Spiral face groove

[PGJ]

Can anyone help me to generate a spiral groove into the face of a solid model. The feature has a sketch profile of a 2mm square, a 3mm pitch with a c/w spiral path of 2 revolutions. The internal diameter sketch is 26mm
I am able to produce an embossed or male spiral but not the opposite female groove. I have tried all the obvious like shelling, cutting etc. The spiral groove is there but you can not see it. I feel I must be missing the obvious, (SW2003)

 

[JNR]

I think I know what your problem is. I think you are using a profile where the bottom and sides of the groove are fine, but you have the "top" coincident with the surface of the uncut solid? If you think about this carefully, as this edge of the profile sweeps along the helix it ends up creating a surface that is marginally inside the body. I have encountered similar, though not identical issues in modelling on "wine barrel" shapes. It is a geometric problem, not a SolidWorks issue. You end up with a very thin "cap" over the groove. So "it is there but you can't see it" exactly as you describe. If fact you have made a "tunnel" very close to the surface. Actually, I am surprised it did not fail with the "would create zero thickness solid" error message but I think I understand why not.

The solution is to make sure that the "sides" and "cap" of the profile extend well outside the original body. (You should fully define them with a suitable dimension.) These days, whenever I cut any kind of feature next to the original body surface (even simple straight cut-extrude) I always do this.

3/4 of all the Spam produced goes to Hawaii - shame that's not true of SPAM also.......

 

[PGJ]

Thanks for your prompt reply JNR; sorry I haven’t been so prompt.
I had already tried what you described including a 'U’ section groove ‘sketch’ which protruded just above the solid surface of the model which is the nearest that I can get to a visual representation of a spiral face groove. If I place the groove section on the top of the solid surface I get a perfect male spiral. As it is immersed into the surface face of the solid it begins to disappear. It’s like putting it into water without the displacement.
I keep thinking it is a SolidWorks issue, which I suppose is the easy way out.

 

[Theophilus]

Sounds like you may be sweeping a solid on a spiral instead of sweeping a cut. Could that be?

There is not an icon/button for the cut-sweep features--only the "male" or solid/boss features. For the cut features (until 2004 where you can add the buttons to your tool bars) you need to use the menus. (Insert, Cut, Sweep--or something like that.)

I hope I'm understanding the problem correctly.




Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[PGJ]

Thanks for the tip Jeff. (Theophilus) What you suggested worked ie cutting a spiral groove.