ASME Standards Archives - Page 4 of 9

Product Review: Template Wizard (2010)

Several years ago, I reviewed one of the earliest versions of Template Wizard, published by 3 Dawn Consulting, LLC at SolidWorksTemplates.com. Template Wizard is an application which fills a gap in SolidWorks functionality by creating the process to automatically generate document templates for drawings, parts and assemblies. Kevin Van Liere of 3 Dawn Consulting has provided to me a new license of Template Wizard for the purpose of this new review. This review is my own content without input of others.

The current version of Template Wizard is refined and more capable. Template Wizard gives the user the ability to create templates from scratch. Users may also create drawing templates from AutoCAD generated files. If the user wishes, they may use it to edit existing SolidWorks drawing templates.

User Interface

Template Wizard is an add-in that runs within the PropertyManager pane inside of SolidWorks. Selecting settings within the interface is similar to other functions that run within the PropertyManager. Users create new templates in a 9 step process. The process starts with a blank drawing sheet and ends with a fully functional templates for drawings, parts and assemblies. When creating a drawing template, some user interaction with the view pane is required to place objects and anchor points.

Installation

Installation is quick and painless. Just execute the downloaded install file, then start up SolidWorks. Template Wizard appears as a pulldown menu. The user will be prompted to enter a registration code (provided at the time of purchase) the first time before they create a new template.

Workflow

If a user wishes to create new templates, it is recommended that they create a drawing template first. As mentioned, Template Wizard takes the user through a series of steps. Once the drawing template is complete, it then allows the user to transfer applicable settings over to new part and assembly templates.

The order of drawing template creation tasks is fairly logical. The user is prompted at each step:

Drawing size, view projection, standards, units of measure, etc.
Border creation, margins, zones, border layer. Although Template Wizard does automatically create borders based on user choices, a nice function to include might have been the ability to choose settings that automatically follow standard ISO or ASME borders, based on drawing size.
Title block and custom properties. Title blocks may be created from existing title blocks or created from scratch using dozens of field blocks. This step is likely the most complex.
Establish tables and their anchors. This one function by itself may make Template Wizard worth its price. SolidWorks has anchors that serve as automatic starting points when the user inserts tables onto a drawing. However, this anchor functionality is somewhat under-documented and hidden. Template Wizard labels each anchor which allows the user to see where and what they are.
Fonts, bent leader length and tangent edge settings.
Save “Page Design”. One thing that I find confusing is the use of alternative terminology in Template Wizard. A page design means sheet format.
Establish the “next sheet” variable and save “template design”. “Next sheet” variable is a quirky SolidWorks setting that establishes the drawing template. Template Wizard uses this variable in a cleaver way to allow drawing templates to utilized a different sheet format for additional sheets of a multi-sheet drawing.
Create part and assembly templates, and the custom properties file. This reduces the effort of creating part and assembly templates down to a push of a button.

Update Wizard

Though I have not tested this functionality, it is important to note that Template Wizard has a function called Update Wizard. This tool gives the user the power to update the sheet format of a whole bunch of drawings at one time. The tool even allows the user to find and replace specific text in the same way!

Purchasing options

Template Wizard is available through the SolidWorksTemplates.com website. Given the value and time-savings potential of Template Wizard, the price of US$295.00 seems reasonable. Visa and MasterCard are accepted for immediate delivery of the software license. Paypal, invoice and check are also excepted.

Findings

Template Wizard was created because SolidWorks does not provide a simple method for template creation. The process in SolidWorks is not well documented nor easily understood by new or some experienced users. Template Wizard allows the user to bypass the learning curve by providing powerful tools in a fairly straightforward process. However, even though Template Wizard is a great tool, it is not completely intuitive.

The user should read Template Wizard’s Help file before using it. Treat the Help file as a tutorial. The Help file gives the user information they need to make certain choices. For example, during the Title Block creation step, the user is presented with tons of choices. Those choices are defined in the Help file under “Pre-Designed Title Blocks” and “Title Block Elements”. I would like to see this information included within the Template Wizard’s workflow in the form of a preview window or something similar.

