Design tables or individual files ?

Discussion created by Tom Ramin on Jun 1, 2007
Latest reply on Jun 8, 2007 by Mauricio Martinez-Saez

Like • Show 0 Likes0
Comment • 5

we are debating the advantages of design tables over usingindividual part files. What prompted this debate were severalwe have encountered with configurations in design tables. Forexample:

-when opening assy's SW sometimes cannot find the rightconfiguration (i.e. it sometimes will use the 'last saved')
-searching for configurations is not as straightforward
- we have run into cases where we have duplicate parts indesign tables and individual parts

I would like to post this on this group to see if you had similardiscussions and if you think design tables or individualpart-files were 'the way to go' for consumable hardware such asscrews and washers ?

Thanks for your input.

Tom

Outcomes

5 Replies

John H Jun 1, 2007 6:07 PM
I will offer this piece of advice from experience...
Beware of using multi configuration part assemblies where you have multi-configured assemblies with multi-configurated sub-assemblies. We started out using multi-configurated parts created from design tables, which on the front end saved use an extreme amount of time when our product model was small. As we added more product variations (new configurations) the models we were working with have bloated to the point of being unbearably slow to open. We are in the process of "breaking out" each of our multiconfiguration parts and sub-assemblies into single configuration parts. etc. Having learned Pro/E first, I wasnt aware of severe limitations of using SW with large multiple configuration parts/assemblies until just recently. Imagine mixing the Microsoft structured compound file system and all the Scenegraph data that gets copied from one part with 200 plus configurations!

John H
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
SolidAir Jun 1, 2007 6:27 PM
Tom,

You must be using an older version of SW 'last saved' is a thing of the past.

In my opinion, if done correctly, you should have no problem using configurations (via design tables). Yes they can get complicated but cuts down on trying to find similar parts. As for duplicate parts, you said it yourself, you get them with or without using configurations (design table); not much you can do about that (although should be much harder using design tables unless you have hundreds of entries {we limit ours to 100}).

SA
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
Mauricio Martinez-Saez Jun 2, 2007 11:58 PM
The utilization of "multiple configurations" is not theonly way to obtain the ability to "morph" a part intoseveral versions or "configurations".

The utilization of multiple configurations will overload the systemsince even when you do not see them active, the data for eachconfiguration exist inside the CAD DB. One alternative is to have apart with a single "dynamic" configuration which isdriven by a well designed design table.

The design table them will have a single data line (a singleconfiguration) which changes values as required to produce thedesire "configuration" of the part. Data for eachvariation reside on a data table inside the design table and it isselected using logic functions driven by a single parameter.

This parameter can either be selected from a pull down list insidethe design table or can be "push" into the design tableby linking the input cell to a data cell in a external data source(the product configurator). An example of this method is on theattached zip file, open the file, you will see a 4" ANSI 150Pipe Flange, then open the design table for edition, select a newpipe size on the input cell (when you select this cell a pull downlist will be available), this will change all the values on thedesign table, close the design table and "voila" you havea complete new flange.

Now you have a single "generic" parametric part with asingle configuration that changes as it is driven by the singleline of data in the design table. If now you link the input cell toan external data source, then you can morph the part to anyconfiguration.

How to do automatic updating of the design tables... that is donewith a macro (API) which can be added to the application as a menuitem or command icon, or it can be drive by a feature API... etc.No need for parts with 1000 configurations, just one"dynamic" configuration and you can produce millions ofvariations....
The part can have features that you can suppress and unsupress onthe design table, drive by logical formulas (a very powerfulability of Excel) in short if you expand on this methodology, youcan obtain a true KBE (konwledge based engineering system) not justa 3D version of AutoCAD.

Have fun!!

No more part files with 200 configurations and 3Mb of space ondisk!! A parametric CAD is to do that... PARAMETRIC MODELING.
Attachments
- ANSI-150_Flange.zip191.2 KB
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
- Shawn Applegate @ Mauricio Martinez-Saez on Jun 5, 2007 12:54 PM
  M.G.,
  
  What happens when you need drawings for every configuration?
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
  Actions
  - Mauricio Martinez-Saez @ Shawn Applegate on Jun 8, 2007 8:01 AM
    I assumed that on a particular assembly you use a particularconfiguration of a part at a given time (I can not see howone part can use two configurations at the same time on the sameposition of an assembly), so there is no problem.
    
    Maybe you refer to instances where you use several times thesame part with different configurations on several positions on anassembly.
    
    On those cases what you do is the following...
    Since each configuration of the same part (model) will needto have a different part number you use the "master"model to generate "copies" of the part with differentfile names, then use the design table to generate the particularconfiguration required by each location where you use the same"model". If you do a parametric "drawing"of the generic model, tehn each part will have his own drawing.
    
    Now ... let me know what do you do to have a drawing for eachconfiguration of a part having 200 configurations inside SolidWorks(no design table).
    
    By the way if you use 10 times inside an assembly a part that have200 configurations, inside the SolidWorks Data set you will havethe data for 2000 objects...
    .
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
    Actions

Design tables or individual files ?

Outcomes

Attachments

Related Content

Recommended Content