For engineers who already know the math—but still lose projects. For the last few years, I’ve been sharing technical guides here on Mechanical Design Handbook —how to size a motor, how to calculate fits, and (as you recently read) how to choose between timing belts and ball screws. But after 25 years in industrial automation, I realized something uncomfortable: Projects rarely fail because the math was wrong. They fail because: The client changed the scope three times in one week. A critical vendor lied about a shipping date (and no one verified it). The installation technician couldn’t fit a wrench into the gap we designed. University taught us the physics. It didn’t teach us the reality. That gap is why I wrote my new book, The Sheet Mechanic . This is not a textbook. It is a field manual for the messy, political, and chaotic space between the CAD model and the factory floor. It captures the systems I’ve used to survive industrial projec...
Motion Simulation with Microsoft Excel Mechanical design usually deals with the movement of several parts. There are a lot of software packages that help simulate the movement of machine parts, such as NX (UG), Solid Edge, and SolidWorks. Advertisement But how do you make a simulation without those expensive software packages? I use Microsoft Excel to simulate my timing diagrams. As you can see in the video above, it provides a clear visual representation of the machine's cycle. How it Works Actually, it is nothing but motion simulation using the graphing method in Microsoft Excel. While it cannot simulate complex 3D collisions or physics like high-end CAD, it helps you get a feel for how your machine will behave according to your timing diagram. This technique uses VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) to control the movements. Here is the general workflow: Prepare the Spreadsheet: Create a table defining the geometry (...