Quicklink model 2

[charliedurrant]

Has anyone come across a model for a quicklink in their travels that is possible to get hold of ....

For a picture of a quicklink see

http://www.reddenmarine.com/site/images/SD153010.jpg

Also are their any extension spring resources online?

Charles

 

[TJMcD]

Sorry, can't help you with the quicklink.

You can get spring models from Lee Spring:

http://www.leespring.com/

You'll have to register to download them, but they're quite pretty, even to matching the powder coat color (heavy die compression springs at least).

You could also take a look at the discussion at the Solidworks Forum:

http://forum.solidworks.com/swforum/b.asp?m=43556

Gerald Davis found a marvelous spring api that models to order your spring. I had to tweak it a bit to run on my machine.

Finally, take a look at

http://mountain-wave.blogspot.com/.

There, Ben Eadie has a short movie (Springs, Drawings, & Weldments) describing an efficient way of making your own springs very quickly. You'd have to add the hook ends yourself, but it is still efficient (possibly more so than the first two).

the only drawback to realistic spring models is that they are rather resource intensive.

TJ McDermott
Formost Packaging Machines

 

[ctopher]

That quicklink can be very quick/easy to create.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks 06 4.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 06-21-06)

 

[charliedurrant]

Gents,

Thanks for the spring links I will use them right away. I'm new to modelling and to solidworks hence some of my daft questions.

As to the quicklink - I can guess it is a sweep but the hexagonal oversized nut thing is my problem - i.e. how to get it on the swept path? I'm am of course being lazy and was hoping not to re-invent the wheel!

Charles

 

[handleman]

I assume you need it modeled in the closed position. If I were to model it I would:

1. Sketch the oval shape for the sweep path on the front plane with the long axis of the oval vertical and the centerpoint of one of the straight lines constrained to the origin

2. Sketch the circle for the profile on the top plane concentric to the origin

3. Sweep the profile

4. Create another sketch on the top plane, this one a hexagon made with the Tools->Sketch Tools->Polygon function. (Maybe Sketch Entities rather than Sketch Tools, I forget).

5. Extrude the hexagon with the "Mid-Plane" end condition.

Good luck learning modeling and SW. It is definitely a paradigm shift, and I'm sure the more experience you have with flat CAD the harder it is to make the switch, but once you're there you'll never want to go back.

 

[charliedurrant]

Thanks for that - job done. I now have what resembles a quick link ! Always easy when you know how...