flame and qce,
The main reason we are not able to compete globally here in the US is the playing field. Simply, it's not level. We have some of the most restrictive environmental, labor, and safety regulations in the world. Don't bother to tell me that China is even close, been there, seen that...
One of the important issues here is also assembly. Coarse threads assemble considerably faster and easier. If designing for high speed assembly, consider this.
A very simple 2D CAD program we use to do similar things is QCAD. Nice price-- FREE! Easy to use, and will do most things easily. I agree with a previous post, Excel & Word do have rudimentary drawing options that work quite well for simple 2D designs, like control panels.
If the tools are pnuematic, Cleco and most of the companies that manufacture tools make sleeves suitable for the tools. Prices are typically $3-$4 each. From experience they function very well for the application. However, the operators tend to not like them because of bulk. With pistol grip...
I'm not sure of the recommended force application limits, but I typically see forces of 8-12 lbs to seat electrical connectors. I work in the television industry, working with many types of connectors. Like jagr, I would like to see loads much less this.
Used Alias for a short time in college with the idea of developing rapid prototypes through stereo-lithography. In two years (part time!) we were never able to get the data developed in Alias to port properly. To qualify this, we were students working on our own, so much information was not...
Sweede
I think the mag lift idea is the best so far. We use vacuum lifts for much the same operation (we have a flat surface to work with). A simple pnuematic lift with a magnetic end effector should handle the problem. Especially as the motors are so lightweight. Good luck!
