMotion Analysis Software by holding a "Virtual Pinewood Derby Contest" for the upcoming MN SWUGN Technical Summit on August 19th.

Model your car within the size and weight parameters, then assemble it with the supplied SolidWorks modeled wheels and axles. We will run a flow analysis on the cars to find the drag coefficient and multiply that with the run time down the our virtual track in COSMOS Motion for the virtual race. Prizes will be offered for "Fastest Performance" and "Best in Show" for the winning JPEG image of their car. Click here to download the full rules and kit. Learn more about the SWUGN Technical Summit to the right. 

Alignex 3D Aftereffect Summer Technology Showcase is July 31st in Edina

Alignex will be highlighting SIX major engineering technologies in a single, open house format, seminar on July 31st. These technologies all enforce the Alignex Concept of the "3D Aftereffect" whereby designing with a 3D CAD tool allows for many time-saving technologies to be employed both upstream and downstream of the design process.

This event is intended for all current 3D CAD users regardless of your current design software. Obviously, if you already own SolidWorks you will want to attend this event to learn how to get more out of your existing engineering tool, but if you are currently using Pro/e, Inventor, SolidEdge, Cadkey or CoCreate, you will get to see functionality that may not have been available to you or is very expensive and difficult to deploy.

The topics covered during this event are:

• The Latest in 3D Modeling Tools
  - SolidWorks Office Premium
• Virtual Design Validation - SolidWorks Simulation (COSMOS)
• Design Automation
  - DriveWorks
• Product Data Management
  - PDMWorks Enterprise
• 3D Documentation Tools - 3DVia Composer
• Design Integrated CAM - SolidCAM

Click on any of these topics above to learn more or click here to see the full invitation.
You can also register for the event here.

AlignexT 2.0 Tool Set for SolidWorks is Now Available

This SolidWorks Add-In application is designed to save time and further integrate SolidWorks with other company processes. Designed and tested by our own Alignex development staff, AlignexT 2.0 is comprised of 3 primary components:

1) AlignexT Model Manager for SolidWorks

Model Manager is a powerful and easy to use Custom Property and Document Options tool for SolidWorks. It enables a user to manage component and weldment custom properties at the part or assembly level. AlignexT Model Manager is fully integrated in the SolidWorks Property Manager and is PDM compatible.

2) AlignexT BatchPlot Manager for SolidWorks

AlignexT BatchPlot provides a powerful and easy to use Windows application to select and print multiple SolidWorks drawings in single job. BatchPlot includes a full eDrawing preview and users can save and reload batch jobs. BatchPlot also includes the ability to batch “Save As” SolidWorks drawings with user specified file types (eDrawings, dxf, dwg, pdf, tiff, jpeg). PDMWorks Workgroup integration is also available.

3) AlignexT Bill of Material Manager

AlignexT Bill of Material (BOM) Manager offers the ability to manage custom properties from a top-level SolidWorks assembly containing subassemblies and parts. BOM Manager can export the SolidWorks assembly Bill of Material to custom Microsoft Excel® templates. AlignexT BOM Manager is a stand alone application and can be used by non-SolidWorks team members, such as purchasing, manufacturing and sales.

For more information on AlignexT, click here.

Alignex Eau Claire Office Opening this Fall

Alignex is about to open our 3rd satellite office this year with our Eau Claire, Wisconsin location. Featuring a sales office and dedicated training facility for 10 people, this new office will continue to solidify our commitment to serve our customers throughout the upper Midwest. Regular training classes and Hands-On demonstrations of our products will be on the schedule soon. Look for a Grand Opening this Fall in conjunction with a SolidWorks2009 Launch event for Western Wisconsin!

With 4 Offices and 2 Mobile Classrooms, Alignex now has even more ability to bring training to our customers throughout the Upper-Midwest, saving them travel time and expenses. View our training schedule to the left to see what we have on tap for this summer. If there is a location or specific class you want to see on the schedule, please let us know by emailing training@alignex.com.