Newbie Q. - expanding part howto?

[Tonez]

This might be so obvious, but I'm tearing my hair out here! I need to make an assembly with a component that needs to change its length according to another component. Imagine a plug that fits into a slot, and if the slot changes its width, the plug automatically expands or contracts to fit.

I actual fact I'm designing a frame that will need to be bolted to some existing lugs, and I don't yet know the final lug positions, so I want to put the design together, then simply change the critical dimensions once I know where the lugs will be.

Hope this isn't so hilariously simple that you all ROFL!

Oh yes, V5 R19.

Thanks heaps.

 

[MrCATIA]

What you want to do is create a "link". This link will associate the frame to the lugs, so if the lugs change, the frame will adjust also.

There are many ways to do this. Please check with your company administrators to see if there is a preferred way to do this.

1. In the lug model, find the sketch that controls the position of all the lugs.

2. Publish the sketch

3. Copy the Publication of the sketch

4. Go to the window of the Frame model

5. right-click on the top of the tree and use Paste Special, and choose As Result with Link. This will copy the published sketch to the Frame model and it will probably place it into a new Geometric Set called "External References". It should be linked back to the Lug model

6. create a new sketch for the frame holes, projecting the necessary information from the copied sketch, and add sketch constraints

7. use the new sketch to make the frame features, based on the lug positions.

8. use Edit + Links to verify the associativity from the frame back to the lug

9. test the associativity, by modifying the lug sketch and verify that the frame changes also.

10. since you now have links, always use File + Save Management to keep the links intact when saving and/or renaming files.

 

[Tonez]

Ah, many thanks MrCATIA. I'll have a crack at that and get back to you.
Cheerz, Tonez.