Creating an Assembly - Beginner's Guide to SOLIDWORKS

Assembly Modeling

Create an assembly of parts, mate the parts into position, and then save the design to the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.

 

 


What's Covered?

  • Create an assembly from scratch [00:29].
  • Add components, including the pin and handle, and create multiple instances of a part [01:49].
  • Understand fixed vs. floating components and how they behave in an assembly [03:53].
  • Apply mates (coincident, concentric, etc.) to constrain the motion of parts [04:40].
  • Manage files and save the assembly using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform [01:13].

 

Step-by-Step Instructions (AI-generated from video transcript):

Based on the video at https://youtu.be/XcOzOMelEyc, here are step-by-step instructions for creating the assembly:

 

Part 1: Start a New Assembly

  1. Open SolidWorks and click the New icon.
  2. Select Assembly and click OK. The assembly will open in a new tab.

Part 2: Insert Components

  1. To insert the first component, you can either drag and drop it from the 3DEXPERIENCE platform or click the "Insert Components" icon in the assembly toolbar.
  2. The first component you place will be fixed automatically. The video uses the pin as the first component.
  3. To add a second component, such as the handle, select it and click to place it.
  4. To create a second instance of the same component, hold down the Control key and drag the first instance to a new location.

Part 3: Understand and Adjust Component States

  1. In the FeatureManager design tree, a part that is fixed will have an "(f)" next to its name. A floating part, which is free to move, will have a "(-)".
  2. To change a fixed component to a floating component, right-click on it in the tree and select Float. To fix a floating component, right-click and select Fix.

Part 4: Apply Mates

Mates are used to define the relationship and movement between components. You can create mates in a few ways:

  1. Using a Popup: Select the origins of two parts, and a popup menu will appear. Choose a mate type like "coincident" to lock their positions together.
  2. Using the Mate Command: Click the Mate icon in the toolbar. Select the two faces or edges you want to constrain and choose the mate type from the PropertyManager.
  3. Using Drag and the Alt Key: Select a cylindrical face on one part, then drag it toward a cylindrical face on another part while holding down the Alt key. When released, they will automatically snap into a concentric mate.

Part 5: Save the Assembly

  1. Click the Save icon.
  2. If you are using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, you can save the assembly directly to a collaborative space. This also saves a local copy to your hard drive.
  3. You can also lock the assembly to prevent others from making changes while you are working on it.

 

 

More Info

Roles: 
 solidworks with cloud services   3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS 
Tags:
beginners guide SOLIDWORKS Assembly Mates  

 

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