Where Template Wizard excels is in the fact that it breaks down the template creation process into a series of steps. Many of these steps are wonderfully automated, drastically reducing the time it takes to create a template. It even changes settings in SolidWorks itself to allow the user more flexibility in how they wish to save and use their new templates. As a byproduct of its workflow, Template Wizard also serves as an education tool. It teaches the user about what is needed to make sheet formats and templates in SolidWorks.

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Template Wizard’s value comes from the time and effort saved during the creation of SolidWorks templates. It is not an application that has a high reuse value. However, I do recommend keeping it installed (but inactive) on SolidWorks. This will allow the user to make adjustments to their templates over time, as needs change.

Template Wizard is not for that do-it-yourself person whose independent spirit and drive pushes them to create their own template and sheet formats. It is for the person or company that does not wish to spend a lot time creating, changing or maintaining templates.

I was walking through the metric jungle

Today was a wonderfully sunny day, so I said to myself, “Hey, why not take a stroll through the metric garden.” (Why do I ask myself such things? Don’t ask me.) The metric stroll should be easy enough, with its scientifically simple base ten measures. The simple meter is wonderfully divided up into 100’s and 1000’s for convenient lengths of measurement. It also quickly multiplies into…umm, kilometers. No one uses hectometers? Oh wait, the French kind of do to derive their hectare. It’s funny, that hectare isn’t listed in SI.

It’s arbitary

Sure, the imperial foot may have been based on someone’s actual foot length, but it is a useful length for some industries. Its not nearly as arbitary as the meter, which is defined as the distrance that light travels within a vacuum in 1/299792458th of a second. Why does SI use a bizarre fraction to define the core unit of measure for their decimal system?

Maybe base ten numbers aren’t all they are cracked up to be. What, never heard of metric foot? Or for that matter, metric ton, metric inch, or metric mile. Why do all of these units exist? For all the berating that the imperial system gets, the measures within it are based on real world needs. Since ancient times, units very similar to the modern imperial system have been common place. That said, it may be important to note that both SI metric system and imperial system have goofy offshoots.

Missing units!

Hey, what happened to the liter? An entire unit of measure for volume is missing from the international standard! Did aliens abduct the liter for use on their alien world? Well, no. It’s actually very common in the US, if that doesn’t seem ironic. Oh, and don’t get diehards started on a discussion about the correct spelling of meter or liter!

Psst, USA is metric!

Something else that is ironic, the USA has been legally metric since 1866. So, it’s not true that the USA isn’t metric. Neither is it true that the rest of the world is 100% metric. Specific industries, companies, populations and individuals still have the right to choose their standards and measures, both in the USA and elsewhere. Pipe threads in France are NPT, not the ISO sizes that were meant to replace them. Pints of bitter are still actual pints in Britain. Speaking of Britain, I’m reminded of the TV show Top Gear. Miles, horsepower and inches are so commonly used on that show, I forget that the UK is supposedly metric.

This stroll through the metric garden is starting to look more like a forced hike through the metric jungle.

Rounding of numbers

On most computer systems, decimal numbers that have 5 as the last digit are automatically rounded up when removing a decimal place. This may create a problem.

Some people have a rule that SolidWorks drawings should not have overridden dimension values (Override values). I generally agree. Yet, there are several legitimate reasons to use Override values. One major reason is for proper rounding of linear dimensions for removed digits after the decimal. Currently, SolidWorks offers no option that allows the user to automatically round dimension numbers in a way that is consistent with current industry standards and practices.

SOLIDWORKS 2015 now has several rounding options that follow the rules below. More information, please see SOLIDWORKS What’s New Rounding article.

Rounding rule for dimensions

On most computer systems, decimal numbers that have 5 as the last digit are automatically rounded up when removing a decimal place. For example, the number 1.425 rounds up to 1.43. This creates a problem. Most standards require that such numbers are rounded to the nearest even number in the last decimal place. For example, that number 1.425 should be rounded to 1.42, and 1.435 should be rounded to 1.44.

