Flexible materials in assemblies

[ChrisDude]

Dear all,

I'm a rookie Pro/E user (used SolidWorks before), and this is my first time post.

I did a search on my issue, but couldn't find a proper answer.

What is PRO/e the best way to work with flexible materials in an assembly? I.e.: when a piece of flexible rubber is used to make a seal. In normal state it should be in it's original state (say with a thickness of 50mm), but in the assembly it's compressed to make the seal, and than it has a thickness of 45mm.

In the part state, I'd like it to be undeformed (50mm), to specify to the suplier in a drawing. But, in the assembly state I'd like it like in the real-life situation, prefent overlap in the assembly.

Does Pro/E offer a feature for this? (Using WF4.0 btw)

Thanks in advance,

Chris - The Netherlands

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[JimBarrettSmith]

Chris

Have you investigated flexible components? Take a look at this tutorial which is based on a spring

Thanks, Jim

[pwyndham]

Hope you got your problem solved. If not let us know what you need help with.

I personally think flexible components are great. We use them in several places to have a standard part but show how it works in the real world.

Like the little rubber vibration isolators we use. In the assembly they pull in the standard part and add flexiblity to it. The model then shows an accurate representation of what the assembly will look like without the interferences or having to create a new version of the part.

We also use flexibility for things like emi gaskets. We get the gasket in like 18 inch long peices and it is cut to fit on the floor. They do not want to add part numbers for the different lengths - then they would have to stock the different lenghts. With Flexibility we can change the part to fit the assembly - we can also add flexibility to the description parameter. Then, when that description is changed to reflect the length the repeat region BOM table automatically updates with all the different lengths and quantities.

Good luck.

[ChrisDude]

Thanks to both of you!

With use of the tutorial I found the right solution, using the 'make flexible' solution. It works great!

Best regards,

Chris

[CM10]

First, be aware of a bug in WF3 that means if you make parts flexible where there is an actual geometry change, you CANNOT fix the index in your BOM. this can cause very serious issues when the item no. changes and it's referenced in notes and elsewhere. WF4 seems to cure this.

You can set up a part or assembly with a predetermined set of flexible features, such as geometry and/or parameters, etc., or you can simply make those same features flexible at the assembly level as a one-off. If you make the features flexible at the lower level, upon insertion into an assembly it will ask you if you want it to be flexible, and if yes, then it automatically brings up the menu to change the values. It works pretty well. If you make or use something that is typicaly made flexible at the next level, then adding the flexibility at the lowerest level is what I'd recommend. Now, keep in mind that this only works at the level at which the part or assembly is first inserted into a higher assembly. For instance, if a spring is inserted onto a shaft and secured on one end, but is left at it's free length at that assembly, but then the whole assemble is then inserted into a hole at the next assembly where the spring should be compressed, you can't do it there. You'd either have to show the spring compressed at the lower level assembly where it was first inserted, or you could swap out the spring at the higher assembly via simplified reps and put a new spring in there shown compressed, and then remove that spring from the BOM via the filter.

Have fun.