LECTURE 4
Assembly Modeling
in
Computer Aided Design(CAD)
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Mechanical Assembly
Definition
Use of various methods to mechanically attach two
or more parts together. This can be done by
Part 1 View Orientation Hot Keys:
Ctrl + 1 = Front View
Ctrl + 2 = Back View
Ctrl + 3 = Left View
Ctrl + 4 = Right View
Ctrl + 5 = Top View
Ctrl + 6 = Bottom View
Part 2 Ctrl + 7 = Isometric View
Ctrl + 8 = Normal To Selection
Operating principle of the assembly: create the force constraint on the
two parts that are assembled.
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INTRODUCTION
• Assembly modeling is a combination of two or more
components using parametric relationships.
• Assembly modeling is the process of creating designs that
consist of two or more components assembled together at
their respective work positions.
Typically designer would start with a base part
Add other components to the base part using merge
commands
The components are brought together and assembled by
applying suitable parametric assembly constraints to them.
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Assembly Modeling
• Assembly modeling is a tool that allows and facilitates the
collaboration among designers, analysis people, manufacturing
people, and others, to insure their assembly works together. This
enables individuals in different disciplines to work concurrently,
resulting in faster and less costly delivery of products to market.
• In an assembly model, components are brought together to define a
larger, more complex product representation.
• Constructing an assembly begins with bringing in a base
component, selected because of its central role.
• Each component brought in needs to be oriented and located
relative to other components in the assembly.
• Geometric relations (constraints) are used between elements of
components.
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TYPES OF ASSEMBLY
1. Exploded assembly
The parts are separately display, but they are aligned
according to their assembly positions and sequences.
2. General assembly
All parts are drawn in their working position.
3. Detail assembly
All parts are drawn in their working position with a
completed dimensions.
Why are Assemblies important?
• Assemblies are collections of parts put together to create
and entire machine.
• The important thing about assemblies is that they allow us to
see how parts interact with each other, if they will fit,
how they cause each other to move without being able to do
assemblies, we really can’t do any design work in CAD.
Why do we align the origins?
• It is important to note that the first part you put down is a
base part, from which we build the assembly on. It is
unmovable inside the assembly.
• Aligning the origins makes the assembly easier to manage.
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Generation of an assembly model
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Assembly Modeling in SolidWorks
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Assembling in Solidworks
• Using the basic mates we can construct most assemblies
with static configurations.
• For the remainder of this session we are going to create
the necessary parts for a simple clamp so that we may
then go step by step through the process of creating your
first assembly in SolidWorks.
• Recall that an assembly is a collection of parts that are
connected using mates or constraints.
• Before we work in the program, lets first discuss the
different types of mates…
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Assembling in Solidworks
• By default, no file is opened automatically when you start
the program.
• To create a new file, click on File > New or click the New
File icon in the main toolbar.
• This will open the New SolidWorks Document wizard.
Select Here
Click Ok
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PLACING AN INFORMATION
(This course)
Part list
General notes
Title block
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How to Assemble your Parts in
SOLIDWORKS
Create a new assembly from a part
Introduce the assembly Feature Manager design tree
Insert components into the assembly
Move and rotate components
Build a virtual part in the context of an assembly by employing
Top-Down assembly modeling techniques
Create features in the assembly context by referencing geometry in
mating parts
Use drawing view properties to represent assembly configurations
Create a broken-out section view to show internal components of
the assembly
Create an alternate position view using an existing configuration
Create an alternate position view by generating a new configuration
Create an exploded assembly drawing view
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SolidWorks Adding Components
Select from the
open parts listed or
use the Browse to
find saved files
In the Assembly tab (similar
to the Features tab of a Part
file) use the Insert
Components button to add
part files to this assembly
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SolidWorks Adding Components
Select the pin to
The first part inserted keep the Insert
will become fixed in Component dialog
space and should be box open after a
placed at the origin as a component is
base for the assembly. added
This is done by selecting
the part and then
clicking the green check
mark to default to the
origin instead of just
clicking in space.
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Assembling
In SolidWorks these are the In the figure window
Standard Constraints used in it will show a preview
Assemblies of the mating and a
smaller dialog box
will appear
Change
Confirm Mate
Direction
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Mating conditions
Defining Mates
Menu: Insert->Mate
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Example of Mechanical mates
• Cam
• Hinge
• Gear
• Rack Pinion
• Screw
• Universal Joint
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Mates
There are 5 standard mates that can be used to construct
an assembly model.
