# Using AI to edit SolidWorks Projects

A robotics test-rig engineer replaces a NEMA 17 motor with a NEMA 23 in a SolidWorks motor mount. Flux changes the bolt pattern, pilot bore and wall, and adds two gussets.

Written by [Matthias Wagner](https://www.flux.ai/natarius)

Published Sep 2026 - 2 min read

![Using AI to edit SolidWorks Projects](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/using-ai-to-edit-solidworks-projects/main.webp)

Marco is a mechanical engineer who builds robotics test rigs. Budget cuts ended the team's SolidWorks subscription. Then a test showed that the NEMA 17 motor on one axis does not have enough torque. A NEMA 23 motor has the torque, but it does not fit the bracket.

He opens the motor mount assembly in Flux and tells the agent:

> "The NEMA 17 motor does not have enough torque. Replace it with a NEMA 23 motor: 57 mm square body, 56 mm long, 6.35 mm shaft, M5 holes on a 47.14 mm square, 38.1 mm pilot. Change the bracket to fit: new bolt pattern and pilot bore, 6 mm wall, and two gussets. Keep the four base holes where they are, so the bracket still bolts to the same frame. Then export a STEP file."

## A larger motor on the same frame

Flux replaced the motor, changed the motor face of the bracket to the NEMA 23 bolt pattern and pilot bore, made the wall 6 mm thick, and added two gussets. It added M5 screws for the new motor. The four base holes did not move, so the bracket bolts to the same frame as before.

![Before: NEMA 17 motor mount. After: NEMA 23 motor, larger pilot bore, thicker bracket and two gussets.](https://www.flux.ai/p/assets/blogs/using-ai-to-edit-solidworks-projects/before-after.webp)

Before and after the change, in the same Flux view.

| Mount detail | Before | After |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Motor | NEMA 17 | NEMA 23: 57 mm square body, 6.35 mm shaft |
| Motor bolt pattern | NEMA 17 pattern | M5 holes on a 47.14 mm square |
| Pilot bore | NEMA 17 pilot | 38.1 mm |
| Bracket | Plain angle bracket | 6 mm wall and two gussets |
| Base holes | Four holes | Same four holes, same positions |

Flux then exported the assembly as a STEP file and read it back in to check it. Next, Marco can add the motor driver board to the same Flux project and route its cable to the larger motor.

Without a SolidWorks seat, this change would wait weeks for a contractor. In Flux, it took a few hours. [Use Flux for your next test-rig mount revision.](https://www.flux.ai/)

## About the author

[Matthias Wagner](https://www.flux.ai/natarius)

Founder & CEO at Flux

Matthias is the Founder and CEO of Flux, a hardware design platform that's revolutionizing how teams create and iterate on circuits. Find him on Flux [@natarius](https://www.flux.ai/natarius).

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## Let’s start building.

Let’s build your idea together. All you need to do is describe what you want to make, or what problem you want to solve. Flux will work with you to make it a reality.

[Try it Free](https://www.flux.ai/signup)

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