CONFIGURATIONS &

3DCC PUBLISHER SWUG – DAYTONA BEACH

SEPT. 25, 2012

David Tutt CWSE CSWP CSWP-Sheet Metal CSWP-Weldments CSWP-Mold Tools CSDA

AAS Drafting/Design – DSC BSET – DSC

Configurations

• Single Configuration

• One Off Changes To Models

• Parts

• Assemblies

• Table Driven Configuration

• Design Table

• Parts

• Assemblies

• MS Excel Base Program

• Gives Expandable Control To Models

Design Table Creation

• Redundant Design

• When design concept of part requires repetitive endless iterations of the same basic part

• Springs, Bolts, Brackets, Washers……..

• High Complexity

• When design intent is to control dimensions, tolerances, visibility, suppression of features in part files as well as parts in assembly files

• Valves, Cylinders, Actuators………..

Redundant Design

MS Excel

• Design Tables Format

• Column Header Syntax

• Arranged in a vertical text orientation

• Must contain a:

• Prefix : $

• Proper Syntax according to use

• Parameters List

• Parameters are exported to Solidworks as program is refreshed when configuration is selected

• This allows usage of Excel to drive configurations by use of properties from model

Think Outside the Box

• Every Feature, Dimension, Part-State and Configuration has an parameter id inside SolidWorks • These provide details about size, shape, visibility

and state of parts or assemblies

• Parameters can be used as Outputs as well as Inputs • Data about the model can be used to drive the

configuration

• Does the result of the Design Table have to be a List? • Step outside the box!!!!

Complex Assembly Design Table

• Rotomation, Inc. • Ormond Beach, FL

• Rack and Pinion Rotary Actuators and Indexers • Pneumatic, CW, CCW or TC shaft orientation • Actuators Strokes up to 2000 Degrees of rotation • Indexers 360 Degree or less continuous rotation • Integrated Flow Controls, Cushions, Magnetic Sensing • Seal Variation, Port Locations and Size, Wash-down, HP(hyd)

• Multi-Layers of dependency for allowable options and feature location

• Approximately 1.5 million part number configurations on most complex model • Now Design Table Make “perfect” sense

Design Table A752 Design Table

Assembly Structure

• Body Part

• Individual Configurations

• Shaft Part

• Individual Configurations

• Miscellaneous Parts

• Switches, Needle Valves, Mounting Plates………

• All Parts and Hole features are loaded into Single Assembly File

• Configurations are created changing the states of features and parts in Main Assembly file

• Based on Option Selection in Drop Downs

• State Changes are made “Cell Equations” inside Excel

• Driving “Cell Data” pushed back to Assembly File upon Refresh/Exit

Lets see it in action…………

Publishing Your Models

• 3D CAD Publishing

• 3D Partstream – Phased out

• 3DCC – 3D Content Central

• Dassault Systems free manufacture download portal

• http://www.3dcontentcentral.com

• Configuration Publisher

• Runs inside SolidWorks

• Will compute and upload configurations to 3DCC

• Works great with single or simple configured part and assembly files

• For large complex, not ideal,

• Crashed at est. 195,000 configured instances in one model

• Web upload best solution

Configuration Publisher

Complex Design Table Publisher

• Attributes correspond Design Table Fields

• List used for selecting drop down data

• List also used for hidden control options or note form fields

• Number used to input specific numerical value in an allowable range and increment in table field

Web Upload

• Java Based Drag-Drop Upload • Required use of Microsoft Internet Explorer

• Issues when using IE 8.0 or higher

• Always us a Pack-and-Go “Zip” File

• Use .JPEG rendered image for thumbnail

• PDF or MS Word files for Data Files

Publishing On Site • Proof Your Model

• Even if model works fine on local seat of Solidworks

• Website is defined by “virtual HTML base engine”

• Proof Your Model

• Click Publish

• Your Done

• Well in about an hour when the system refreshes…..

Thank you