DEPTH NOTCH ON A CYLINDER

[STOGY]

I am dipping my toe into a big pond I know, but I am trying to create some SOLIDWORKS CAD models with no training at all except for the tutorial offered with SOLIDWORKS 2003. Can someone explain to me the basics of putting a rectangular depth notch onto an extruded cylinder? This silly monkey can not figure it out. I appreciate any help you guys/gals can offer me.
JIMI

 

[JNR]

What do you mean by a "rectangular depth notch"? More detail please. Should be pretty easy once we know wht you want.

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

"Heck, there are so many rules around here, it's hard to accomplish anything!" - Me.

 

[STOGY]

I do not know how to explain this but if I were to have a cylinder and I wanted to cut away a small section of a(.160" dia x 5.0" long) cylinder with a depth notch cut into it approximately 1.5 inches from one end in order to make a depth notch would that be anything more than I said already?

 

[Theophilus]

What is a "depth notch"? How does it relate to your cylinder (which way is it oriented relative to your cylinder)? Will the resulting walls of the cut need to radiate from center or not?




Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[STOGY]

A depth notch is found on a cylindrical plug gage and is used to measure the depth of a hole . Generally the cut section would be perpendicular to the cylinder.

 

[Theophilus]

In that case, you can offset a plane (Front, Right or Top, depending on the orientation of your cylinder to your cut). On that plane, create your sketch and extrude a cut to the depth you need.

If you need the bottom surface of the hole to be concentric to the outer cylindrical surface, you'll need to offset your cut (or create an offset surface before you create your cut feature) by your depth and select your cylindrical surface as the surface your prescribing an offset for. For instance, select the option to Cut->Offset from Surface and pick your depth, the direction you need the offset to be from the surface, and the surface you're offsetting the depth of your cut from.

This sounds complicated, so you can also check all this from the help menu under offset cut or offset surface or whatever. SW has excellent help.




Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[STOGY]

Thank you very much for the direction given and I will try this as soon as I can. I'm home for the evening and I'll try this advice in the a.m.
JIMI

 

[JNR]

My curiousity got the better of me. I went out in the machine shop and looked at some plug gauges - no luck there. But apparently some go/nogo gauges have either "cross notches" or round grooves. So I assume you mean as if you passed an end mill across the cylinder perpendicuar to its axis and parallel to its end?

Theophilus is correct in his first paragraph, but I would add the following.

If your cylinder has its axis coincident with the part origin you could put your sketch on any of the standard planes that is coincident to its axis. Sketch the notch cross section and extrude cut both directions. Saves the extra planes, etc.

One asumes you would have made your original sketch for the extruded cylinder with the circle center on the origin (so it is nicely fully defined). So this should work.

As to your second paragraph, Theophilus, I'm sure you know what you are talking about, but I don't have a clue.... so I doubt that our novice will either. How can something rectangular be concentric with a cylinder? I'm confused.

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

Forget rich and famous - I want to be rich and unknown.

 

[Theophilus]

JNR,

Yes, that's a bit of a confusing way to put something.

What I meant was a rectangular cut being extruded into the cylinder from the outside--from a plane offset from the axial planes and then cut back toward the axis. The bottom surface of the rectangular cut could be made to be concentric with the cylinder's outer surface. (Not sure how you would make a truly rectangular cut of that sort in real life, but who knows?)

I've had to make radial cuts in pipe-like forms before, and those aren't made with quick straight extrusions, but with surface thickenings, etc. (where all the walls radiate from the axis of the pipe or cylinder)--a slightly different trick. Since I've had need of this sort of thing I figure STOGY could just as well have need of a curved-bottomed rectangular cut. (Not sure.)




Jeff Mowry
Industrial Designhaus, LLC

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

 

[STOGY]

Thank you guys for the help. When I got to work and tried to create my "depth notch" it took me a little while but I got it. Give a monkey enough time, a pen, and some paper, and he will write a book!!!

 

[Mandrake22]

In the interest of leaving no stone unturned:
If your cut extends to the end of the rod, simply go to the end view, open a sketch there and sketch a rectangle and dimension the inner line at the appropriate location relative to the rod center. Drag the rectangle lines outside of the rod boundary if necessary and cut to desired depth.
If the cut doesn't extend to the end of the rod, make a new plane, offset from the end face, at the cut starting point. Sketch your rectangle and cut to suit.

 

[JNR]

Aha! Theophilus, like broaching a hole into the cylinder, but ending up with the blind end rectangular in Xsection but cylindrical (and thus concentric to the main cylinder) rather than flat. Yes it would be interesting to make - definitely an EDM job!

John Richards Sr. Mech. Engr.
Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics

Forget rich and famous - I want to be rich and unknown.