How To Make And Animate A Spring In Solidworks

"That looks ok, simply can we see the jump compress?" It is the dreaded question that so many SOLIDWORKS animation users find themselves on the receiving stop of. Creating in-context geometry modifications is not ever the easiest task in an blitheness. A leap compressing or decompressing is the quintessential example of this. I have seen a multitude of different ways of creating this type of animation. Some of them I have found too complicated, some of them too slow. Recently still, I tried a variation of another techniques I have used in the past. I've found this technique easy to create, quite stable, quick to solve and realistic looking! It has become my preferred method for creating fast, in-context spring animations like this 1 I've saved equally a .gif:

The goal of all bound pinch techniques is the same: sandwich a component in between two other components, and find a style to brand the jump look like it is being compressed between them. This unremarkably ends upwardly being an in-context cutting, mated rotating subsections, or adapted helix parameters to make it look like information technology is compressing. However, there's an old surfacing flim-flam that has always been ane of my favorite bits of SOLIDWORKS magic. The other day it occurred to me that information technology might also be applied nicely to solve this spring compression debacle. Here's how my method goes:

1. Prep: Start with all of the components assembled which volition contain your spring. In my case, I take this shock associates (shown below) from a model I created of my radio controlled drift car. I have assigned a Width mate set to "Costless" on these components to allow move in and out to its limits. This is probably not necessary for the spring blitheness, merely it is user-friendly for working with the model.

2. Create the Jump Function in the Associates: Add a new component by using "Insert New Part." This volition be the spring component. Place the component on a user-friendly plane for orientation purposes. I chose the bottom face of my lower spring retainer. At this point I shut the sketch that is auto-generated without creating any sketch geometry.

3. Create the Bounds: Now, I have a new part in the assembly that I am editing. From here, I create 2 new planes that each reference the meridian and lesser components. This is done by simply selecting "Airplane" from Reference Geometry and using each mounting face equally a coincident reference. Recall, these planes now exist in the new part.

4. Create the Diameter: While I'm here, I create a sketch on the lesser plane I have just created. Brand this sketch aligned on middle, and dimension to the center diameter of the bound. Or, if yous're feeling efficient, just utilise Kickoff Entities on 1 of the edges available in the assembly. Just be mindful of your external references throughout this process.

5. Build the Spring Shape: Now we've got plenty info to build the leap. I open this new office in its own window for convenience. I exit "Edit Part" fashion from the confirmation corner, and then rename the role and open it from the tree. Here's what that leaves u.s. with:

We at present accept a convenient (and shifting) set up of references for the height of the jump. Here's where that one-time surfacing trick comes in to create a self-adjusting helix. To exercise this, I'll take the jump diameter sketch and extrude it with a Surface Extrude. This allows me to employ an "Upwards to Surface" end status and extrude up to my acme aeroplane. That leaves us with a cylinder still, and nosotros need a helix. The helix is created by exploiting an option of the sweep. I create two linear sketches equally shown. Each sketch is tied to the cylindrical surface with auto-relations. Now the Surface Sweep is prepare to do the rest for u.s.a.. Sweep the yellow line along the carmine 1 and choose "Specify Twist Value" from the options. Enter the number of coils. Now for the magic, select Tools> Sketch Tools> Intersection Bend (or use search commands) and select the ii surfaces and get out sketch. At this point, y'all are gratuitous to hide or delete the ii surfaces. I use "Delete/Keep Bodies" to delete mine. Now we have a conveniently adjustable curve that is locked to our adaptable boundary!

half-dozen. Create the Wire Diameter: The rest is a piece of cake. Move back to the Features tab and apply the standard Sweep command to create the wire diameter. Remember that newer versions of SOLIDWORKS only crave a path sketch for circular cantankerous department geometry.

7. Trim the Ends: I then apply Cut with Surface from the Surfacing tab to trim off the remainder using the existing planes. Just select Cutting with Surface, select the plane, and make sure yous're cutting in the right direction before accepting. Repeat for the opposite finish.

We at present have a jump that has been created within a set of boundaries that movement with the necessary components. Nosotros also have spring geometry that is locked to, and trimmed by, that boundary. The remainder is every bit like shooting fish in a barrel every bit returning to the assembly and adding a mate to drive the distance. I then chose to animate the mate by using the mate controller and imported that motion into the motility study using the blitheness wizard.

The process sounds complicated on newspaper just I tested the idea on a whim. In less than v mins (I'm not exaggerating, I looked at the clock) I went from my jump-less shock model to a finished spring compression animation. I've had great success with the process and I hope y'all do besides! What do yous think? Did I over-complicate the setup? Exit a annotate below with what methods you accept used to animate springs! I'll leave you with one of my favorite benefits of using this method. It's flexible (in every sense of the word)! With just a slight tweak, this method tin even be adapted to animate more complex spring compression scenarios as you tin can see in the .gif beneath!

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Source: https://blogs.solidworks.com/tech/2017/03/flexible-spring-animation.html

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