Part Design Solidworks

[Roselee Kruppa]

SOLIDWORKSPlastics delivers easy-to-use simulation for analyzing plastic parts and injection molds. It simulates how melted plastic flows during the injection molding process to predict manufacturing-related defects so you can quickly evaluate part manufacturability while you design.

Ensure parts are manufactureable during the design process. Easy to learn and use, SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard is fully embedded within SOLIDWORKS CAD so you can analyze and modify part designs at the same time you optimize for form, fit, and function.

Builds upon SOLIDWORKS Plastics Standard to analyze mold designs. With easy-to-use tools you can quickly analyze single-and multi-cavity, and family mold layouts including sprues, runners, and gates, to estimate cycle time, and to optimize feed system design.

Includes SOLIDWORKS Plastics Professional with advanced simulation functionality to analyze mold cooling line layouts, and part warpage. Optimizing cooling line minimizes cycle times and decreases manufacturing costs.

SOLIDWORKS Plastics is fully embedded in SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD for ease of use and data integrity. Using the same user interface (UI) as SOLIDWORKS in toolbars, menus, and context-sensitive right-click menus ensures rapid familiarization. Built-in tutorials and searchable online help aid learning and troubleshooting.

Evaluates the material freezing process in the cavity. Predicts the temperature to evaluate hot spots, gate freeze, and cycle time. Distributions of pressure, stress, and shrinkage results are also available.

In my previous post I listed some of the best practices when creating sketches in Solidworks. I decided to tackle the topic of parts next, because it is the next logical step in the design of, well, anything. Have you ever bought an assembly without parts?

After I graduated from university, I started working at a small mechatronics engineering firm. Since I was the only employee with a true background in mechanical design, I was responsible for the 3D and 2D drawings of all the parts that had to be made.

There I quickly learned that I knew very little about how products were actually made. I frequently had conversations with suppliers, with them asking me how something like that could possibly be made, or me asking them why the quoted parts were so damn expensive.

Is your part going to be milled? Start with a rectangular block and virtually mill away the material. Are you planning on laser cutting your part? Make sure you can actually buy the thickness you need.

I recently learned about this item from a colleague and I have benefitted from it since. Add three axes to your part template and assembly template and label them X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. Now you will have these axes ready in every part that you will design from now on. This means you will no longer have to use part edges for linear pattern, edges that will cause you trouble when they get modified or deleted. This means far fewer broken patterns, which in turn means more happy engineers.

The Hole Wizard can save you a lot of time. It allows you to create simple or stepped holes, threaded holes and since 2014 even slots. You can use the Hole Callout feature in drawings to label the holes/slots in a single dimension.

If you create the holes or slots with the wizard, you can use them later on to pattern other parts. This assembly feature is now called Pattern Driven Component Pattern. It used to be called Feature Drive Pattern but can still be found under the Linear Component Pattern button. A video tutorial on this feature can be found here.

Chances are you are going to mess around with the design of your part quite a bit and chances are features will break in the process. You can keep this to a minimum by selectively using references and equations. Do you want some holes to remain at a fixed distance from the edge? Then add dimensions that specify just that. Do you want a line to end at another line but SolidWorks adds a midpoint relation? Replace it with a coincident relation immediately now that the sketch still works.

Scott Baugh, CSWP

crede...@hotmail.com

RE: Using Design Tables across parts 2Dto3D (Mechanical)1 Mar 02 14:06Andrew,

If I understand your problem correctly, there is a solution. In the design table, Solidworks stops reading it once you put a blank row in. However, anything below that still has full excel functionality. Since this is true, and since you can link any cell to any other cell - even in another excel file - you can do pretty much anything you want. In your case, you might want to have an excel file containing all your dimensional data, and referenced by the design tables of you various parts. I got this great tip at SolidWorks World in Las Vegas in a breakout session on top-down modeling. I'll try to get the guy who presented it to come reply to this thread as well.

Charley Leonard

CSWP

www.2dto3d.com RE: Using Design Tables across parts 2 JNR (Mechanical)4 Mar 02 12:57Andrew: Hi, I just can back from Solidworoks World 2002 where I gave a presentation on design tables and spreadsheets. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer them as time permits.

Here are some pointers. First, you should never assume that the way one CAD system does it is even similar to another. They all have their methods and reasons. Usually all have advantages and disadvantages - it's not a case of "mine's better than yours" (which you hear a lot in the CAD business!). SolidWorks Design Tables are embedded Excel spreadsheets. Ie. they are embedded in a single file and only affect that file. They are used to control various dimensions and features of the part/assembly. Most often they are used in conjunction with multiple configurations of the same file. This allows different configurations to vary from eachother. This can get very creative with suppression and alternate mates, etc. in assemblies, but your question seems to be on Part files. I get the impression that you are not really dealing with multiple configuration parts (ie. "families of parts" - similar shape, but different dimensions). That kind of thing is very easy to do with DT's. In fact merely adding a new row to the DT automatically creates a new configuration, and of course multiple configurations can essentially be separate Parts (from a BOM point of view). Scott and Charley gave some good pointers, but I'm thinking you may be wanting to drive totally different parts by certain common dimensions. Scott is correct in saying the in-context features are very powerful, however I echo his caution. In practical terms you should think very carefully about using them as they can have undesirable side effects or restrictions later (sepically if you have or intend to use PDM systems!!!!!). BTW: Charley attended my presentation and suggested I make this post for you. Now for the interesting stuff.

