Hello, I am looking for a way to wrap a flat plate 1/64" thick with a lip on each end end around a 8" cylinder with a slot in it for both ends of the cover to fit in. I am looking for a way to make sure that the lip will be designed properly to fit into the slot without interference. Is this a feature Solidworks can handle?
Bring the cylinder into an assembly and create your other part in-context. Check out the help section for top-down design information.
not sure I followed your question, but it sounds like you should look into the "deform" or "flex" features.
Yes I am looking to virtually wrap and unwrap the part to check for interference.
Like the attached part?
Hi Charles,
Why do you have to wrap it around? Why not model it directly in the final wrapped state? Have you tried using the sheet metal tools?
Yes, similar but the lips facing inwards into a slot in the cylinder. I would like to unrwap the cover to see how I can bend the tabs and shape the slot to minimize interference.
I have to wrap/unwrap to check for interference because the cover will be changed with an automated procedure in the machine after operating intervals.
Charles,
I can think of 2 ways to do this. Depending on what your proceedures are which way you go.
First is, in the cylinder part file you could create your wrapped plate as a seperate solid body
and it would look like an assembly.
Second is you could do a top down assembly which means is once you have started a new
assembly and inserted your cylinder, go to the assembly toolbar and insert a part
Then RC on the part in assembly mode and edit it.
yes, use sheet metal - I was thinking the lips were on the circular ends, which I understand sheetmetal can have issues with.
Than this is what you need. See attached sheetmetal part.
You can do the sheetmetal part either in the context of the assembly or you can link the diameter to the other one.
This is the direction that i am trying to go in. What I am looking to do now is animate the plate to wrap it around a cylinder to check how the tab will fit into the slot in an existing cylinder.
Got it. Nice challenge!
The closest you I can get is the attached file. Modify the dimension between the 2 lips anyway you want between .0001 and 25.581.
I created 25 configs just for fun, you can delete them if you don't need them.
And this is a better version that does not move away from the origin.
The only way I can think of is to make the closed sheet metal part then make some configurations with the base flange deformed to show the flexing and put them all in
the assembly.
Then hide and show them as needed in the animation.
Regards,
Yes, Like Alin did.
Yes, like Brian said.
This is getting closer! Now to get even pickier... What the plan is to install the plate is hook one tab in the cylinder and rotate the cylinder around with another roller contacting it keeping the plate tight against the cylinder. As the other tab gets close to the roller, the tab will go into the slot without interference. I have done this in autocad the hard way. This is what I am trying to achieve:
That's a different animal, but I believe I can do it. Give me a few minutes/hours/days.
It is actually very simple, do not need any animation or sheet metal for that, simple geometry problem. How big are the lips? Are they bent at 90 degrees to the flat?
You know, we charge extra for specification changes in the middle of the project.
I think this can be done by in-context modelling of the part to be wrapped around the cylinder as follows:
I hope I explained it well enought that you can follow it. This should be a fun exercise, and it would be best for me just to model it, but I don't have the time.
Use this file. Modify the lip dimension and the angle and see at what point you have interference. That will give you the slot size.
BTW, you have to click rebuild when you change anything, so the length of the straight side equation to be recalculated.
What am I talking about? Just apply Pythagoras' theorem as per the attached file. Even better, use the attached file for a starting point, modify the lip size and you will get a rough estimate of the groove size.
I am away from my SolidWorks computer for the rest of the day... Dangit. I am looking foward to see what you have going on! I really appreciate the help everyone!
If all you are trying to do, Charles, is check for interference, then you don't have to animate. Simply drag the line in edit sketch mode.
Use this file. Modify the lip dimension and the angle and see at what point you have interference. That will give you the slot size.
BTW, you have to click rebuild when you change anything, so the length of the straight side equation to be recalculated.