Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
In This Chapter
16
You can build part assembly models from two or more ■ Using external parts in an
assembly
parts, or parts grouped in subassemblies. Like part
■ Using assembly constraints
features, parts and subassemblies act as building blocks. ■ Analyzing the assembly
■ Creating assembly scenes
Autodesk® Mechanical Desktop® builds individual parts
■ Using assembly tweaks and trails
and subassemblies into an assembly. ■ Creating assembly drawing
views
In this tutorial, you create an assembly model of a pair
■ Editing an external reference
and updating an assembly
of slip pliers from four parts. Three of the parts originate
file.
399
Key Terms
Term Definition
3D constraint In assembly modeling, an associative link between two or more parts that controls their
locations relative to each other and to their placement within the assembly.
Assembly Catalog The means of attaching and cataloging local and external parts and subassemblies in
the Assembly Modeling environment. Use the All and External tabs to specify contents,
which can be instanced, copied, renamed, replaced, externalized, removed, localized,
sorted, unloaded, and reloaded.
assembly tree A graphical hierarchy that illustrates the order in which parts and subassemblies are
combined in the current assembly. The assembly tree is managed in the Desktop
Browser.
attach The act of connecting a reference file to the current assembly file. The attachment
remains with the current file after the file is saved.
definition All information about a part or subassembly, including its name, location, and
attributes.
external reference A part or assembly that resides in a file other than the current part or assembly file.
insert constraint Aligns center points and planes of two circles in a specified direction. Solves translation
degrees of freedom. Used to constrain a bolt in a hole, for example.
localized part Changes the definition of a part from external to local, severing the link to the external
file. Changes made to a localized part affect only the current part or assembly file; other
part or assembly files that reference the part are not affected.
mate constraint Causes a plane or axis on one part to be coincident with a plane, point, or axis on
another part in a specified direction. Removes a translational degree of freedom.
rename definition In the Part or Assembly Catalog, an attached external part or subassembly may be
renamed. The alias name is displayed beside the drawing name in parentheses.
scene A 3D orientation of an assembly that you can use to create a 2D view in Drawing
mode. You use scenes to provide exploded or assembled views of your assembly
without destroying the constraints.
trail In an exploded view, a line that shows how parts in an assembly are assembled.
tweak Adjusts the position of parts in an assembly scene to avoid overlap in some views or to
make some parts more visible.
When you create an assembly file, you can create your parts in the assembly
drawing, or you can reference external files.
Using externally referenced parts gives you more flexibility over the control
of your assembly. If you need to make modifications to any of your parts, you
can open the individual part file and make changes to it. Because more than
one drawing can be open in the same Mechanical Desktop session, you can
immediately see the effects of your changes in the assembly file. You can also
edit external references from within the assembly file. This is particularly use-
ful in smaller assemblies. Depending on your system resources, you can edit
external files individually if they are part of a large assembly.
After you have assembled your parts, you need to check the assembly for
interferences. You may also want to perform mass property calculations on
your parts to ensure that they are structurally sound.
Finally, you need to document your design. To make it easier to visualize your
design, you may want to adjust, or tweak, your assembly and add trails to
indicate how your parts fit together. Then, you set up your drawing views
and add information, such as reference dimensions and annotations, before
finalizing the drawing for plotting.
Although you can begin designing immediately and reorganize the hierarchy
of your assembly later, for this lesson you assemble parts in a logical order,
starting at the top level in the assembly tree. One part has already been cre-
ated in the tutorial file for this lesson. The other three parts reside in separate
files. You attach the files and then instance the parts into the assembly.
To begin, open the file s_plier.dwg in the desktop\tutorial folder.
NOTE Back up the tutorial drawing files so you still have the original files if you
make a mistake. See “Backing up Tutorial Drawing Files” on page 40.
In the Browser, the PLIERB part is nested under the assembly icon.
All drawing files in the desktop\tutorial folder are listed under Part and Subas-
sembly Definitions on the External tab.
