Beginner questions

[guitargoddsjm]

Hey all, I'm a student trying to learn the ropes of SW and I'm wondering how to do something. I'm sure I'll have many more, and I'll post as they come...

Ok, say you have a gear, a wheel, a shaft, or something cylindrical, and you want to make a keyway along the outside edge of the cylinder. How would you do this in SW? I tried making a rectangular/square sketch on the top face (the circle face) of the cylinder and then using an extruded cut to remove the part of the cylinder under it, but SW didn't like that very much. What could I do?

(FYI, I'm currently running SW 2006 student)




Edited by: guitargoddsjm

 

[fcsuper]

What you described is the appropriate method. Did you make sure the cut was in the correct direction? You can flip the direction of the cut by clicking on the arrow button next to the end condition field.

 

[guitargoddsjm]

I'm sure the cut was in the right direction. The error message said something about infinite geometry? I'm not exactly sure, but I'm going to give it another go...

 

[SSLaser]

You might be cutting underneath the arc of the cylinder, leaving infinitesimally thin material on the corners- which SW can't resolve. Two options:


1. Use the edge profile to create an arc in the area you want to cut, create your rectangle, then trim away the straight part directly under the arc, and the parts of the arc stretching beyond the rectangle.


2. Make your keyway rectangle extend beyond the arc of the cylinder surface- make one rectangle segmenttangent to the surface.

 

[guitargoddsjm]

Hm, I'm not sure what I did, but I got it to work. I got a copy of SW 2008 and I installed it on my laptop.

One more thing: How would I make a cut and/or extrusion off of a curved surface, say, the side of the cylinder (e.g., I have a gear, sprocket, cylinder, etc, and I want to make a hole for a set screw).

 

[jimshaw]

Use any of the primary datums planes (Right, Front, or Top) or an existing planar surface to create an offset or angled datum plane to either:


1. create a sketch plane outside of the part and extrude-cut into the part


2. create a sketch plane inside of the part and extrude-cut out of the part


3. create a sketch plane inside of the part and revolve-cut into the part


Does this help?


Jim

 

[guitargoddsjm]

I tried working with planes for a little bit... Is it possible to create a plane tangent to the surface of the cylinder?

Also, is it possible to model tapped threads in solidworks (e.g., hex bolt threads?), and how would this be done. I know it involves the Hole Wizard.

Also, is it possible to thread cylindrical pieces?


Edited by: guitargoddsjm

 

[SSLaser]

Plane tangent to cylinder surface: On the Plane PropertyManager, click "On Surface," Click the cylindrical surface where you want the plane to appear, then click a reference plane normal to where you want the plane to appear. If you want a plane at an angle to the default planes, you'll have to create an angled plane to reference before you create your tangent plane.


Modeling Tapped Threads: It is possible to model them, but it will slow the loading and regeneration of your part. In SW 2007, Click Insert> Curve> Helix/Spiral, and follow the guidance in the PropertyManager. Create a spiral, then the thread cross section (make a plane normal to the helix curve at the end of the curve first), then sweep a cut to create the threads.


The preferred method for reducing regeneration time is to use the hole wizard, click the "Tap" button, and go from there. You can select a multitude of standards, including threads for helical inserts. SW gives you the option to use an annotation to define the thread,or anactual cut (it looks like a counterbore).


Thread Cylindrical Pieces: Follow the instructions above for modeling tapped threads, but make your thread profile for an external thread.

 

[skateboardkid]

YOu can also pick the surface as something to cut up to or offset from using the drop down menue in the cut extrude dialog box near the top, or extrude and Rt click and those options come up on your screen automatically.