Snapshots AND Flexibility in drawings wf2 [more]

Flexible components are defined by a limit of size change ~ the compressed length of a spring, for example. Now, you're saying that your mechanism makes the spring change length from 'open' to 'closed'. The first thing I'd do to investigate the problem is make sure these positions are within the the range you've defined for your flexible component. What would happen if the 'closed' position were past the limit? I would try it with a narrower range of movement.

I have checked the spring and it works throughout the required range. The problem is that although a snapshot of the two conditions has been saved and made available and even if the two conditions can be viewed one at a time when leaving the standard application clearly only one condition can exist. That is, the plunger in the right position with the spring of the correct length. Then in the drawing, although the snapshots show for the plunger in the correct position, the spring in both views is at a length that is currently in the model. Thus the drawing views are showing the 'fixed' parts correctly but does not recognise the correct flexible part for the view. I don't know if this is a bug.

I've considered using assembly instances to create the two conditions but there does not appear to be an 'add item' that will allow me to pick the distance between two planes that governs the length of the spring.

Kenny,

Make a family table item of the spring. Add the dimensions into the table that change it's length. Add a new row to the table, change the dimension length, so one row is the compressed length, the other row could be the relaxed length. Close the table, save the model that has the table. Now open the assembly model of the plunger. Make a table in the assembly, add a column to the table, add a component, and select the spring as the component. The spring that is in the assembly at this time will be the generic spring. Add a row. In the column that has the spring called out, a star will fill the cell, select the star and type in the instance name of the spring.

Of course making the tables this way is assuming the spring is driving the plungers location. If the plunger changes because of a dimension in the assembly, then you will need to add that dimension to the assembly table also.

Open your drawing. I'm sure at this point you have a view of the plunger, which will now be the generic assembly. Add a new component to the drawing, selecting the instance of the assembly.

Add this view to the drawing. You should now have a view of a plunger extended and retracted. This might seem confusing but I have made views in this way for years and it is very effective. In the drawing if the driving dimensions are shown, you can use them to change the positions for your views if so desire.

When you open the assembly instance, (some times I have seen this happen) if the plunger has not changed you can do a replace of the spring and that will fix the table. Select the instance of the spring as you go through the replace and the table will be corrected.

Frank

Kenny, have you tried using Simplified Reps to get the end result. Create a rep of the open condition and then a rep of the close condition (aka using the flexible part)

Hope this helps, Glenn |B

The problem here is that the unit is not behaving logically. My assembly has many more interdependant parts, I simplified the problem to get my head round it. The closest I got to a solution was to make a family table of a datum plane in the assembly which drives the plunger and hence changes the length of the spring. But even this has a problem in that verifying the instances and regening the generic and then returning to the drawing and updating it does not reflect the length of the spring. I have to go into each assembly instance and regen before the drawing is correct. What a hassle!

Flexibility is not what its cracked out to be.