The 10 Best Tricks of Rapid Design

7 min read

Engineering and CAD go hand in hand and it is important to have the right CAD models for your projects. Creating 3D models of assemblies opens the door for an infinite amount of study from finite element analysis to predictive performance to instant simulations. It has allowed for the advancement of many technologies and improvements which is one of the many reasons why MISUMI developed Rapid Design.

Rapid Design is a design tool created by MISUMI to streamline the design process for engineers. It is an add-on tool to SOLIDWORKS. It allows users to configure and import MISUMI’s metric factory automation components directly in SolidWorks without the need to download individual CAD models from the website.

With its recent full release, the Rapid Design Team put together the best tips & tricks of Rapid Design to assist in making your design life more efficient. Read on!

1. Import directly into your assembly

In the portal window, when you’ve selected the part you’d like to import, you have the option of importing as a single component or a component directly into your assembly. At that point, once the component is mated to your assembly, if you have a design change, you can change the component directly in SOLIDWORKS from the Design Window.

2. Change Base Model

We understand that you won’t get your design right the first time so Rapid Design allows you to change the base model. For example, if you’ve imported a linear guide with standard width carriages and find that you actually need the wide width option, simply click on Change Base Model to select the appropriate type. Once the correct part is selected, click replace the selected part.

Click on the 'Change Base Model' button on the design window.
'Change Base Model' screen
Click on the 'Replace Selected Part' button to replace the component.

3. Property Information

You can edit the Property Name in the settings menu of the portal window. This especially comes in handy with Bill of Materials of large assemblies. You’ll be able to edit the Property Names tied to manufacturer name, part number, material, pricing and more.

Property information
inCAD Components settings screen

4. Save with Part Number

Once you have completed designing your MISUMI component, don’t forget to save! Saving the part number in Rapid Design allows you to input a prefix and/or suffix to the MISUMI part number. You’ll be able to identify the folder location of your component too!

Any string can be added in front and after the part number.
A new file is created with the specified name and the reference destination on the tree is changed to the new file.

5. The Price & Delivery Tab

Pricing and delivery time is automatically updated once you’ve completed configuring the part. Furthermore, on the price and delivery tab, you can input the quantity you require, add to your cart, see the number of days to ship and the pricing breakdown based on quantity.

Click 'Detail Price' to switch to the Price/Days to Ship tab to confirm.

6. The Copy Function

The copy function is a simple and easy function that copies the MISUMI part number with one click. You can then paste the part number in the search bar, change dimensions and import the new part number.

save the part number to the clipboard

7. Reduce File Size

This feature is used when you have completed configuring the part and want to remove the other iterations of the file. It will reduce the number of items in the design tree and save you precious space.

add a ✔ to Reducing File Size and save.
Features you are not using will be deleted.

8. Overwrite the Original File

If you are ready to save your part with no further design changes you have the option of deleting the original file in your folder and in SolidWorks. It deletes the file saved previously.

the file save screen
only the most recent file remains

9. Technical PDFs

In the design window, there is a link to the catalog PDF page which contains technical material on the product family of your component.

10. Partially Constrained Assemblies

If you download a component from the website with multiple parts such as linear guides, toggle clamps, and ball screws, the part is imported as an assembly but without mates and constraints (left). With inCAD Components, the assembly is already partially mated and constrained (right). You can then change the constraints to your need ie. move the carriage to your desired length along the rail.

And there you have it, the best tips and trick for using Rapid Design. If you are interested in downloading Rapid Design and trying it for yourself, feel free to visit our website.

Happy Designing!

About the Author

Carlicia Layosa

Carlicia is the Marketing Automation Manager at MISUMI. She holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master's degree in Energy Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is a Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate, Marketo Certified Expert, and is passionate about education and training.

4 thoughts on “The 10 Best Tricks of Rapid Design

  1. Have you considered doing the same with Autodesk Fusion 360? They have McMaster Carr embedded very similarly.

    Kind regards,

    Brian Beckham
    Manufacturing Engineer

    1. Hi Brian,
      Upon research, we found that SolidWorks is the most widely used CAD platform with our customer base hence the integration. However, expanding to other CAD platforms are definitely on our radar and like all things, will take some time.
      Thank you for your comment!

    2. I was just searching for this option for Fusion 360. looks like its not yet available. I think Musumi should look into not just who might have the most current seats but also how that balance is trending (lots of growth for Fusion 360) and also what the demographics are for most of that growth (the “long tail” of small innovative businesses and freelance design consultants.

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