Instantiating Mechanical Interface Template

You can retrieve the mechanical interface template previously added to the catalog and instantiate it in the context.

The retrieval of the template can be done through the Catalog Browser or the content chooser.

Before you begin:
  • A leader must have created a catalog containing a mechanical interface template and add it to a chapter. For more information, see Mechanical Interface Templates Capture User's Guide: Adding a Template to a Catalog.
  • You must be an author to perform this task.
  • Open a product containing a regular 3D shape representation. The 3D shape representation is the context in which the template is instantiated.
  1. To retrieve the template through content chooser:
    1. From the section of the action bar, click Mechanical Interface Instantiation .
    2. Select an already opened mechanical interface template.

      Tips:
      • You can also retrieve the template using catalog browser.
        1. From the Tools section of the action bar, click Catalog Browser .
        2. Expand the required catalog and select the required chapter.
        3. Double-click a template to instantiate it.
        For more information about catalog browser and accessing catalogs, see Design IP Classification User's Guide: Browsing a Catalog.
      • You can also search and select the required template using the Search option in the top bar.

    • When the template is retrieved, the Mechanical Interface dialog box appears. This is the same dialog box used to create the template. The parameters available for modification vary for an author and a leader. Also, an author cannot access or modify the parameters locked by a leader.
    • As the Mechanical Interface dialog box appears, a new set is created and added to the tree named Interference Set. This set is an extension of the mechanical interface axis system and contains a mechanical interface axis system node named Mechanical Interface.x_Axis.
  2. Select the Position mode.

    • Geometry driven: Lets you define the primary, secondary, and tertiary geometrical elements defined under Set in position of the Positioning Geometry section used for positioning to make the engineering connection.
    • Axis system driven: Defines an existing external axis as a reference for positioning to make the engineering connection. If the axis system is edited or deleted, the instance is directly effected or rendered invalid. The Positioning Geometry section is disabled when this mode is selected.
    • Editable: Lets you define the inputs for the definition of a new axis system to be used later for positioning. Click to open the Axis System Definition dialog box, define the new axis system , and define the geometrical elements defined under Set in position.

  3. Select the Mounting attribute of the component:
    • Moving
    • Receiving
  4. In the current 3D shape representation, select the geometric elements for Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary positioning geometries under the Positioning Geometry section of the dialog box.

    Important: For a valid instantiation, select all the elements that are defined for the template. For example, if the template consists of primary and secondary set in position elements, it is mandatory to select both primary and secondary elements in the context for valid instantiation. If the selection is invalid or incomplete, an error message appears.

    As you select the elements in the 3D area, the color-coded preview is displayed and each geometry is validated. Select anywhere in the work area to clear the selection of elements. Each selection is accompanied by one of the following status icons:
    Status Icon
    Correct selection
    Wrong selection
    No corresponding selection
  5. To generate a tolerancing schema associated to a template, select the Tolerancing generation check box.
  6. Click OK.
    • The mechanical interface template is instantiated on the 3D shape representation.
    • A Publications node is created in the tree. This node contains the axis system node Mechanical Interface.x_Axis same as the one in the interference set created above. The published mechanical interface attributes can be later displayed.
    • You can have multiple axis system nodes for different templates that are instantiated on the same 3D shape representation. These axis system nodes are placed all under a single Publications node for a given 3D shape representation. For example, consider a bushing. The inner side of the bushing can be connected on the shaft, while the outer side is connected to the housing. You can instantiate two different templates on the same representation of the bushing with multiple axis systems under the same Publications node.

The newly instantiated mechanical interface can be used for engineering connection after checking for compatibility. For more information, see Mechanical Interface Templates Capture User's Guide: Checking Compatibility of Two Instances.