cutting or drilling in a NX assemby with an array

[MarcusJonker]

Hey

I work with cad models that are configurable with expressions (some basic like length and width, others a bit more complex but following the same principle) The thing is that inside the assembly I have an array of building blocks in which I in the end want to drill some holes or cut some pockets. Since this cutting and drilling is not the same part I need to wave-link or use assembly-cut but the problem is that if the array is expanded the new elements are not wave-linked or in the target of the assembly cut.
I have considered making some sort of maximum configuration, wave-link the relevant parts of the array by expressions while hiding those I don't use at the moment. Apart from that such a solution is an ugly workaround it gives also a problem in my bill of materials.

Is there any way to let NX do this by automatically select the whole array regardless how many elements it consists of or do I need to 'repair' the assembly every time I alter the configuration parameters?

A simplified example with assembly-cut is attached where, by altering the 'length' expression, a hole is cut in a different plate of the array and will simply vanish if the length becomes too long (fx 3000 mm) or if you first alter the length to a small value and afterwards make it longer. A similar thing will happen with the 'pocket' cut.

I use NX 7.5.4.4.
Any help or suggestion is welcome.
Kind regards
Marcus Jonker

 

[schellenbergj]

Hello,

I have not looked at your attachement
But I think you need to look at your selection rule.
When you select e.g. a body there are always some option in the selection bar like "Feature Bodies" "single body" etc.
e.g. with "feature bodies" you select a feature and NX will take ALL bodies that are created from this faeture - even after and update and a change of the number of output bodies...

regards

 

[MarcusJonker]

thanks schellenbergj

I may misunderstand this selection rule, do you mean selection filter? I normally use Entire assembly, but I tried the 'workpart and components' selection for the assembly cut, but no luck... the pocket will not continue in the new blocks of the array. In the filter you can choose solid body or sheet body when doing an assembly-cut, also for the wave-link I only find 'body' and 'face', no 'feature bodies'. Is that something of a later version or do I look at the wrong place?
regards

Marcus

 

[PrintScaffold]

I believe selection rule 'feature bodies' is not applicable here because what MarcusJonker is talking about is not feature array, but component array.

Industry creates wealth!

 

[MarcusJonker]

That is correct PrintScaffold, I use a component arrays of mostly standard items (blocks of foam, beams of tree, more or less like LEGO )
Anyone any ideas? It seemed straightforward to cut an hole in an array of blocks but it looks like that NX is not that dynamic without some extra programming?
regards

Marcus