Snapshots AND Flexibility in drawings wf2 [more]

Hi,

There is an assembly with spring loaded plunger with two positions
'open' and 'closed'. In the drawing these two positions can be shown by
taking snapshots in mechanism and making available for drawing then
changing the view state to exploded and picking the snapshot.

Now the spring is defined as flexible and placed between a fixed
shoulder and the plunger and controlled by this distance. In the model
the spring and plunger behave as expected, but in the drawing views the
spring retains the length that it was left at in the assembly.

Is there a way to reflect the correct length in each of the drawing
views?

Thanks

 

Flexible components are defined by a limit of size change ~ the compressed length
of a spring, for example. Now, you're saying that your mechanism makes the spring
change length from 'open' to 'closed'. The first thing I'd do to investigate the
problem is make sure these positions are within the the range you've defined for
your flexible component. What would happen if the 'closed' position were past the
limit? I would try it with a narrower range of movement.

 

I have checked the spring and it works throughout the required range.
The problem is that although a snapshot of the two conditions has been
saved and made available and even if the two conditions can be viewed
one at a time when leaving the standard application clearly only one
condition can exist. That is, the plunger in the right position with
the spring of the correct length. Then in the drawing, although the
snapshots show for the plunger in the correct position, the spring in
both views is at a length that is currently in the model. Thus the
drawing views are showing the 'fixed' parts correctly but does not
recognise the correct flexible part for the view. I don't know if this
is a bug.

I've considered using assembly instances to create the two conditions
but there does not appear to be an 'add item' that will allow me to pick
the distance between two planes that governs the length of the spring.

 

Kenny,

Make a family table item of the spring. Add the dimensions into the
table that change it's length. Add a new row to the table, change the
dimension length, so one row is the compressed length, the other row
could be the relaxed length. Close the table, save the model that has
the table. Now open the assembly model of the plunger. Make a table in
the assembly, add a column to the table, add a component, and select
the spring as the component. The spring that is in the assembly at this
time will be the generic spring. Add a row. In the column that has the
spring called out, a star will fill the cell, select the star and type
in the instance name of the spring.

Of course making the tables this way is assuming the spring is driving
the plungers location. If the plunger changes because of a dimension in
the assembly, then you will need to add that dimension to the assembly
table also.

Open your drawing. I'm sure at this point you have a view of the
plunger, which will now be the generic assembly. Add a new component to
the drawing, selecting the instance of the assembly.

Add this view to the drawing. You should now have a view of a plunger
extended and retracted. This might seem confusing but I have made views
in this way for years and it is very effective. In the drawing if the
driving dimensions are shown, you can use them to change the positions
for your views if so desire.

When you open the assembly instance, (some times I have seen this
happen) if the plunger has not changed you can do a replace of the
spring and that will fix the table. Select the instance of the spring
as you go through the replace and the table will be corrected.

Frank

 

The problem here is that the unit is not behaving logically. My
assembly has many more interdependant parts, I simplified the problem to
get my head round it. The closest I got to a solution was to make a
family table of a datum plane in the assembly which drives the plunger
and hence changes the length of the spring. But even this has a problem
in that verifying the instances and regening the generic and then
returning to the drawing and updating it does not reflect the length of
the spring. I have to go into each assembly instance and regen before
the drawing is correct. What a hassle!

Flexibility is not what its cracked out to be.