Computing Stack Thickness

You can automatically compute part stack thickness.

Before you begin: Create a manufacturing pattern with several manufacturing fasteners.
  1. From the Drill Fill section of the action bar, click Compute Stack Thickness .
  2. In the Compute Stack Thickness dialog box that appears, click Stacking to select the stack parts.
    Select one of the following:
    • Geometrical Set
    • Part Body

    The number of selected parts is displayed.

    Note: You can display the list of selected geometries by hovering over the Part Stack box.
  3. Under Total Thickness Parameter, define the length parameter where the computed stack thickness is stored by doing one of the following:
    • Select an existing length parameter from the list.
    • Enter a name to create a length parameter.
  4. Under Layer Thickness Parameters, define the thickness parameters of each layer by selecting an existing length parameter from the list or entering a name to create a new parameter.
  5. Under Layer Material Parameters, define the material parameters of each layer by selecting an existing string parameter from the list or entering a name to create a new parameter.
  6. Optional: Under Overlap Tolerance, when layers overlap, define the maximum distance for which a second individual stack thickness is reduced by the overlap distance.

    Note: When overlap is greater than the specified tolerance, both layers are taken into account during computation and overlap is ignored. Thus, the total thickness computed is the thickness of each layer.

  7. Optional: Under Gap Tolerance, define the maximum distance from which gap is considered as accidental and ignored in computation.
  8. Optional: Under Max. Gap Distance, define the maximum distance for a gap to be considered a separate layer with a material type Air.

    Note: When a gap is below the specified tolerance, three layers are taken into account:
    1. Layer 1.
    2. Layer with material type Air.
    3. Layer 2.

  9. Optional: Check Merge layers with same material.
    Consecutive layers with the same material are combined into a single layer.
  10. Click Compute.
  11. In the Stack Parameters dialog box that appears, verify the computed values for each manufacturing fastener.
    Note: You can manually edit the total thickness value.
    • : Stack thickness computation OK.
    • : Value manually edited.
    • : Stack thickness computation failed.
  12. Click OK.
    The values are stored under the defined parameter name.