Radial Pattern Problem 9

[DgenR8]

Searching the archives I found a helpful thread about creating a radial pattern of gear teeth, but it hasn't quite solved my problem.

I am trying to radially pattern a cut which was made on the inner diameter of a cylinder. Creating the cut I made a datum on the fly through the axis of the cylinder and at an angle to another datum. I use the specified angle as the diving dimension for my pattern. I am trying to pattern the cut every 10 degrees for the total 360 degrees of the cylinder.

However, when patterning, I can only get the cut to pattern about halfway around the cylinder. If I pattern further I get the "Can't Intersect Part With Feature" message.

I also tried copying the cut radially and then patterning the copy. No luck.

Thanks for any info

 

[Recneps]

Troubleshooting patterns has always been a source of angst for me...I will try to pass on what I know about this:

If I get a pattern that isn't regenerating, the first thing I do is to make sure that I am using the correct TYPE of pattern. Identical, varying and general are the options here. Use Identical for most of your patterning, but it doesn't like complicated geometry or patterned features that overlap. Varying is pretty self-explanatory - use when you need a pattern that is not necessarily symmetric. Use General for complicated geometry or for overlapping geometry.

If the regeneration fails halfway during the creation of the pattern, as you said, I would decrease the number of features until you get a pattern that DOES regenerate. This way, if there is something wrong with your sketch or references, it will be evident. I have done this in the past and found out that my dimension used for patterning was causing the failure. Redefining the feature to ensure that the references do not create odd patterned geometry generally fixes this problem.

If it is still having problems, take a close look at the sketch for the feature(s) you are patterning. Sometimes if more than one dimension for the sketch references external or existing geometry, the pattern will fail to recognize that this dimension needs to vary as well...redefining the sketch so that it makes sense usually does the trick.

That's about all. I haven't run into a pattern I couldn't fix using the above mentioned process.

Recneps

 

[sergi]

ah ha!
you made a datum "on the fly" and referenced it for the dimension.
which is great. But you should use it -the datum on the fly- as the "top-bottom-left-right" reference.

this way, in effect the skecthed tooth stays in one place but the part is rotaded under it in the subsequent patterned iterations.

proe has a big problem rotating anything around more that a hundred or so degrees, it will tend to jump back and forth across the axis. this will kill your pattern -particularily ig it's not "general".

if you ever have a pattern that says it has all the features, but you only see a few, and they highlight on top of one another this is your problem.

 

[scubadude]

I agree with Sergi... You should use the 'datum-on-the-fly' as your 'orientation' reference (either TOP,BOTTOM,RIGHT or LEFT) If you don't do this Pro will sometimes add constraints that are relative to the orientation reference. ALL 'horizontal' & 'verticle' contraints are relative to this reference. If you fail to remove these constraints, they actually don't make much sense when you rotate the feature.

This has caused the largest amount of failures for me. I would also agree with the first post, to try changing your Pattern to General, as well.

 

[DgenR8]

Thanks All!

Sergi, your method is different from what I had tried and seems like it will work. I have always used my datum on the fly as my sketching plane and just make it at an angle 0 degrees from an existing plane. However, with my method you cannot tie your sketch into any existing geometry without the pattern failing...everthing must be dimensioned to the axis of rotation for it to work.

Cheers!

 

[3dlogix]

Datum-on-the-fly is the best option but must be used as a sketching reference (TOP, LEFT, RIGHT, BOTTOM) as mentioned in previous posts.

I have found that radial patterns fail if the on-the-fly is set to 0 degrees, and you try to make a pattern over 90 degrees, but work if it is set to say the default 45-degree value. Then your pattern can be upto 360 or over without any problems.

Give it a try.

Steve