Drawings:

• Created part drawings of a single component
• Created assembly drawings (standard and exploded)
• Created bills of materials
• Customized view settings, such as scale, visual appearance, and layout
• Created title blocks with associative links to source parts

Parts:

• Creation of construction geometry (planes, axis systems, lines, points, etc.) to support features
• Validated motion studies within a sketch
• Performed motion studies using the Motion Study add-in
• Imported external models of stock components for use in designs
• Produced models based on photographs to identical scale
• Used 3D sketches to produce designs containing minimal planar symmetry
• Exported parts in additive manufacturing formats (.stl, .3mf)
• Utilized links to parameters and equations to drive models from an external spreadsheet
• Use of surfaces to modify and produce solid volumes
• Created and used the “block” feature to make common sketch geometry consistent and accessible later
• Used hole wizard to ensure compatibility with standardized hardware

Assemblies:

• Created assemblies with 30+ parts and many mates
• Use of simple mates (coincident, concentric, distance, angle, tangent, etc.)
• Use of advanced mates (width, linear, symmetry, etc.)
• Use of mechanical mates (cam-follower, slot, hinge, gear, etc.)
• Created animated explodes and assemblies for use in presentations

Simulation:

• Set up simulations (boundary conditions, loading method(s), material, etc.)
• Produced reports with relevant results (stress, deformation, displacement, factor of safety, etc.)

Drawings

Parts and Sketches

Assembly

Simulation

Parts:

• Creation of construction geometry (planes, axis systems, lines, points, etc.) to support features
• Imported external models of stock components for use in designs
• Produced models based on photographs to identical scale
• Exported parts in additive manufacturing formats (.stl, .3mf)
• Surface modeling, use of surfaces to modify or produce solid volumes
• Worked with imported meshes for solid and surface modeling
• Imported custom svg paths for complicated profiles
• Imported and constrained external components
• Robust parametric models that update using formulas and geometric constraints

Assemblies:

• Created assemblies with >10 parts and mates
• Use of simple mates (coincident, concentric, distance, angle, tangent, etc.)
• Performed fit checks between connecting parts

Simulation:

• Performed motion studies by connecting components with joints
• Scripted component behavior to follow analytic formulas

Animation:

• Scripted part motions and transparencies to imitate assembly process
• Manipulated camera angle to show defining views of a part

My CATIA Design Approach

• Leveraging master/skeleton modeling techniques to optimize data reuse, streamline links and keep several parts synchronized. This has become my non-negotiable for any assembly containing three or more parts.
  • One parent file (skeleton) containing only 1D and 2D geometry (points, lines, curves, sketches, planes, surfaces, etc.) that define crucial geometry and intersections between parts. Essentially, all design decisions are made here.
  • Each component is a child of the parent, linking to the content relevant to just that component’s design. Each component is just a permutation of elements derived from the skeleton, to be toggled on or off.
• Thorough use of construction geometry to create support features accessible by all features. I attempt to never create sketches directly on solid faces if possible, instead defining a plane as the solid extrude limit and sketching on the plane. This ensures sketches are never orphaned from their supports.
• Boolean-based modeling where features are compartmentalized into small pieces with limited scope. This prevents cascades of errors and creates a modular design where one iteration of a feature can easily be replaced by another. CATIA facilitates this very well, with solid bodies being the basic building block serving as containers of features, rather than strictly an output of positive operations (pad, revolve, sweep, etc). 
• Performing operations as early in the design tree as possible to minimize dependencies; ex. create a fillet as soon as its parent edge exists, rather than after the creation of potential conflicting features.

Modeling Skills I Developed in CATIA

• Cavity-core modeling techniques, which actually model the cavity-electrode and core of the mold, producing the part as the negative space between the two. This guarantees no mechanical conflicts in the injection molding process to product the part.
• Familiarity with injection molding best practices
• Modeling of wire harnesses and connectors, including wires in both routed and stock states to ensure ample space and compliance with minimum bend radii
• Fundamental understanding of industrial design principles that contribute to a product’s sense of identity and value
• Bent sheet metal design using stock material thicknesses and industry-proven principles on feature layout
• Driving sketches, which consolidate relevant geometry together and allow for changes to enacted from one source
• Orderly linking, creating robust models that won’t break due to changes in context
• Use of formulas to parameterize models wherever possible, accelerating iteration speed

My Output From Using CATIA

Parts:

• Created part drawings of precision components up to 0.001 mm
• Applied surface finish callouts to shafts
• Utilized GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) with feature control frames to quantify tolerances for holes, profiles, etc.

Parts:

• Created parts for many different purposes:
  • Electrical (strain relief grommets, terminal boxes, cable routing features, custom PCB mounts)
  • Mechanical (motor housings, interface plates, mounting brackets, motor shafts)
  • Airflow (baffles, fans, venting)
  • Testing (angle dials, tool fixtures, jigs)
• Verified part design using draft analysis and other tools
• Extensive use of construction geometry (planes, axis systems, lines, points, etc.) to support features
• Created reference models of existing industry products from technical documents
• Imported external models of stock components for use in designs
• Exported parts in additive manufacturing formats (.stl, .3mf)
• Utilized links to parameters and equations to drive models
• Surface modeling, use of surfaces to modify or produce solid volumes

Assemblies:

• Created assemblies with 100+ parts and many mates
• Organize top-level assemblies into sets of logical sub-assemblies, grouping parts that share a purpose (fasteners, interface elements, etc.) or which will be assembled together beforehand
• Verified assembly design using clash checks to identify incorrect fits between parts
• Widespread use of coincident mates between components to remove all degrees of freedom and precisely locate parts

Simulation:

• Created simulation test plans outlining design changes to be examined
• Set up mechanical, thermal, and CFD airflow studies (boundary conditions, control volumes loading method(s)/speeds, material, etc.)
• Produced reports with relevant results (isosurfaces, particle studies, flow diagrams, cross section views of velocity/pressure/temperature, mechanical stress, deformation, displacement, factor of safety, etc.)
• Synthesized results into actionable changes and quantified improvements in performance

Drawings:

• Created part drawings of a single component
• Created assembly drawings (standard and exploded)
• Created bills of materials
• Customized view settings, such as scale, visual appearance, and layout

Parts:

• Basic solid modeling
• Creation of construction geometry (planes, axis systems, lines, points, etc.) to support features
• Exported parts in additive manufacturing formats (.stl, .3mf)

Assemblies:

• Created assemblies with ~10 parts and moderate amount of mates
• Use of simple mates (coincident, concentric, distance, angle, tangent, etc.)
• Use of advanced mates (width, linear, symmetry, etc.)
• Use of mechanical mates (cam-follower, slot, hinge, gear, etc.)

Simulation:

• Programmed CNC mill paths to produce model geometry based on mill size, type, etc.