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Parametric pattern replication in assembly with automatic edge trimming - is it possible?
marek_augustyn
Member Posts: 4 ✭
I'm working on a design where I need to replicate a single tile component across a base plate in an assembly. The requirements are:
- Pattern one tile part across the entire plate surface (so only one part appears in BOM)
- Automatically trim/cut tiles that extend beyond the plate edges so they're flush with the plate boundary
- Make it parametric - the number of tile instances should automatically calculate based on the plate dimensions
Essentially, I want the plate size to drive how many tiles are patterned, and any tiles hanging over the edge should be automatically cropped to the plate boundary.
Is this achievable within an assembly context in Onshape? I've tried various approaches but can't figure out how to get the edge trimming to work properly while maintaining the single-part BOM entry.
Here's my current model: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/6579f8c08bbe946fda5e31a2/w/5c2ebeb89b21be0362e9abbe/e/68592d742882bd15d67c7771
Any guidance on the right workflow or feature combinations would be appreciated.
Best Answers
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MichaelPascoe
Member Posts: 2,762 PRO
- I'm not sure what you mean by this. There are multiple parts in your example not one part. Do you want the surface of the material to be cut?
- Yes, but not within an assembly. You will need to use a part studio to do this. Or insert configured parts within the assembly manually. Or edit current parts In-Context, which would take forever.
- Yes, possible using some in-line equations within the pattern feature. But again, you will need to push this over to the part studio to handle the trimming and auto size measuring.
If you HAVE to have the bom, then you can use the Assembly Imosters (App + feature) to tag your patterned parts within a part studio and properly replace them in an assembly so the bom counts them properly. Eventually, I hope that Onshape adds the assembly functionality to measure things as variables and also count duplicates via boundary box or custom tags, for now, this will have to do.
Or, if you just need a cutlist within the part studio, you could use this: Measure Cut List.
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MichaelPascoe
Member Posts: 2,762 PRO
It sounds like you might not be doing using this every day for a production project. In that case, you can just pattern within the assembly like you did, then manually measure the off surface parts to see what size they need to be, then, change the size configuration of your patterned part and re-pattern those new sized parts along the edges.
- Pattern like you did
- Measure smaller parts
- Change configuration of off surface parts (re-pattern newly inserted parts if necessary)
You will need to make sure your patterned block has length and width configuration variables set up for it so you can insert it with any size you need.
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Answers
If you HAVE to have the bom, then you can use the Assembly Imosters (App + feature) to tag your patterned parts within a part studio and properly replace them in an assembly so the bom counts them properly. Eventually, I hope that Onshape adds the assembly functionality to measure things as variables and also count duplicates via boundary box or custom tags, for now, this will have to do.
Or, if you just need a cutlist within the part studio, you could use this: Measure Cut List
.
Learn more about the Gospel of Christ ( Here )
CADSharp - We make custom features and integrated Onshape apps! Learn How to FeatureScript Here 🔴
Hi Michael, thank you for your answer! Sorry for not explaining clear enough, but I'm still trying to get my head around general concepts in Onshape 😅.
I'll check the functionalities you mentioned, sounds very interesting, thank you!
It sounds like you might not be doing using this every day for a production project. In that case, you can just pattern within the assembly like you did, then manually measure the off surface parts to see what size they need to be, then, change the size configuration of your patterned part and re-pattern those new sized parts along the edges.
You will need to make sure your patterned block has length and width configuration variables set up for it so you can insert it with any size you need.
Learn more about the Gospel of Christ ( Here )
CADSharp - We make custom features and integrated Onshape apps! Learn How to FeatureScript Here 🔴