Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only 3

[Reactor89]

Hi all,

The question/challenge of the day: Can assembly constraints (part to part) be created using keystrokes only (through the keyboard but no mouse)?

If so, how?

If there is interest, I can provide more information about the assembly I'm trying to build.

Reactor89

 

[PeterStock]

I do not think it would be an easy job, but you might be able to use shortcuts for the menus and mapkeys to get in the mode of selecting named datum planes, axies etc to define your constraints.

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

http://www.infotechpr.net

 

[Reactor89]

Hi PeterStock

Thanks for your comment.

Just to confirm your suspicions. I've already developed a script/macro in visual basic that allows the inserting of parts into an assembly by exploiting Pro/E's Mapkey capabilities and feeding keystrokes directly to Pro/E.

I figure this is roughly what your talking about and yes it's very feasible to pull off. It's the constraining of parts that a macro tells Pro/E to insert where I'm drawing a blank.

As far as I can tell, Pro/E forces the user to constrain parts in an assembly through a series of mouse picks. Can someone prove me wrong? Is there away to constrain parts in an assembly through a series of keystrokes?

Reactor89

 

[hydromech]

On complex geometry, there could be 1000 surfaces to pick from. Without the user picking the surface, how will Pro Engineer know which surface is correct.

3 complex parts could be assembled in billions of different ways.

 

[Reactor89]

Hydromech,

Excellent point, but the only reason why I'm even considering automating the process is I believe the assembly (though large) is very simple.

In my situation I have a couple thousand parts,all with unique geometry but are all roughly blocks with axises down their center.

There is a sheet with a pattern of axises on it that I wish to assemble these blocks to. All the blocks should be constrained in roughly the same way:

Bottom face of block matted to Top face of base sheet, Center axis of block to axis a certain axis in the pattern, Datum plain right of block oriented and aligned with Datum plain right of base sheet, Fully constrained.

I think the process is simple enough to script when it comes to the logic. I just don't think a script is feasible if I can't create constraints with keystrokes.

Thanks of the comment,

Reactor89

 

[PeterStock]

I assume your goal is to make it easier to create the assembly. In your parts add a Component Interface. This would be what you would be the features of the part used for assembly and the type of constraint. There would be enough constraints to assemble the part.

Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services

http://www.infotechpr.net

 

[Reactor89]

I assume your goal is to make it easier to create the assembly.

Sort of. I want to automate an assembly process.

My current project has a couple thousand parts that will all be assembled with roughly the same set of constraints for each part (see last post). No matter the size of the assembly, the assembly isn't very technically challenging to build, just time consuming.

Now with this small, couple thousand part, assembly I can get away with building this one by hand. Yet what if I needed to build a 500,000 part assembly of the same type with the same process?

Can I automate the process or do I need to hire a team large enough to be it done in a couple of weeks?

Reactor89

 

[dgallup]

You can do automatic assembly with Pro/NOTEBOOK. You create a layout with declared datums. Then you have to declare the layout & the datums in the parts. I always found it more trouble than it's worth. Maybe they have improved it, I have not used layouts in years.

 

[Reactor89]

Thanks for the comment dgallup!

Pro/NOTEBOOK sounds like a cool tool to look into. Do you know of any online resources on Pro/NOTEBOOK that would be worth reading?

Reactor89