Weld bead on flush faces of tubing joint

I'm attempting to put a weld bead on a simple tubing weldment I've
created in SW2004. Imagine tubing in a "T" configuration...one butts
into the other. I want the weld bead on each outside face at the
joint. Problem is, the tubing has a fillet on each corner, so there's
no true intersection on the outside face. Know what I mean? I can
put a weld on the 'inside corners' where the tubes meet because there
is an intersection there.

Any ideas on how to get a weld on the outside faces? Essentially the
weld would fill the gap created by the radius, but I don't care about
that... I just need a weld feature there, whatever it looks like.

Thanks in advance for the help...

Brian

 

The next version of weldments in SW will be able to place a bead on curved
surfaces.
Right now, you out of luck.

Keith

 

I can accept that. How did you know about the next version (and do you have
any idea when it might be out)?

Brian

 

I went to a Reps demo on weldments and I specifically asked about the
inability of weld beads on curved surfaces. They said it couldn't be done
yet and SW would have it working soon.

Keith

 

OK, explain to the rest of us how you accomplished this.

Keith

 

So, this was not accomplished using the new weldment functionality of
SW2004?

Keith

 

guess my news server is dropping the entire message if an attachment is
detected

 

Yes and no. No, you are right, you cant currently use the weldment tools
provided ,but you can make use of multibodies to make suitable
'substitutes'-(one possible example I gave). As far as I can tell SW are
just making use of some routines and multibodies anyway. Yes you are picking
up on path,trim and cut list functions as per usual for the rest of your
work. You have the option or not to add bodies to the cut list so they wont
show there and you can suppress or hide them if you need to just see your
trimmed pieces. Apply the weldment texture to the faces and a symbol and
they look like the real business. I don't know if this would meet Brian's
requirements to have things looking correct but it might.

 

if that wasn't clear- the tubes were created and trimmed with weldment
tools.
I substituted for the weld bead that SW couldn't do by making a suitable
body of my own. the tubes remain whole but hidden by it. the body has a
cosmetic job to make it appear as a regular SW weld.
cheers

 

Thanks for your clarification.
Looks good!
Keith