How do I cut an axle shaft to a chosen length?

deepak_limaye

Hi,
(I’m typing on behalf of my daughter that is trying to use onshape for her first vex robotics project).
I wanted to cut a 12 inch axle shaft to 4.5 inches, and the videos I watched always clicked at two features like holes or edges to measure distances. How can I measure from the end of the shaft to 4.5 inches along the length and use the extrude tool to cut it there? Please let me know, every time I try it, it seems to measures all the way to the end of the shaft. I am unable to select a point along the shaft to stop measurement. 

I would appreciate any help.

MichaelPascoe

Hi @deepak_limaye, Welcome to Onshape!

There are many ways to do this, some ways are much better than others depending on how the part studio was built. Please share a link to your Onshape document for more detailed help. Also, if you plan to get into Onshape, the Leaning Center Pathways are extremely helpful for learning Onshape.

You can see the sizes and distances of the things you click at the bottom right of your screen.

In general, it is best practice to edit the original feature that the axel was created with. In the gif below for example, I edited the original sketch to be 4.5in instead of 12in.

However, if you want to remove part of the axel using extrude, you could:

• Click the end of the axel, or a sketch that is at the end.
• Extrude.
• While in extrude: Select "Remove", then select "Up to face", then select the face you want to extrude to.
• While in extrude: Select "Offset", then type the offset distance you would like to extrude to.

Note when modifying simple faces like this, "Move face" is usually better than extrude. This way the face id's do not change later on.

EvanReese

ooh @MichaelPascoe nailed it! Now just configure the offset value with a variable, and you can drop it into any assembly at any length.

MichaelPascoe

Hi @deepak_limaye, Welcome to Onshape!

There are many ways to do this, some ways are much better than others depending on how the part studio was built. Please share a link to your Onshape document for more detailed help. Also, if you plan to get into Onshape, the Leaning Center Pathways are extremely helpful for learning Onshape.

You can see the sizes and distances of the things you click at the bottom right of your screen.

In general, it is best practice to edit the original feature that the axel was created with. In the gif below for example, I edited the original sketch to be 4.5in instead of 12in.

However, if you want to remove part of the axel using extrude, you could:

• Click the end of the axel, or a sketch that is at the end.
• Extrude.
• While in extrude: Select "Remove", then select "Up to face", then select the face you want to extrude to.
• While in extrude: Select "Offset", then type the offset distance you would like to extrude to.

Note when modifying simple faces like this, "Move face" is usually better than extrude. This way the face id's do not change later on.

deepak_limaye

Great, thank you so much! I’ll pass these to my daughter and ask her to send a link to her project. I really appreciate it! 

deepak_limaye

Hi @MichaelPascoe, here is a sample axle that she imported from the VEX website via a CAD file. It is 12 inches long, but for her middle school project they may cut it to 4.5 inches. The end will be flat as a result of course (the original has a more multi-faced end).
I will work with her to try the approaches you suggested tonight. 

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/09c6b3deecea355017a9970b/w/70ebc24d6596bdbd93474eb2/e/a3499cc5bead890d007c95f2?renderMode=0&uiState=631919b950f5773890a88ded

steve_shubin

@deepak_limaye

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/e06d0332165e3f32709c2526/w/20c5bd608ee5e75dd2bcc753/e/54980a7d81432dee836cecda

@MichaelPascoe always has the best of advice

As Michael pointed out, there are many ways this can be done

There just happened to be something funny about this derived object. When I tried to move all five faces at one end of the axle, well it just flattened everything out

So I had to come up with something else

Here is one of those alternative ways of doing it

First thing is to create a Mate Connector or Plane that is offset HALF of the 4 1/2 inch distance from the end of the part. In other words, the mate connector or plane is going to be 2 1/4 inches from the end of the part

Then, you mirror the part about the mate connector or about the plane

But the trick is to have your mirror set to INTERSECTION

This will create a 4 1/2 inch part with the exact ends that your derived part has

Part Studio 1 shows it being done with a mate connector 

Part Studio 2 shows it being done with an offset plane

MichaelPascoe

Thanks @steve_shubin!

@deepak_limaye
In this case, Move face will be the best feature to use.

Change the move face settings to what you see in the gif tutorial below. Make sure you select the flat face first because this is what the feature will be measuring from when you offset from the "Up to entity".

steve_shubin

@MichaelPascoe

I don’t know if the gray matter is slowing down or what. But this one is something that just didn’t come to mind - for some weird reason

Maybe I’ve never played with the translate part of move face before ?!! 

Anyways, thanks for showing that Michael.

matthew_stacy

@deepak_limaye, you might also try using the "Split" tool for this, in conjunction with a mate connector.

 

eric_pesty

Also,
If you want to take it up to the next level, use the "move face option" as shown by @MichaelPascoe, and control the "Offset" with a configuration variable.
Then you can make the shaft any length you need from within your assembly without having to create anything or editing the part (just right click on the shaft and "change configuration" and type a new length!

steve_shubin

I could not get offset to work properly

Because when you use offset, it flattens the rounded corners on the end of the part

When Michael showed that it could be done with Translate, well that was eye-opening to me

Translate will not flatten those corners

dirk_van_der_vaart

@eric_pesty
Thanks, I was waiting for this , so many roads leading to Rome but this is clearly the most elegant.

EvanReese

ooh @MichaelPascoe nailed it! Now just configure the offset value with a variable, and you can drop it into any assembly at any length.

deepak_limaye

Wow, thank you all so much! These are great approaches, and really educational!