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Hole Table for non-circular features?

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VABiker

Mechanical
Jul 18, 2011
19
I have a sheet metal part that has rectangular slots across the part at different angles. I'd like to note the "center" (centroid) of these slots. I can do it by using a lot of construction lines, circles, etc.

I've initially added centerlines to the slots using the Center Line Command. These cross at their midpoints, and that intersection represents the centroid of the slot. So far, so good. The issue is I cannot highlight the intersection of those centerlines to place a circle so I can then add it to a hole table.

Anyone have to deal with this before?

Thanks.
 
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Use lines instead of centre-lines.
Make sure you have 'Maintain Relationships' on and you can then connect the one line to the mid poits of each side, and another to the centres of the slot ends.
You can then locate the intersection point.

bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

Where would we be without sat-nav?
 
BC,

Thanks for the reply. I was going use your method yesterday, but thought there was some way (unknown to me) to make the center line midpoints "pickable". I ended up with something pretty simple in the end. I kept my center lines in the draft (didn't modify them).

In the draft of the flat pattern, I went into Draw in View and drew tangency referenced circles, where the width of the circle = width of the slot, i.e. - placed tangent/tangent with the respective midpoints of the long lengths of the slot. I then made those circles "VisibleReference" for line type. This makes them barely discernible in the draft sheet, however, fully "pickable" for the hole table (which in this instance is a "slot table").

(A previous designer had simply drawn reference circles at the apparent intersections of the center lines to generate his slot table. This is a weak solution. I had copied the part via Revision Manager and modified that resultant part heavily, so when I got to the flat pattern sheet of the draft, those original reference circles weren't anywhere near the slot centroids...)

ST4, MP1
 
 http://files.engineering.com/getfile.aspx?folder=400e437a-76c5-4706-ade7-d6f38251bd18&file=Centroid_of_non-circular_feature_-_15_November_2011.pdf
A tip here for slots -
I always create a sketch of the slot profile prior to creating the slot feature (rather than creating the profile as part of the feature)
You can then create a point at the slot centre. By displaying this sketch you can axially align parts to the point in an assembly.
You could then also display the sketches in draft views and locate your circles on these points.

bc.
2.4GHz Core2 Quad, 4GB RAM,
Quadro FX4600.

Where would we be without sat-nav?
 
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