Using "Align Angle" or "Mate Angle" in assembling

Our office uses Wildfire 2.0.

Occasionally when we assemble two items, the "Automatic" constraint
type goes to an "Align Angle" or "Mate Angle," for which we give the
degrees, instead of an offset distance. This is desirable.

However...

...this particular constraint type does not appear whenever we want one.
It's not in the drop-down box. Even our most experienced ProE user in
the office can't figure out how to invoke that constraint type to come
up when wanted. (It would help a lot in getting min and max
articulation angles set for the assembly.)

In assembling 3 similar assemblies together, I used very similar
references -- an axis (for the rotation), two side surfaces to mate and
two top surfaces for alignment. One of the unions resulted in a "align
angle" that would rotate about the axis. The other merely aligned the
two top surfaces as "oriented."

How do I get that "align angle" to appear in the assembly???
Indyrose

 

Align the bottoms, align an edge on each part, giving them an edge to rotate on
and leave them at an angle to each other. For the third constraint, pick align and
two faces. It will give you an angular dimension to set and automatically pick
Align angle for the constraint type.
--
David Janes

: Our office uses Wildfire 2.0.
:
: Occasionally when we assemble two items, the "Automatic" constraint
: type goes to an "Align Angle" or "Mate Angle," for which we give the
: degrees, instead of an offset distance. This is desirable.
:
: However...
:
: ..this particular constraint type does not appear whenever we want one.
: It's not in the drop-down box. Even our most experienced ProE user in
: the office can't figure out how to invoke that constraint type to come
: up when wanted. (It would help a lot in getting min and max
: articulation angles set for the assembly.)
:
: In assembling 3 similar assemblies together, I used very similar
: references -- an axis (for the rotation), two side surfaces to mate and
: two top surfaces for alignment. One of the unions resulted in a "align
: angle" that would rotate about the axis. The other merely aligned the
: two top surfaces as "oriented."
:
: How do I get that "align angle" to appear in the assembly???
: Indyrose
:

 

As with any angular reference you need an axis of rotation.

By aligning axes, edges, or using insert in a previous constraint this axis
is created allowing a mate or align between two surfaces/planes normal to
this axis to be changed to an angular mate/align.

I generally drag [using the crtl+alt+middle/right mouse shortcut] to the
approximate angle first and then when you pick the two surfaces/planes
[leaving Automatic active] the mate/align defaults to angular

Sean

--


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sean Kerslake
Dept. Design & Technology
Loughborough University
Loughborough
LE11 3TU

01509 228317

 

Actually for most applications, the rotation is around a pin or bolt.
But aligning axes SHOULD serve the same function as aligning edges,
should it not? Other than that, this IS the method we use. It still
seems to be hit-or-miss as to whether or not an "align angle" or a
simple "align" is automatically selected.

We can have three or four almost-identical pieces to assemble, we use
the very same method on all of them, and yet one or two will come up
with a simple "align." Sometimes we can repeat the identical process,
and "align angle" with pop up. And sometimes we give up and try some
work-around, like creating multiple datums through the axis at the
angles we want and aligning to the datums.
Could this be a bug (er...feature) in the software?

Indyrose

 

I just attempted that, and it defaulted back to a simple align -- no
angle. Actually, I had two of the three components I needed to change
-- One changed with no problem, and it seems I can't get the other one
to come up with an angle for anything!! Despite dragging it to all
sorts of angles, WF would automatically set it to align -orient. I
didn't want it oriented!!

Why would one change with no problem and the other never change???
This is frustrating.

Indyrose

 

i agree, also i make sure the part i bring in is not by default normal or
paralell to the plane or surface i'm assembling to.
This way it will not assume a colinear constraint.

 

I'm seriously wondering if this will work. Align or Mate Angle derive, it seems to
me, from ability to align or mate surfaces. If you're using axis alignment derived
from pin/hole locations, the parts can certainly pivot in relation to each other,
but they'd never be able to align/mate, would they? The best you could do with
these would be to orient them (make them parallel AND facing the same way).

Does this vary, at all, by the workstation? I was thinking that this rotating
about an axis looks like it could have been derived from some functionality of
Mechanism Design, though you'd think they'd tell you if you had to have MDX to get
Mate/Align Angle, (though, maybe not: there's a lot that's cultish about
Pro/e-PTC). I just know that I don't have a problem doing as I described. And in
those conditions, a mate or align constraint is actually possible. In your use of
it, it is not, so I'm surprised, not that you're having trouble, but that it's
ever possible.

I'm sure, from my troubleshooting experience, that coming by the answer will take
repetition and very close observation.

David Janes