×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

(OP)
All,
Just looking a vote here. My buddy and I are having some differences of the Toolbox fasteners and how to use them in an assembly. I choose assemble one fastener at a time and pattern it by feature driven or circular/linear pattern. He chooses to use Smartfasteners because it quicker (he says) and looks better in the assembly tree. I say it's better to do it my way because of past threads with bugs in the function and then in turn causing errors in models.

Let me know your thoughts,

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Sr. Mechanical Designer
macduff's SW page
Inhouse System
Pentium(4)2.80GHz
Ram 1.00 GB
SW2005 Office SP 3.1
Windows 2000 SP4.0
NIVIDA Quadro4 750 XGL

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

I have had rebuild errors with Smartfasteners, so I don't use them.

Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP3.1 / PDMWorks 05
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

We insert an instance and pattern.

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

I insert an instance & pattern too.

SF are a great idea in principle, but I don't like the practice. I haven't tried them in SW05 or 06 so don't know if it has improved.


Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

(OP)
You guys are the best! Thanks for your input. It's exactly what I wanted to hear.

Best,

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Sr. Mechanical Designer
macduff's SW page
Inhouse System
Pentium(4)2.80GHz
Ram 1.00 GB
SW2005 Office SP 3.1
Windows 2000 SP4.0
NIVIDA Quadro4 750 XGL

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

SW Smart Fasteners = Great in theory, poor in reality.  We've spent over 100 hours trying to develop the Fastener Library (many of which were spent with our VAR and Tech Reps from SW) to get it to some decent level of usability, with little to no success.  We are now looking for a decent third party fastener package.  Any suggestions?

Mark Price
www.assembly-testww.com
Automated Assembly & Test Systems

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

I used  SolidMech 3.2 to create my own library of fasteners. I believe it is now called CadParts. http://www.cadalog.com/product_info.php?product_id=144

Just create a fastener type, say 1/4"-20 SHCS, & use a DT to control the lengths & materials.


Helpful SW websites every user should be aware of FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

For those of you using smart fasteners and PDM...Where do you stored this directory??? I have my own , but where should I put this so everyone can see it, add to it , and use it???

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

I thought SMART FASTENERS were created from a database "on the fly" & the parts created are stored in the folder where youe assembly resides. So there'd be no dedicated folder in your PDM vault. Am I missing something here?

BTW - we developed our own "library" of hardware one or two versions before the ToolBox was released. So we've never bothered to implement the Smart Fasteners.

Also I wil place one set of hardware & use a Feature Pattern any time I can.


Windows 2000 Professional / Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer
SolidWorks 2006 SP01.0 / SpaceBall 4000 FLX
Diet Coke with Lime / Dark Chocolate
Lava Lamp

RE: Smartfastener or Not To Smartfastener

(OP)
Should be stored under toolbox references, I think?

Macduff
Colin Fitzpatrick
Sr. Mechanical Designer
macduff's SW page
Inhouse System
Pentium(4)2.80GHz
Ram 1.00 GB
SW2005 Office SP 3.1
Windows 2000 SP4.0
NIVIDA Quadro4 750 XGL

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources