Split body - Can it result in a common face??

[JonSelby]

Is anyone aware of a way to split a feature on a solid-body such that the result is still a single solid-body, but that has two coincidental faces?

Hmmm ... if that sounds confusing ...

Essentially I have a shell with an internal 'boss' and want to split the 'boss' in two such that in a subsequent operation, a trim-body would then leave each half of the 'boss' with its correct shell half.
I intend to wave-link the model into four variants on which I can perform this trim-body (to give me an upper-half, a lower-half, an upper-mirrored-half and a lower-mirrored-half).

For privacy reasons I can't post the model - but I have made a mock-up (see attached) to test out the principal.
I'm attempting to split the 'boss' in the blue body using the orange plane. The squiggly split-face represents the subsequent trim-body.

Am I barking up the wrong tree with my work-flow?
Any help gratefully recieved.
Regs,
Jon

Jon S

Medical Design Engineer - Glos. UK
NX 6.0.4.3 / TCE V10.0.3.8.6

 

[hudson888]

Divide Face?

Best Regards

Hudson

www.jamb.com.au

Nil Desperandum illegitimi non carborundum

 

[JonSelby]

I tried divide-face but unfrotunately this does not affect the form of the solid it only gives you lines on a face.

The more I stare at it, I can't help thinking there is something in my work-flow that doesn't feel right.


Jon S

Medical Design Engineer - Glos. UK
NX 6.0.4.3 / TCE V10.0.3.8.6

 

[JohnRBaker]

What you describe is a 'non-manifold' condition which we do NOT support as part of normal NX modeling operations.

However, if what you're attempting to do is create something for a simulation analysis, there are approaches which we support as part of the creation of FEM models which will probably give you what you're looking for, but you will need the help of a CAE expert, which I'm not, for advice on how that's done.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA

http://www.siemens.com/plm

http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[cowski]

The boss geometry looks pretty simple (at least in the example file). I would split the body before adding the bosses. Looks like they would be fairly simple to add later (unless the example model is grossly oversimplified).

 

[JonSelby]

JohnRBaker - I understand what you mean by non-manifold ... but wondered whether you could end up with two coincidental faces (on the ends of the bosses) where each face belongs to a different shell-half.

I have found that if one of the boss extrudes starts at 0.01mm then I get effectively what I want ... but being an engineer I feel this is a bit of a bodge.

Yes Cowski - I have greatly simplified the example.
There are 11 bosses, on four different planes, and with slightly different geometry between some of the bosses.
Ideally I'm trying to keep all this detail on one model rather than duplicate it across all four.

I think I may define a surface which completely defines the split-line and then wave-link this along with the main body.

 

[NXMold]

There is a feature called "Split Body", but it requires your boss split-plane to be incorporated into the wavy main split surface so that the solid is split all in one operation.

Otherwise, you could split the body using the wavy face, then use the syncronous "Replace Face" to fix up the bosses.

I have attached a nx7.5 part (I don't have access to nx6 anymore) showing this.

This might be a moldwizard tool though... in which case you can accomplish the same thing by 1) extract a copy of the solid, then 2) use "Trim Body" to trim one-half and finally 3) use "Trim body" again on the extracted body for the opposite half.

NX 7.5.0.32 MoldWizard