Move an object along a path

[Adrian2]

Dear Folks;

I would like to create a path that I could use to mate an object to and then drag the object along that path with the move command.

I have tried mating the object to construction geometry but I can only get the object to move along a single axis, not through all the curves and straight sections in the sketch.

Best Regards

Adrian D

 

[dutch7777]

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[JNR]

I know this may sound obvious, but sometimes we can all miss things - just takes a different dumb brain looking over your shoulder (like me...).

You can only mate to one sketch entity at a time for this purpose. (Example: something can't be both coincident to a curve and line in the same path unless it only exists at their intersection - which kinda fixes it don't ya' think?). The first solution that comes to mind is to create a compound curve from the other entities and mate coincident to that.

Note also that you are not restricted to construction geometry (I assume you want to use the sketch for some other feature creation at the same time). You could use a derived sketch and hide it (or one created using "on edge" from the first sketch for each entity required).

You might also dink around with cam mates and use a very narrow surface if you want a tangent mate. Got to get creative sometimes. A couple of revs ago when it was not available any other way, I made a tangent cam mate with a sphere by adding a very narrow (0.001 inch) cylindrical surface in the ball bearing part file - too small to see, did not even have to hide it, worked great.

 

[JOHNHARVEY]

Try converting this sketch to a spline, this is a continous line without breaks that the object can follow, this worked for me without the cam mate, just a tangent mate.

jh