4 In the desktop\tutorial folder, double-click the PLIERT definition to insert an
instance into the drawing, responding to the prompts.
Specify new insertion point: Specify a point below PLIERB
Specify insertion point for another instance or <continue>: Press ENTER
You can also right-click the definition in the Catalog and choose Attach.
The pliert.dwg file is attached to the current assembly, and an instance is
inserted into the current assembly. In the Assembly Catalog, PLIERT is dis-
played on a white background.
plierb
pliert
hexbolt hexnut
As you instance each part, you return to the Assembly Catalog. In the Part
and Subassembly Definitions list, each attached part is displayed on a white
background. When all parts are instanced into the assembly, choose OK.
Examine the Browser. Four parts are nested under the assembly definition.
NOTE For information about using the shortcut method in the Desktop
Browser to localize and externalize assembly component definitions, see “To
localize an external part with the Browser” on page 417.
DOF symbol
1 2
To select geometry, enter responses on the command line, or use the animated
cursor to cycle through options. Click the left (red) mouse button to cycle.
Then, press the right (green) mouse button to accept. You may also use the
animated cursor to select a face by picking in the area defined by the face, then
cycling to other logical faces before accepting.
mated planes
NOTE The DOF symbol is useful during constraining but has been turned off
for clarity in the illustrations.
3 Use AMMATE to constrain HEXBOLT to the bolt hole on PLIERT along their
axes, following the prompts.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose 3D
Constraints ➤ Mate.
Select first set of geometry: Select the end of the HEXBOLT (3)
First set = Axis, (arc)
Select first set or [Clear/fAce/Point/cYcle] <accEpt>: Press ENTER
Select second set of geometry: Select the bolt hole of PLIERT (4)
Second set = Axis, (arc)
Select second set or [Clear/fAce/Point/cYcle] <accEpt>: Press ENTER
Enter offset <0.0000>: Press ENTER
4
3
You could use the insert constraint to solve the same degrees of freedom as
the two mate constraints. By choosing the faces of HEXBOLT and PLIERT, the
parts would be aligned on their axes and mate constrained on their corre-
sponding faces.
mated lines
mated planes
The PLIERB and PLIERT parts are line mated along the axes of the holes, and
the bolt passes through both parts.
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11
12
You can see the hexbolt offset the new distance. Experiment with changing
the offset again, using the Update icon to see the change.
Choose Cancel. The original offset distance of 0.00 remains in effect.
You can easily edit values and see them take effect without permanently
changing your assembly. Use the Update icon in the Edit 3D Constraint dia-
log box to see the change, and then choose Cancel to return to the original
values.
If you have trouble selecting a part, use the Browser to change its color.
1 2
2 In the Assembly Mass Properties dialog box, select the Setup tab and specify:
Input units: US Customary (in, lbm)
Output units: US Customary (in, lbm)
Coordinate system: User coordinate system (UCS)
Display Precision: Enter 2.0
Part List: Select PLIERB
Materials available: Select Mild_Steel.
Choose Done.
NOTE You can save mass properties calculations to a file to use in design analysis,
and you can export the results.
Choose OK.
The exploded assembly scene is displayed. Its name is shown below the com-
mand line. The Browser shows all parts in the scene.
2 In the Power Manipulator dialog box, on the General tab, verify that Place
Objects (ALT) is selected.
Choose Done.
The Power Manipulator dialog box is displayed automatically only the first
time you create a new tweak. After that, to access the Power Manipulator
dialog box, right-click the Power Manipulator symbol on your screen, and
select Options.
3 Continue on the command line.
Select handle or Geometry
[undo/UCS/WCS/Select/Options/Pancenter/Type/tRails/X/Y/Z] <Accept>:
Enter z
Enter tweak distance [Rotate]<1.0000>: Enter .25
Select handle or Geometry
[undo/UCS/WCS/Select/Options/Pancenter/Type/tRails/X/Y/Z] <Accept>:
Press ENTER.
