Bolted connection

[RH_10122575]

Is it possible to make a bolted connection of bolt, washers and nuts (not a sub assy) like in inventor. Then easily place it in mutiple locations with minimal constraint requirements to position. 

[Chris3]

Yes. Make a group of the components you want and then do a copy paste special with advanced reference configuration. Then it will only prompt you to pick the new references. I have a mapkey that does the paste part so all I need to do is pick the new references.

[RH_10122575]

And this will only ask you to constrain the surface and  hole?

[joe_morton]

I think this would be dependent on the mates from the first set of components. 

So if you had constrained your bolt, washer, nut with 3 references, the paste would ask you to select 3 new references. 

[JB_87049]

Can't you do that using AFX?
Like in
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfapTZHq2pM

[FV]

Somewhat similar to Inventor functionality. A part with a multi-body 'fake' - one body is a bolt, another is a nut, etc... Nut-body would have an offset datum plane as its sketch plane.  The offset dimension to be a future stack thickness.

In assembly context. Flexible component dimension is the offset plane dimension; therefore, assembly stack thickness is unique to a specific component and does not affect the original part dimension(s)

Component interface is defined as a placing type, a coaxial axis and a mating datum plane.

HIH. 

 

[RPN]

Here a Tcl Toolkit Script Road Movie. It will assemble a group of, 2 Washer, a Bolt and a Nut by 3 Picks, three time. The standard would be for each group:

• 8 References to select  (24 Total) 
• 16 selection picks required in a normal case (48 total) 3 times.
• 4 for each (12 total)

Without the interface clicks 🙂

Showing assembling and searching of this 4 components and placing this 3 times (12 Part Files) by selecting 7 references (not 48+) in total:

• By selecting Axis, and the two clamp planes
• By choosing only one new axis
• By selecting a different Washer and the 3 references.

I knew there are other tools to assemble components, which also require less click than 48 clicks. This is only an example 🙂

There is some calculation in the background, check axis alignment, display of some intersection points, and how too select and search components, which are all stored in Windchill. A couple of parameter will be assigned to the bolt model, for later after assembling. Some reporting for FEM analysis will later happen in the process.

Have a nice day!