A little survey to find out how you work and why?! I haven't found a miracle method yet but maybe this topic will make one stand out from the crowd!
I will give an example more or less at random. If you had to design this type of piece, how would you go about it?
I show these parts because they include mechanically welded prodilés, sheet metal, rolling, bosses and welded ears...
There are different methods to treat these parts, but for you it's more like multi-body? or assemblies? Do you dissociate welded construction from sheet metal?
For my part, I opt for a multibody piece that I find easier to draw and modify. On the other hand, there is the problem of drawing when mixing a part with welded construction, sheet metal and rolling. I find the unfolded sheet metal in multibody a bit laborious, not to mention the rolled sheets where you often have to fiddle with to get the unfolded sheet metal sheets.
And you? What is your feedback on the issue? any opinions?!
Personally I don't work on mechanically welded elements, but it may be possible to use multibodies, to split the desired parts to save the bodies and make the unfolded. This creates an assembly (constraints to be set up, set by default) dissociates the bodies and keeps an associativity with the multibody.
We use the assembly method by separating the structure part into a tube. For the latter, the multibody with the mechanically welded function is an undeniable advantage.
Drawing is much easier that way. And I'm not talking about revision management, ....
For the modification, if your desire is to go faster at the risk of making it more complex. You can add connections between the parts of your assembly. This allows you, for example, to vary the dimensions of a sheet metal part, depending on the dimensions of your mechanically welded structure.
As for the miracle solution, I don't believe it already exists. ;-)
Personally I would draw it in one body because I always think in terms of disassembly or not once your set is welded it is unremovable (the grinder is not a disassembly tool :) )
Now for a simplicity of drawing/further modification I would start with a guide sketch.
Totally agree with @MaD. An assembly can be assembled and dismantled, hence my choice of a part-by-part insertion. You have sheet metal parts so cutouts, mechanically welded tubes and your part "assembled" and welded.
Cdt
G.
edit: WHAT??? The hammer is not a precision tool???? and the grinder is not used to disassemble??? oh dear!! :D
To complete the answers from colleagues, I would add that it depends on the type of plan to be provided.
If we need a list of mechanically welded bodies, we will have to be exclusive on the method, i.e. either full mechanically welded or full assembly.
I've had clients who have asked me for plans with a detailed view of each piece, clients who want a global view.
Personally, if I don't have any particular constraints, I prefer mechanically welded (but I've never been confronted with the problem of flattening rolled sheets). For the drawings of the multiple sheet metal parts, I went through configs that removed the excess bodies.
It's easier to rename if you make it a "derivative" part
You can use the welded part board (+ auto bubble marker)
If you are methodical in the construction of your part, you can mix Mechanowelding, sheet metal, bossing without any problem, and the unfolded ones go well (especially on the latest versions)
Solidworks handles sheet metal multibodies very well with multi unfolded :) which allows you to generate a list of your profiles AND sheets in one place:) ME I vote for myself^^
All your points of view are defensible and I agree with you but I will add that it depends on the type of assembly to be made, its number of parts and especially its complexity. Of course, a small mechanically welded chassis with a few small sheet metal parts will be better in multibody and a large assembly in parts, it can also be designed in the assembly so that if you modify one part the rest follows. As said for me it's case by case...
Thank you for your answers, I see that everyone has developed their method, but in the end we work for the most part in multibody! I think that the drawing of welded constructions, their nomenclature and their throughput are greatly simplified.
Indeed, the unfolding of a multibody sheet metal is possible, but I find it a bit laborious. Next time I'll try Steffeno's method of using configurations. with only one sheet metal body per config.
When will there be a sheet metal rolling/unwinding function in solidworks?! because with the "fold" or "felxion" hacks you quickly reach the limits!
@ Stefbeno, to answer your question it's a cable drop. Equipment that you attach to the back of a ship to launch a cable without the risk of damaging it.
In terms of file size, I think that multibody has its limits!
For example, if I had to draw the piece below, it would certainly deserve to make several pieces:D
Personally, I draw each sub-assembly in multi-body and group them in an assembly. The first structure you show is simple and consists of a single set. I'll draw it in multi-body.
The second is an assembly of welded sub-assemblies. So I'll draw all the subassemblies and assemble them.
I work exactly like you in multibody to simplify the drawing and nomenclature. The difference is that I make several layers, usually one layer per body.
Basically, I've never found a roll/unwind function on Solidworks. So for me 2 methods:
- go through sheet metal, make a fold, change the size of the radius to that of the rolling, then an extrusion function to remove the straight part of the fold. This then allows the unfolded to be drawn up
- Use the "flex" function to define the roll. then Creation of 2 configs (one before driving and the other after driving) for the drawing.
These are methods that work, but they don't seem natural to me! it could be optimized, that's why I talk about "hacking"!
After all, I don't know Solidworks like the back of my hand so I hope you'll find me a miracle solution:D
This post is really interesting. I also sometimes use multibody, recording the bodies as pieces for my drawings. (Mainly sheet metal)
I would like to save myself this recording step and recover the unfolding of my bodies to make drawings (on the same principle as what to present above ).
After several tries, I can't do it without activating the unfold in the multibody, thus preventing me from doing the drawing of the full multibody).
@ vcapelain : you should have opened your own question instead of putting it in answer to another question. You would have had the answer within half a day.
