AnsweredAssumed Answered

Q: How do I set up a Weldolet or Threadolet to drag drop and penetrate at a specified size onto a routed pipe surface.

Question asked by Ben Fulton on Nov 15, 2012
Latest reply on Dec 12, 2012 by Philip Lewis

Like • Show 0 Likes0
Comment • 9

Hello folks,

I have a half inch threadolet that is used on everything and I am trying to set it up to drag and drop onto any pipe and have it penetrate the pipe at a specified size (if I change the threadolet configuration it should change the hole size in the pipe aswell)

I understand that you cannot use a MateReference to drop the threadolet onto the pipe but will need a dimension there. Unless you can and I am unaware of this (please educate me - also if you can make a drag drop item detect the pipe size it is being dropped onto, i would also like to know more about this)

So at the moment, I have a simple part with a Cpoint and Rpoint that i drop onto a line that penetrates from the main pipe line (perpendicular lines) So I then penetrate that line into the main pipe line, I then dimension the threadolet so it looks like it is sitting on the pipe surface then change the penetrating line to a construction line. It kind of works ok.

It is a bit fiddly and wondering if there is an easier solution.

No one else has this question

Outcomes

9 Replies

Todd Fehr Nov 21, 2012 8:52 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Hello Ben,

When I made my olets for piping I create a circle to represents my header pipe & then I create revolved feature of the olet profile. I follow by a cut feature to create the seat for the olet to sit on the header pipe. This allows the olet to always be located based on your header pipe OD which is how the literature on olet installation is supplied.

Making a hole in a routed pipe is where you are going to be upset about your olet. It's sort of a out of sight out of mind principal. The way it has been explained to me about how olets are installed in piping is that they are welded to the header pipe & then the hole is drilled into the header pipe to suite the olet branch size & location. Then you continue with piping from the olet. So as a result it is a post process that shouldn't need any detailing.

Other then the hole feature in the pipe you can set up your route 'C points' based on your header & your olet branch size. As a result all you need to do is drop the olet into my assembly & select the branch size as if I was dealing with a reducing tee. The down side is that you need to create a split point on the header pipe when dropping it on the header. I end up deleting the split point & mate it to the sketch line.

I hope this was helpful.

Cheers
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
Peter De Vlieger Nov 21, 2012 9:24 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Check out the weldolet provided standard in piping library.

I used the one provided there to make my own by deleting all unnecessary features and window dressing and just bringing it back to the bare essentials.

The result (see picture). Mating it is indeed a bit tricky and isn't as straight forward as other fittings.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
- Todd Fehr @ Peter De Vlieger on Nov 21, 2012 9:17 PM
  Mark Correct
  Correct Answer
  I don't use SW parts. My library was created from scratch using SW library as a guide since the SW library wasn't very good when my library was first created & we haven't bothered to go back due to all the configurations & discription information that is custom to our industry.
  
  As you can see the part is simple & straight to the point with as much accuracy as the real thing. It looks like you are missing a route point & some connection points. I've shown a sockolet which uses the same principals as other olets. See if that works for you.
  
  Cheers
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
  Actions
  - Ben Fulton @ Todd Fehr on Nov 21, 2012 9:23 PM
    Mark Correct
    Correct Answer
    Thanks Todd & Peter.
    
    Todd could you give me a little more info on where your Cpoints/Rpoints are located? Also when you drop it in what is it refering too, to make it drag and drop?
    
    Also are you using any 'Stub length' on the Cpoints to aid the pentration point or is penetrating something you are not bothering with?
    
    Thanks for your help guys, I think I am getting somewhere now.
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
    Actions
    - Peter De Vlieger @ Ben Fulton on Nov 22, 2012 3:09 AM
      Mark Correct
      Correct Answer
      I for one use a pipesketch (driven by a design table) which is the Ø of the main pipe one wants to branch of from. This pipesketch is also used to then cut out the necessary arc so as to have the branch fitting fit snugly on the pipe.
      
      The other two essentials are the Olet axis and the Alignment Axis to help with it sitting across from the pipe and being able to branch of in the direction you want it to. I have one CP so as to be able to start the branching pipe.
      
      We don't do penetrating of the outside wall of the main pipe because there's no reason to show the main pipe with just the hole.
      This due to the manner how they get to be installed, as Tod explained.
      
      Providing a stub length to have a start on the branch is up to you.
      Like • Show 0 Likes0
      Actions
  - Peter De Vlieger @ Todd Fehr on Nov 22, 2012 2:59 AM
    Mark Correct
    Correct Answer
    Tod,
    
    I see that you go for the T fitting kind of solution, and there for you have 3 CP's and a RP.
    
    We have to be able to put branches (sock, nipple, etc) anywhere on the pipe, even if that means on an elbow and even in the curve of an elbow at times. There for 1 CP is all we need.
    
    Afterall the recognition of the pipe size it is going to branch off from is done by the PipeSketch and doesn't need CP or RP.
    So for us the only CP we needed was the one to give the ability to start a new bit of pipe.
    
    The SW library is indeed solely good as a guide but I would suggest that you take a closer look at the weldolets in it though. The reason I used it was because, and I don't know how they do it, the way they have made the weldolet lets you rotate the weldolet 90° degress in all four directions. As in, place it on the route and it faces up, tab and it faces right, tab again and it faces down and tab again and it faces left. There is no other part, not even in the SW provided library, that does that. All the other fittings just flip between 2 states and not 4. I have asked about it but nobody, not even from SW themselves, have been able to explain why it does what it does.
    
    FYI, configurations & discription information are always custom for the company and not only the industry. Which is one reason that one always have to make a library because the needs and wants in each company are so different.
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
    Actions
    - Todd Fehr @ Peter De Vlieger on Nov 22, 2012 4:59 PM
      Mark Correct
      Correct Answer
      Hello Peter,
      
      First there is a difference between an elbowlet & an olet. As a result that's why we treat them different.
      
      I will need to see what SW has created ... my company was able to buy routing without paying for premium for my computer & it won't allow me to open the routing library manager. I'll try someone else's computer later.
      
      I generally create a sketch to what ever direction I need the olet to branch off too & drop in the olet. This allows me to ensure the right direction especially if there is a desire to branch off at an angle that is not at one of the quadrants of the header pipe.
      
      The down side of the T style is that I need to preform some editing prior to making my fabs since it splits my header pipe so hopefully SW allows me to get away from that post editing requirements.
      
      Thanks Peter.
      
      Cheers
      Like • Show 0 Likes0
      Actions
      - Mark Coville @ Todd Fehr on Nov 26, 2012 8:30 AM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        I added a CPoint at the center of the pipe to allow me to drop a threadolet into the route sketch. When in the route sketch draw a line and drop threadolet onto the end then add dimensions. I havn't been able to get it to autosize or penetrate but I find it works alot smoother.
        Attachments
        ThreadOLET.png66.9 KB
        HowTo.png179.2 KB
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
Philip Lewis Dec 12, 2012 9:54 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
I replied to an earlier post on dimensioning an olet that may be helpful for the inserting of the olet. I even attached the olet file to it. It is the last post on this thread:
https://forum.solidworks.com/message/242761#242761
This part has 2 Cpoints and 1 Rpoint for orientation. Somehow we were never able to make the vertical axis work for us so we continued using connection points for orientation.
As for cutting a hole I never had to do that. I would think that after the olet is in you could add a cut extrude off of it in the piping assembly just like in a regular assembly. You could even set a sketch up inside the olet to us as a reference to use with convert entities. That way you could drive the size of the cut from the olet and if the olet changed size so would your cut.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions