Using "Align Angle" or "Mate Angle" in assembling

Our office uses Wildfire 2.0.

Occasionally when we assemble two items, the "Automatic" constraint type goes to an "Align Angle" or "Mate Angle," for which we give the degrees, instead of an offset distance. This is desirable.

However...

..this particular constraint type does not appear whenever we want one. It's not in the drop-down box. Even our most experienced ProE user in the office can't figure out how to invoke that constraint type to come up when wanted. (It would help a lot in getting min and max articulation angles set for the assembly.)

In assembling 3 similar assemblies together, I used very similar references -- an axis (for the rotation), two side surfaces to mate and two top surfaces for alignment. One of the unions resulted in a "align angle" that would rotate about the axis. The other merely aligned the two top surfaces as "oriented."

How do I get that "align angle" to appear in the assembly??? Indyrose

Reply to
Indyrose
Loading thread data ...

Align the bottoms, align an edge on each part, giving them an edge to rotate on and leave them at an angle to each other. For the third constraint, pick align and two faces. It will give you an angular dimension to set and automatically pick Align angle for the constraint type.

Reply to
David Janes

As with any angular reference you need an axis of rotation.

By aligning axes, edges, or using insert in a previous constraint this axis is created allowing a mate or align between two surfaces/planes normal to this axis to be changed to an angular mate/align.

I generally drag [using the crtl+alt+middle/right mouse shortcut] to the approximate angle first and then when you pick the two surfaces/planes [leaving Automatic active] the mate/align defaults to angular

Sean

Reply to
Sean Kerslake

Actually for most applications, the rotation is around a pin or bolt. But aligning axes SHOULD serve the same function as aligning edges, should it not? Other than that, this IS the method we use. It still seems to be hit-or-miss as to whether or not an "align angle" or a simple "align" is automatically selected.

We can have three or four almost-identical pieces to assemble, we use the very same method on all of them, and yet one or two will come up with a simple "align." Sometimes we can repeat the identical process, and "align angle" with pop up. And sometimes we give up and try some work-around, like creating multiple datums through the axis at the angles we want and aligning to the datums. Could this be a bug (er...feature) in the software?

Indyrose

Reply to
Indyrose

I just attempted that, and it defaulted back to a simple align -- no angle. Actually, I had two of the three components I needed to change

-- One changed with no problem, and it seems I can't get the other one to come up with an angle for anything!! Despite dragging it to all sorts of angles, WF would automatically set it to align -orient. I didn't want it oriented!!

Why would one change with no problem and the other never change??? This is frustrating.

Indyrose

Reply to
Indyrose

i agree, also i make sure the part i bring in is not by default normal or paralell to the plane or surface i'm assembling to. This way it will not assume a colinear constraint.

Reply to
Gary Miglionico

I'm seriously wondering if this will work. Align or Mate Angle derive, it seems to me, from ability to align or mate surfaces. If you're using axis alignment derived from pin/hole locations, the parts can certainly pivot in relation to each other, but they'd never be able to align/mate, would they? The best you could do with these would be to orient them (make them parallel AND facing the same way).

Does this vary, at all, by the workstation? I was thinking that this rotating about an axis looks like it could have been derived from some functionality of Mechanism Design, though you'd think they'd tell you if you had to have MDX to get Mate/Align Angle, (though, maybe not: there's a lot that's cultish about Pro/e-PTC). I just know that I don't have a problem doing as I described. And in those conditions, a mate or align constraint is actually possible. In your use of it, it is not, so I'm surprised, not that you're having trouble, but that it's ever possible.

I'm sure, from my troubleshooting experience, that coming by the answer will take repetition and very close observation.

David Janes

Reply to
David Janes

PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.