Read the documentation on DT's very carefully. Don't "interpret" - take it dumb literally. Eg. if you carefully read the help on "Insert DT" and "Insert DT New", you will find a subtle difference - one uses rows 2 & 3, the other 1 & 2. (What the heck is that all about, SolidWorks?!) I rat-holed half a day trying to cut and paste data from one part DT via an Excel spreadsheet to another, before I noticed the difference in the doc's and it all made sense - they tell you , but don't make it obvious). Also note: that once you insert a design table it has no relationship to the external Excel file if came from.

OK, so when it says the rows and collums can't have gaps -take 'em at their word, but be curious - what happens if i leave gaps? Turns out you can do anything you want - it's an OLE Excel application - they just don't get recognized by SW to control the file. So you can do all sorts of Excel stuff and link the real DT value fields to anything else to the right/below the first blank row/collum. Simplest is just use a formula in the DT value field and have a separate chunk of spreadsheet cells below to enter you data in. I personally then hide the top rows that SW looks at - stops you (or someone else less familiar) from accidentally editing them. Note that you can use checkboxes, drop- downs, boleans, etc. ANYTHING legal in Excel. Ain't it great to have a program written native in Windows with decent OLE compatibiliy?

Next, if you want to share values (or other decision making data) between parts (or assemblies) which are not families and do not relate well to multiple configuration DT's - and you don't want in context relationship: OK, so this is OLE, right? So I should be able to have an external Excel spreadsheet and link cells in my SW DT (inside a part/assy file) to it. Works like a champ. Just Copy - Paste Special - Link. I suggest you set you options to "Open DT's in separate window. It's easier and you can have both the DT and spreadsheet open with a split screen.

Pointers:

You can only link from the Spreadsheet to the DT - NOT the other way (When the DT is open it has a temp name and doesn't get recognized).

You can open the Excel files in any order, for example you can Edit DT, then (in Excel Edit - Links - Open Source or change, etc.). You can leave the source Spreadsheet open while you work, all you have to do is change values in it, Edit DT - Close DT, it's that quick as it updates the instant it opens.

Watch where your source file is - Excel claims to have relative links, but they go absolute the instant you close a the spreadsheet - so they are kinda pseudo-relative.

You can't do any Excel protection inside the DT or it won't update (it's got to "save").

I have a "template" spreadsheet and set of "template files" which is used to start new projects. It contains all the optical and mechanical data and variables to configure one of our Wide field of view overhead mounted Head Up Displays for aircraft. It not only sizes and builds glass optics, it allows positioning and and cofiguration of a complex and often compound angled mechanism (can even delete and recreate links in the mechanism instantly). It makes some pretty wild geometry.

Note you may have to do some Ctrl-Q forced rebuilds at a times in assemblies.

Good luck and as I said, you can contact me for specific questions - best way to learn about anything to to try to teach someone else!!!

John Richards

Senior Mechanical Engineer

Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics. RE: Using Design Tables across parts neilc78 (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 07:05Hi all,

I realise that this is quite an old thread but I think what is in here could be very very useful to the types of models I will be building soon. I notice that JNR hasn't posted on the site since middle of last year (so maybe has moved on) but I am hoping that he/she or someone else might be able to answer this.

When part design tables are all linked back to a master design table is it neccessary to open and close all the part design tables in order for them to update with new data?

If this is required, it does add a little bit of work to the user if the assembly is large. Does anyone know of a Macro or API code which would be able to do this (ie open and close all the design tables of all the parts in an assembly?

Thanks in advance,

Neil RE: Using Design Tables across parts TateJ (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 10:34I think you can have links in your design tables from one part to another. But if a design table is not open the information won't be updated. So essentially you have to open all the related parts anyway... so it's not the best use of the tool. Better to make in-context parts to get this functionality. I have seen some macros that will updete custom properties without opening the files... but I believe they only work on the custom properties that are not configuration-specific. Since all design table properties are configuration specific... there's no help here. The SolidWorks Task Scheduler is more powerful & will get the configuration specific properties - I believe - BUT it has to actiually open each part to do it's thing. So throw a bag of popcorn in the microwave & get comfortable.

Have fun...

Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer

SolidWorks 2006 SP01.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX

Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate

Lava Lamp RE: Using Design Tables across parts smcadman (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 11:01Global variables in the assembly controlling the part files might be worth trying.

Flores

SW2006 SP1.0 RE: Using Design Tables across parts SBaugh (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 11:39Neil,

FYI - You should post a new thread and reference this one. You should post to old issue. You should only need to reference them.

Like this for example thread559-18400

Thanks, Scott Baugh, CSWP

www.scottjbaugh.com

FAQ731-376 RE: Using Design Tables across parts CorBlimeyLimey (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 12:23Help ... I'm stuck in a loop & I'm getting dizzy.

Scott, your 2nd sentence should read "You should NOT post to old issue"

Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520

How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091 RE: Using Design Tables across parts SBaugh (Mechanical)7 Nov 05 13:28That's what meant... thanks for clraifing that!

Regards, Scott Baugh, CSWP

www.scottjbaugh.com

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