So I have an assembly, see the photo. I originally had the curves as angles it looked like a diamond shape from the end and figured our guys could pull off this more rounded design instead. I'm going to use this shape now but it will be with V Rollers instead (so 2 rollers per one torus rollers instead to make the V)
Anyway in trying this I found I couldn't mate this shape to the curve and wondered why? Anyone have any ideas?
torus.jpg
The best way I have found to deal with these "unorthodox" shapes is to revert to the underlying geometry. We often overlook the fact that Solidworks can very easily mate to planes, sketch entities (lines, arcs, points), axes (both temporary and basic), etc.
Frankly, I am amazed at how easily Solidworks can handle some of the more complex shapes. When I think of the extreme mathematical gymnastics involved in the underlying code my mind starts to swim and I become faint ...
Along the lines of Jboggs suggestion, define a plane on the torus at the point of contact and mate to curved surface perhaps?
yes using the 2d works. I just thought it would, or should work the other way. and actually that plane idea worked too. thanks that was a good tip I wouldn't have thought of and will use it for other things in the future.
It was a silly part anyway so it's not a big deal that the system can't do it right as long as it can be done.
Solidworks amazes me every day. I have to deal with all my hand drawn stuff from the 80's in the course of a day and it's like fax machines it's hard to imagine the time before. I went from hand drawing to Generic cad until Autodesk bought them and ruined it, then I never did anything for 10 years. Then it was Mastercam because i was having to program for a CNC. Then another few years off and now I have to design for people in other countries and had to learn Solidworks. At first I was converting step models from Mastercam because I could work reasonably quickly in that but the Solidworks guys couldn't work with unintelligent models that I was sending them sooo... now I can work as quick or quicker in Solidworks but I have a harder time with the workflow as Solidworks is made to build with already invented stuff more that what I'm using it for now.
Last edited by GlennD; 02-19-2014 at 07:38 PM.
Are you trying to gey your modelling correct or solve the roller design dimensions?
Either way, this is a simple 2D design profile issue by viewing perpendicular to the curved surface centerline. First, determine the angle you want between the two side contact points and construct tangents to the curve at those points and then a third tangent line for the center point contact. Once that is done, then it is a simple matter of creating a roller centerline parallel to the center contact line at your desired roller radius and finishing the roller half section profile with the end lines etc. As for creating a model, I would then simply rotate the half section profile about the roller centerline to form the roller solid model.
At the same time, unless the curved surface you are contacting is flexible then in an actual finished assembly, due to dimension tolerancing variations on your curved surface and roller, you will ultimately end up with only two actual contact points and those woild preferably be the two tapered side contacts because if one of the two points is on the center roller section you will end up with eccentric loading on the curved surface and poor guidance by, or for, your roller in the final assembly.
Last edited by JAlberts; 02-20-2014 at 01:17 PM.
Neither, just ran across a mate I couldn't perform and wondered why, and couldn't find an answer anywhere else. Actually the system took the mate like normal at first and didn't fail until the next rebuild
Originally Posted by JAlberts
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