Piping Systems advice with standard ANSI parts and fittings

brian_joffe

I have been playing with OnShape for the past week or so.  I have been through many videos and tutorials, yet am struggling to understand how I would create systems of configured parts to be able to design a fluid system.  For example, I have an upcoming project that will require me to design two booster systems, each unique to the other.  Common properties to each are, 3 pumps, common suction, common discharge.  The piping portion of the units will require a library of flanges and fittings for me to put the piping together in a relatively quick manner.  ANSI flanges, butt-weld (BW) schedule 40 reducing tees, BW sch 40 Long Radius elbows, thread-o-lets, etc.  I have all of this in SolidWorks in configurations, etc.

So I started thinking FeatureScript would help me.  Flanges and Fittings created from separate FS scripts (ie - 150# flanges, 300# flanges, BW elbows, BW tees could all be their own FS tabs)  with pull-down dialogs (enum), and re-usable again and again.  And I had some success, but got stuck.  So I'm looking for advice on how others in the community have successfully created libraries of common parts to be re-used across multiple projects (maybe this is the best source?  https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/comment/11981).  

Also, how should I apply the thinking of Part Studio versus Assemblies?  I don't need movement in my finished system design.  So, I am wondering if Assemblies are even necessary, except to bring sub-assemblies together.

coleman

@brian_joffe

In regards to Part Studio vs Assembly- in your case where no movement is required, you can us assemblies to bring sub-assemblies together.  Import the part studio into the assembly and select all parts and then group them.  After you use this workflow (multi-part) you will see tremendous benefits over the solidworks workflow. 

Standard parts- check out 3DX trace parts app from the app store.  I bet they have the majority of the components you are looking for. 

dave_cowden

Hi @brian_joffe, welcome!

I'm personally a big fan of just not dealing with assemblies, and doing it all with parts within a part studio. The big consideration I always think about is re-use. If I don't need to re-use the components, then putting them in one last studio is easier.

Regarding Featurescript, the primary value IMO would be in the ability to sketch the piling system via lines/curves, and then 'thicken' them by inserting the correct fittings and sizes, including joints. This is very similar to how a welents feature works, except in that case the joints are miters or butts, not fittings.

Candidly, I'm finding that Featurescript is not _quite_ up to this task. There is not enough flexibility in user input.  After the user sketches the framework, we need to allow the user to select the sizing for each segment, and the treatment at each joint. This type of input is currently not possible with a FS dialog.  To do it, you'd need to create a Featurescript that represents the joint tyoe, and then a separate for the segment type, etc. Combined with clever use of the document context it would be possible, but it would not compete with tool designed for the task.

One of the next features I am developing is a weldments feature, which will attempt this tyoe of thing. Plumbing will be similar but more difficult because of the need to import a fitting library also.

I can also tell you that you are not the only one looming for this. Last month I did a survey of users asking for votes on what features they would like most to see. I received about 100 votes total, and the feature you describe was top voted.

I hope this helps!  I'm happy to brainstorm with you.

brian_joffe

Thanks @coleman and @dave_cowden for the responses.  I did check out 3DX, and although there are some parts to import, it will get quite cumbersome to have individual parts imported compared to parts made with variables native to OS.  I'm hoping some flavor of configurations comes in an update soon to further that effort of standard parts, as I am currently building with variable arrays.

FeatureScript seems to work great for generating a part based on repetitive equations, just as configurations or variable arrays do (although I know FS does way more than just that).  Yet, to automate a more complicated piping configuration is a daunting task for someone of my caliber of programming skills.

I would love to see a workflow develop for piping utilizing a sketch framework, applying a fittings library (which could be mine - that would be fine with me... I don't mind sharing with the community), and then using something like the "American Steel Profile Generator" pipe piece to fill in the needed balance of pipe lengths.

I am very open to helping make something like this a reality.  And although I new to the OS community, I am not new to the modeling world and the industrial process systems world.  I know there is a better way than SW to accomplish what is needed in the niche market I work in, and OS is on the right track - just not quite there yet. 

dave_cowden

@brian_joffe thanks for offering to help test/participate.  When i work on features, I try really hard to get community feedback.  I'll loop you in if/when i work on a feature like this.  Your help would be awesome.  For now the timetable on that is not clear-- paying work has to come first, and I have a couple of those in the pipeline right now.  After those are done i'll be back onto 'spec work'.  

I do agree with  you though at a high level that functionality like this will ultimately produce value, and will be a revenue opportunity. Everyone does not agree with me on that, but that's ok because its my labor not theirs, so its my problem if I'm wrong

Dave