Welcome to our Blog

More than a Blog, A Place to Learn, Share, and Laugh a Bit

We started an email newsletter back in 2002 as “The Focus.” We kept that up for some time and then made the plunge into blogging around 2008. Over the years, thousands of students and engineers from around the world have told us that our blog is an invaluable tool to them. If you can’t find what you are looking for, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Title card for an article on using Power Automate to add a task to a plan in Microsoft Planner

5 Steps for Adding A Microsoft Planner Task Using Power Automate

I've been using Microsoft Planner to manage the chaos that are my various tasks here at PADT. And even though there are a lot of changes I would make to it, in general, it works well. One big hole i...

PADT Goes to CES 2025

CES 2025 was a remarkable event where innovation took center stage across multiple venues in Las Vegas. Engaging with over 40 forward-thinking companies, I delved into discussions spanning robotics...

padt-average-temperature-ansys-mechanical-f00a

Applying an Average Temperature in Ansys Mechanical

In a recent tech support call, a user asked our team if they knew of a way to apply a constraint that kept the average temperature at some point to a specified value. They had a relatively coarse th...

PADT Pulse – Happy Holidays, 3D Printing Training for Educators, and the Excel Checkbox – December 2024

PADT's December 2024 Newsletter is out. You can view it online here or view and download the PDF below. Get The PADT Pulse delivered to your mailbox every month by subscribing now. Newsletter-P...

All Things Ansys 132: Simulating Additive – Updates on Using Ansys Tools for Metal Additive Manufacturing

Published on: December 17, 2024 With: Eric Miller, Vincenzo Abbatiello, Doug Oatis & Christian Crowley Description: In this episode your host and Co-Founder of PADT, Eric Miller...

Stop Using True/False in your Excel Tables and Use the New’ish New Excel Checkbox Control

I use Microsoft Excel to keep track of so many things and have always wanted an Excel Checkbox that works like putting True or False in a cell (or 0 or 1). Then, just like my discovery of the new'ish...

PR-PADT-NOCTI-3D_Printing-Certification-20241209-f00

Press Release: PADT Deepens Commitment to Arizona Manufacturing as State’s First NOCTI Certified Additive Manufacturing Site

Recognizing the need for workers who have knowledge of and proficiency in additive manufacturing (AM), PADT has teamed up with Stratasys to offer NOCTI-certified training to educators who want to dev...

Christmas-Right-Left-Forgot-Christmas-2024-f00

Christmas Right Left Gift Exchange: The Town That Forgot Christmas

Our 2024 Holiday Party was in the middle of some pretty stressful times for many of us, and the organizing group was not feeling the holiday spirit. So we wondered what it would be like if a town f...