AMcNeill
Automotive
- Feb 26, 2005
- 1
I've been fighting with this for far too long and haven't found anything that fits the bill (or I've inadvertently overlooked it).
I have a slot running on the OD of a part. The slot needs to be .150" below the (constant) surface but drop to .250" for a brief length before returning to the original depth. The original curve didn't require the depth change so it was modeled using a counter-clockwise helix, a clockwise helix and a couple of lead-in/lead-out lines combined into a composite curve. This works very well to sweep the cut and requires no guide curves.
Enter the depth change. I tried generating a curve through XYZ and while that gave me the best results thus far, I've been unable to maintain the appropriate -.15 depth consistently. It required the use of a guide curve to give it any semblance of normalcy but it's still breaking through to other features where it shouldn't.
I tried breaking up one of the helix portions into 3 parts - a helix in, helix flat, helix out and that worked wonders however I can not for the life of me convince the composite curve tool that despite the .000043 difference in position, the final helix is indeed required to be part of it.
If you look at the picture, working from the left, I've managed to generate that first helix into roughly where the pocket is modeled, continue the helix flat at the pocket depth, and then finish that direction with a final helix tapering back out. Despite checking and re-checking my math a number of times, I can not mate the end of that helix with the last one which reverses rotation direction and maintain's depth.
The goal is to remove the pocket and simply ramp the slot under the groove and back out again. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
I have a slot running on the OD of a part. The slot needs to be .150" below the (constant) surface but drop to .250" for a brief length before returning to the original depth. The original curve didn't require the depth change so it was modeled using a counter-clockwise helix, a clockwise helix and a couple of lead-in/lead-out lines combined into a composite curve. This works very well to sweep the cut and requires no guide curves.
Enter the depth change. I tried generating a curve through XYZ and while that gave me the best results thus far, I've been unable to maintain the appropriate -.15 depth consistently. It required the use of a guide curve to give it any semblance of normalcy but it's still breaking through to other features where it shouldn't.
I tried breaking up one of the helix portions into 3 parts - a helix in, helix flat, helix out and that worked wonders however I can not for the life of me convince the composite curve tool that despite the .000043 difference in position, the final helix is indeed required to be part of it.
If you look at the picture, working from the left, I've managed to generate that first helix into roughly where the pocket is modeled, continue the helix flat at the pocket depth, and then finish that direction with a final helix tapering back out. Despite checking and re-checking my math a number of times, I can not mate the end of that helix with the last one which reverses rotation direction and maintain's depth.
The goal is to remove the pocket and simply ramp the slot under the groove and back out again. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
