SolidWorks Software Helps Protect Utilities

By DE Editors

Storm-Safe, designed entirely in SolidWorks (Concord, MA) 3D CAD software, is a simple “breakaway link” fixed to a utility pole that automatically disconnects cables from poles under abnormal stresses.

Prompted by the same storm that plagued hundreds of thousands of Midwesterners last year, The Homac Companies, a utility connector manufacturer in Florida, designed an entirely new, safer way for homes to connect to power lines.

Because the cables disconnect on the pole side, not at the home, the fallen wire carries no current. When the storm subsides, a new link is quickly installed, allowing utility workers to plug in the cables, energize the home, and be on their way. Storm-Safe comes in configurations to serve one, two, or three homes and is rated for 200 amp service.

Homac relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller ModernTech Mechanical for software training, implementation, and support.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.