Associative Casting/Machining files 1

[snow1440xx]

With casting and machining machining models, is there any way to have 2 separate files and yet have the machining model update if the casting model has changed?
Any suggestions?

 

[ewh]

Use wave geometry linker to extract the casting solid in the machining file, then modify to reflect the machining operations.

 

[looslib]

Make the casting model a component of the machining model.

But which comes first, the casting or the machinied part when doing the design work? Most people design the finished part and then add stock to get the casting shape.


"Wildfires are dangerous, hard to control, and economically catastrophic."

Ben Loosli
CAD/CAM System Analyst
Ingersoll-Rand

 

[snow1440xx]

Thanks for the replies.

I can actually extract the whole casting solid for the machining file with the linker, even by adding the casting as a component? By adding the casting as a component is the only way I can think of keeping it associative, but it will not let me subtracting material, holes and whatnot, I take it the linker will solve this? Am I saying this correct?

 

[snow1440xx]

Awesome, it worked..linked the body and datums. Thanks again.

 

[Xwheelguy]

We manufacture cast aluminum wheels & when we are allowed by the customer to maintain associativity between the casting & the machined part, we model the casting with the machined curves in the cast model (since the stock is derived from the finished part as Ben said). Then we add the casting as a component into an assembly file, WAVE link the machining curves (they might be required to be sketches, I don't know for sure), promote the casting component & then remove the casting stock. All of our machining is lathing & drilling, so once we have the body promoted it's just a matter of revolving the machining curves & subtracting from the solid body. When we modify any machining profiles, we do it in the cast model and it should update in the machined file as well.

I hope that makes sense.

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com

 

[ewh]

Tim,
That sounds like a great way to approach it. I like the idea of including the machining profiles in the cast model. A star for that!

 

[Xwheelguy]

ewh,

Thank you for the star. To be completely honest, the star belongs to GTAC, as they were the ones who helped me through that technique. I've only used this method once, and it works great if you keep on top of file naming conventions & be sure to have all linked parts open when revising them.

Best advice I can give is that if you use this technique, do a save as to bump up the file name revision level (if you include the revision level in your file names) before you do any edits to either model.

Modeling wheels is easy once you have the casting completed...it's the casting that is the mother of all b**ches because you're usually working with Alias data that is trimmed to the machined surfaces. All of those Alias surfaces have to be untrimmed. Then if the untrim causes surfaces to lose continuity, you have to fix that IF they untrim to their original adjoining edges (I guess a 4 sided untrim). Plus you have to deal with incorrect stock allowances on truncated radii, etc, etc. The best thing I've found is to try to use primary surfaces, trash all the blending from Alias & use UG's powerful blends (hooray for styled blend goes here). Although I must admit, I still would kill for an associative body array so I can quit using group feature all the time.

I'm rambing again...sorry.

Tim Flater
Senior Designer
Enkei America, Inc.

http://www.enkei.com