How would approach building a composite part?

tom_auger

Warning and disclaimer: I am an amateur enthusiast and I build parts for FDM 3D printing.

All right, got that out of the way ;)

I am designing a telescoping / ratcheting component and as I wait for the first prototype print to emerge so I can tweak my design, I am thinking about the application of this little component.

I envision using this pattern multiple times within a single multi-part assembly, where I will want various configurations / dimensions of the component modified and attached in different places in the final part.

I'm wondering what the best way to go about doing this might be?

I know that we can use assemblies to, well, assemble various parts together, but first I need to build multiple iterations of this part using different dimensions etc, and afterward I'll need to potentially "weld" some of them together for solid 3D printing as a single part.

You can see that I've driven many of the critical measurements using variables already, but now I need to make a bunch of variations of this part, further modify them and then assemble them.

How would you approach this without having to recreate all the features for each "variation"?

Looking foward to learning about this!

Matt_Shields

https://cad.onshape.com/help/Content/configurations.htm

tom_auger

Thanks @Matt_Shields - from the documentation I can see how configurations would allow me to create multiple different versions of a part to get added to an assembly.

But what if that "part" needs to be booleaned to / from another part to make the final whole? My limited understanding of assemblies is that they are used to see how multiple parts fit together and interact, not to build more complex, monolithic parts that can then be exported as objects for printing?

Do you see what I mean? The "part" I described in my original post is more of a "component" that is used in the construction of a more complex, but still monolithic, part that would be exported as a single part and printed. In fact, if I'm being even more precise the Part Studio that I describe is actually comprised of two Parts, each of which would become integrated (using Boolean) into other parts for export.

Does this change how you would approach the question, or can everything I describe still be done in Assemblies as you describe?

martin_kopplow

If you want to do booleans, you'll be in a part studio, then. In part studios, you can insert configured parts by means of the "Derive" feature. That's a one-way feature that will fetch you the desired geometry, but not feed back any changes to the source, when you do the boolean operation.

tom_auger

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/114042#Comment_114042

Oh! I love this idea. Let me see if I got the concept right:

1. create the "component" in its own part studio and add a bunch of configurations to it
2. in a new part studio create the rest of the features that make up the final part
3. insert the other part studio with configuration into the new part studio and perform further manipulation such as boolean etc

Is that about right?

I'm curious whether those derived parts in the second part studio can still be further added to, or have its geometry used for further features downstream? I'm assuming "yes" but I could be wrong…

eric_pesty

https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/114169#Comment_114169

Yep, that's basically it.
Any further changes you make in the "source" part studio will update the derived body. In the "destination" studio, you won't have access to the features of the derived item (although you can include mate connectors and sketches to use there) but you can definitely add and remove, etc…

I have a bit of an example of that workflow here (derive a specific configuration and add features to the derived part):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgPYHHvy8hw&t=308s

martin_kopplow

@tom_auger

Yes, I think you will find this useful, then. You could create a basic part in one part studio, then derive that to more than one other part studios and do all kind of things to them, though not change the basic features you defined in your first part studio. That way, you can always get back to the first part studio and change the basic layout, which will immediately be inherited to all derived part studios, while you can do E.G. individual customizing of the parts there without affecting the 'parent' or the other 'siblings'.