The first is coincident, which defines coincidence
between two entities:
– Point-Point : They must lie on top of each other
– Point-Line : The point must lie on the line
– Point-Plane : The point must lie on the plane
– Plane-Plane : The planes must be the same
–etc…
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Mates
• The next mate is parallel
– Line-Line : the two lines must be parallel in 3D space
– Plane-Plane : the two planes must be parallel (not the
same as coincident)
• Perpendicular mate
– Line-Plane : the line must be normal to the plane
– Plane-Plane : the two planes must be perpindicular to
each other
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Mates
• Tangent mate
– Cylindrical Surface-Plane : the plane must be tangent to the
circular surface
– Cylindrical Surface-Cylindrical Surface : the two cylinders
must be tangent to each other
• Concentric mate
– This is used with two cylindrical surfaces to restrain that
their respective axes of revolutions must be coincident
(example: placing a bolt into a hole)
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Locating & Orienting Parts in the Assembly
Mating Conditions
Most common mating conditions are Coincident, Concentric, Tangent,
Coplanar, Parallel and Perpendicular faces, and Offset faces.
Coincident
The coincident mating condition
is applied between to planar faces
Each face is specified by its unit normal vector,
n, and a point on the surface, P. The coincident
An offset option is condition is satisfied by forcing n1 and n2 to be
provided for this opposite of each other, and the two faces touch
command each other such that P1 and P2 are coincident
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Mating Conditions - Concentric
Concentric
The concentric mating
condition is applied between
to cylindrical faces
The concentric mating condition is achieved by forcing the axes to
become collinear. Each axis is defined by two points.
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Mating Conditions – Coplanar (Aligned)
Coplanar
The coplanar mating condition is
applied between to planar faces,
and forces them to lie in the same
plane.
Each face is specified by its unit normal vector,
n, and a point on the surface, P. The coplanar
condition is satisfied by forcing n1 and n2 to be in
the same direction, and the two points, P1 and P2,
are chosen to lie on the two edge to mate
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Mating Conditions – Tangent
Tangent
The tangent mating condition is applicable between a planar
and cylindrical surfaces or two cylindrical surfaces.
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Against and fits conditions
Against and fits do not allow relative motion between parts: contact and tight fits
Against
fits
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Other Mating Conditions
• Parallel
• Perpendicular
• Surface intersecting an edge
• Edge intersecting a point
• Angles of surfaces/planes to each other
• Relationship of a geometry to a coordinate
system
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Degrees of Freedom
Coincident
Two selected surfaces become
co-planar and face in opposite
directions. This constrains 3
degrees of freedom (two
rotations and one translation)
Parallel
Two planar surfaces are made parallel,
not necessarily co-planar, and face the
same direction (similar to Align Offset
except without the specified distance).
Constrains two degrees of
freedom (two rotations)
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Creating an Assembly
Part Part
Assembly
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Creating an Assembly Example
The example assembly requires three mates to fully define it.
First constrain: Mate between the hollow faces as shown.
Hollow faces
This removes
three degrees of
freedom.
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Example
Second Constrain: Align the right faces of both components.
Right side faces One degree of
freedom left
Third Constrain: Align the top faces of both components.
top faces
The assembly is
fully defined
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The SolidWorks Model
Part Part
Drawing Drawing
Assembly
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Example – Switch Plate
Switch plate consists of two components, plate and fasteners.
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Example – Switch Plate
First Constrain: Insert select the cylindrical face of the fastener
and the cylindrical face of the switch plate.
Two degrees of freedom remains, the fastener can still move in
and out and rotate inside the hole.
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Example – Switch Plate
Second Constrain: mate the flat circular back face of the
fastener and the flat front face of the switch plate.
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Example – Switch Plate
Align Orient could be used to line up the slot on the screw head
with the flat top face of the switch plate.
The assembly is fully defined
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Example
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Assembly in SolidWorks
Open an Assembly file
File → New → Assembly
Insert a component model
Insert → Component →
Existing Part
You can also drag and
drop components into
the assembly file
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Assembly in SolidWorks
Mate command
Advance Mates
Select entities
Type of
Mates
Specifies distance
and angle for Mates
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Assembly in SolidWorks Right click on the
part to be modified
You can use the SmartMates to save time.
To create SmartMates while dragging a component:
1. Hold down Alt and drag a component
over potential mate partners.
