Case Study: The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics achieves faster development and optimized instrument design with SolidWorks

Innovating advanced astrophysical research systems with SolidWorks solutions

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics needed to accelerate development of advanced flight and ground-based research instruments and improve design visualization and collaboration between engineers and astrophysical scientists. After using multiple CAD tools, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Engineering Group standardized on SolidWorks — including SolidWorks Premium, SolidWorks Simulation Premium, and SolidWorks Enterprise PDM — to provide an integrated design, analysis, and data-management platform.

Using SolidWorks solutions and integration with MasterCAM, SAO engineers streamlined design, prototyping and machining for projects such as the Solar Probe Plus SWEAP sensor and the REMO environmental monitor. SolidWorks enabled faster nonlinear and multi-physics analysis (reducing a week-long simulation to about a half-hour), cut development and machining time and costs, reduced system weight while maintaining performance, and improved visualization and revision control.

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

David R. Caldwell

Project Engineer