4 Use AMTRAIL to show the direction of the explosion and tweak paths,
responding to the prompt.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose New Trail.
Select reference point on part or subassembly: Select the end of HEXBOLT (1)
Choose OK.
The assembly trail for HEXBOLT is displayed.
6 Apply assembly trails to the PLIERB and HEXNUT parts, responding to the
prompt.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose New Trail.
Select reference point on part or subassembly:
Select the outside hole of HEXNUT (2)
Choose OK.
The assembly drawing automatically updates the current scene to reflect the
tweaks and assembly trails.
Save your file. Choose OK in the External Part Save dialog box to bring all
parts up to date.
Next, you create drawing views of the assembly scene.
6 Use the Custom Paper Size Wizard to define a paper size of 18 x 12 inches
with no indents. Choose Next until the setup is finished.
7 Save your changes to the DWF Classic.pc3 file.
Next, you set up the drawing layout and insert a title block.
Choose OK.
2 Use MVSETUP to insert a title block.
Browser Right-click Layout1 and choose Insert Title Block.
In the AutoCAD text window, respond to the prompt as follows:
Enter number of title block to load or [Add/Delete/Redisplay]: Enter 8
Choose OK.
2 Respond to the prompts as follows:
Select a planar face, work plane, or [Ucs/View/worldXy/worldYz/worldZx]:
Enter z
Select work axis or straight edge [worldX/worldY/worldZ]: Enter x
Adjust orientation [Flip/Rotate] <accEpt>: Press ENTER
Specify location of base view: Specify a point
Specify location of base view: Specify another point or press ENTER
Choose OK.
Examine the Browser. The views are nested under a Scene icon which is
nested under Layout1.
Save your file.
Now you can add reference dimensions, which can be moved, frozen, and
thawed in each drawing view. Reference dimensions are not parametric, but
they update when the model changes.
By dimming the inactive parts, it is easier for you to work on the active exter-
nal part without moving other parts.
3 Notice the red lock preceding the PLIERT icon in the browser. This indicates
that the file has been locked and cannot be modified by another user.
NOTE For clarity, the visibility of the other parts has been turned off in this sec-
tion. If you prefer, turn off the visibility of PLIERB, HEXBOLT, and HEXNUT before
you activate PLIERT.
The sketch plane is defined on the front face of the pliers. Now, create the
new slip hole to increase movement of the slip pliers.
5
4
3
1 6
The Browser returns to normal. The inactive parts are no longer dimmed, and
the assembly reflects the new PLIERT part.
2 In the Browser, click the plus sign on HEXBOLT_1 to expand the hierarchy.
Right-click the Mate ln/ln constraint of HEXBOLT_1, and choose Delete.
3 Delete the Mate pl/pl constraints of HEXBOLT_1.
4 Delete constraints for PLIERB, PLIERT, and HEXNUT.
5 Use MOVE to separate the parts to apply the new constraints.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose 2D Sketching ➤
Move.
Next, you apply new assembly constraints. You use an insert constraint to
align HEXBOLT to the new hole along their axes while mating the face of
PLIERT and the corresponding face of the bolt head.
Use the DOF symbol to illustrate how many rigid body degrees of freedom
are eliminated for each part.
Now you can align the new hole in PLIERT and the corresponding hole in
PLIERB along their axes.
The PLIERB and PLIERT parts are constrained to each other on the inside face
and along the axes of the lower hole of PLIERT and the single hole of PLIERB.
Transactional degrees of freedom are solved. In this case, you want to allow
the pliers and hexbolt to rotate on the axes, so you leave the rotational
degree of freedom unsolved.
3 Use AMINSERT to constrain the facing planes of HEXNUT and PLIERB at the
bolt holes, responding to the prompts.
Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose 3D
Constraints ➤ Insert.
The PLIERB and PLIERT parts are constrained on their facing planes. The bolt
passes through both parts, and the holes and bolt shaft are aligned along
their axes.