2. The component becomes transparent and
the pointer changes when it is over a
valid mate partner.
Move the
3. Drop the component to apply the mate. part
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SolidWorks Constraints
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Insert Constraint
This constraint is used to insert one component into another. This
constraint effectively combines a mate axis/axis and a mate
face/face constraint. Generally the insert constraint is applied to
bolts, or pins, or any part that needs to be inserted into a hole on
another part. It is applied by selecting a circular edge on each part.
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SolidWorks Adding Components
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SolidWorks: First Component
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Design for Assembly and Disassembly (DFAD)
• Design for Assembly (DFA) is the proactive approach
to designing a product for ease of assembly to reduce
cost and time.
• concerned only with reducing product assembly cost
– minimizes number of assembly operations
– individual parts tend to be more complex in design
- An assembly is a collection of parts or other
assemblies that have been geometrically
positioned relative to one another using the
tools provided in the Assembly environment.
• Design for Disassembly (DFD): Designing products
so that they can be easily taken apart.
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Differences: DFA and DFD
Assembly
Building together certain individual parts , subassemblies
and substances in a given quantity and within a given
time period.
Disassembly
All processes that break down the structure of
geometrically defined bodies within a given time period.
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Summary/ Take Home Massages
• An assembly contains two or more parts, parts are referred to as
components.
• Parts are stored in a Parts Library, which is a folder located on the
users disk or across the network. Parts are placed into the assembly
by dragging them into the document.
• Mating conditions are relationships that align and fit components
together in an assembly.
• Components and their assembly are directly related through file
linking.
Changes in the components affect the assembly.
Changes in the assembly affect the components.
• The relationship types on the command bar are used to position and
orient the new part in relation to existing parts in the assembly.
These relationships are automatically maintained throughout the
development of the design to preserve the design intent. 48
PRACTICE
SELF LEARNING
Mechanical Engineering Dept. 49
Tutorial 1: Basic Modeling/Sketching and Assembly
1. Open SolidWorks 2. Select new document ‐> Part ‐>
Ok
3. Select front plane
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4. Select Sketch ‐> 5. Click on origin and move cursor to draw circle
Circle
6. Select Sketch ‐> Smart
dimension
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7. Select checkmark 8.Select Features ‐> Extrude ‐> Enter Length 5 in ‐> Select
checkmark
8. Save part
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9. Select new document ‐> Part ‐>
Ok
Select front plane
Click on origin and move cursor to
draw circle
Select Sketch ‐> Smart
dimension ‐> Enter 0.5 in
10. Click on origin and move cursor to draw circle
11. Select Sketch ‐> Smart
dimension ‐> Enter 1.75 in
Select checkmark
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12. Select Feature ‐> Extrude ‐> Enter Length 0.625 ‐> Select
checkmark
14.Select Sketch ‐> Circle ‐>
Click on origin and draw
13. Select Orientation ‐> circle
Front
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15. Select Sketch ‐> Smart Dimension ‐> 1.875
16. Select Features ‐> Extrude
‐> 0.0625 in ‐> Select checkmark
17. Save Part
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18. Select new document ‐> Part ‐> Ok ‐> Select front
plane
Select Sketch ‐> Line
Draw base of block
19. Select Sketch ‐> Tangent
Arc
20. Connect the two free ends of the block with the arc.
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21. Select Sketch ‐> Circle
Draw circle from center of tangent arc
22. Smart Dimension
23. Extrude ‐> 0.625 ‐>
Checkmark
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24. Select Feature ‐> Fillet
26. Enter radius ‐> 0.5
25. Select edges to fillet in
28.Smart Dimension ‐> 1.875
in
27. Select Orientation ‐> Front View
Select Sketch ‐> Circle
Draw circle from center of arc
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29. Select Features ‐> Extrude Cut ‐> Enter length 0.0625
in
30. Select Features ‐> Hole wizard ‐> Position
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31. Select Orientation ‐> Top View ‐> Click on location of holes ‐>
ok
32. Save Part
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33. Select new document ‐> Assembly ‐> Ok ‐> Select Block (The part is
anchored)
34. Select Assembly ‐> Insert Components
35. Repeat for all the components
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36. Select Assembly ‐> Move Components
Move components into the positions
needed
37. Select Mate
Pick the two places that will be joined
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38. Outer bearing to inner block
39. Bearing face to block face
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40. Shaft to bearing
41. Shaft face to block face
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42. Block face to block face
43. Save Assembly
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