ASTM E 29 states:

6.4.3 When the digit next beyond the last place to be retained is 5, and there are no digits beyond this 5, or only zeros, increase by 1 the digit in the last place retained if it is odd, leave the digit unchanged if it is even. Increase by 1 the digit in the last place retained, if there are digits beyond this 5.

NASA’s Engineering Drawing Standards Manual states:

When the first digit discarded is exactly 5, followed only by zeros, the last digit retained (i.e., the digit preceding the 5…) should be rounded upward if it is an odd number, but no adjustment made if it is an even number. For example, 4.365, when rounded to three significant digits, becomes 4.36. The number 4.355 would also round to the same value, 4.36, if rounded to three significant digits. This procedure is known as odd-even rounding.

It is my understanding that this rule helps reduce statistical bias by allowing different numbers to be rounded up or down. Using the computer default rule (5 is always rounded up) only allows for the upward rounding of such numbers. This can create greater statistical errors, particularly when compounding rounded numbers to derive further rounded numbers.

Rounding as it affects tolerances

No rule is absolute. There are other considerations when rounding. A number should never be rounded so that it increases the original limits of a dimension. Although this rule mostly applies to inspection techniques, it can also apply to specification. For example, if there is a feature whose size limits are 1.255-1.275, the specification cannot be rounded so its limits are 1.25-1.28. In such a case where rounding occurs, the specification limits should be 1.26-1.27. Fortunately, this isn’t something that often occurs in mechanical design (though it does pop up when trying to apply dual dimensions).

Usually, rounding the limits is something that more often happens in quality assurance during incoming inspection of products. In such cases, Interpretation of Limits rule from ASME Y14.5 declares limits are absolute. For example, 12.25 MAX is the same as 12.2500000000000000 MAX. If the feature measurement is 12.2540, that measurement should not be rounded to 12.25, as it is still out of tolerance because it exceeded 12.25.

SolidWorks should supports more rounding options

Right now, SolidWorks does offer one rounding option for dimensions. In documents options, there is a setting to round numbers to the nearest fraction, but only if fractional numbers are in use. I would like to see other rounding options supported, but not a document option. SolidWorks should have a setting added to the dimension PropertyManager that allows the user to establish a rounding rule for a particular dimension. For each dimension, users should have a choice to use the odd-even rounding rule, nearest fraction rounding rule (only when fractional numbers are in use) or always round 5 up rule. This shouldn’t just be for drawings. It should also be available in the model because they are often used as part of the product definition and because dimensions in the model can be inserted into a drawing.

~~For now, one can use Override values on the drawing. The drawback to this is that Override values do not automatically update if there is a change to the associated model geometry.~~

~~So, this sounds like this issue should be yet another Enhancement Request.~~

As of SOLIDWORKS 2015, there are several options for numerical rounding which are available.

Round half away from zero, where the only digit being removed is 5, then round the last remaining digit away from zero.
Round half towards zero, where the only digit being removed is 5, then round the last remaining digit towards zero.
Round half to even, where the only digit being removed is 5, then round the last remaining digit so that it is an even number.
Truncate without rounding, where any and all digits being removed have no effect on the last remaining digit.

There is also an option to only apply alternative round methods to dimensions, with the setting Only apply rounding method to dimensions. When this setting is checked, round half away from zero method is applied to all system and properties values, but the alternative rounding method (round half towards zero, round half to even or truncate without rounding) is applied specifically to dimensions. Without this option checked, the chosen rounding method applies everywhere in SOLIDWORKS.

To account for dual dimensioning issues, tolerance rounding includes an option to fit the secondary unit’s tolerance range so that it does not extend outside of the primary unit’s tolerance range. To use this capability, goto Tools > Options > Document Properties > Dimensions and click on Tolerance button. In the Tolerance dialog, check the option Inward rounding of secondary unit tolerance extents.

Plug for Enhancement Requests

In past articles, I’ve mentioned some enhancement requests (ER’s) for SolidWorks. Most (All?) of the enhancement requests I’ve made are now SPR’s, which are slated for some action at some time in the future. To get the ball rolling on these requests, I’d like to invite others to vote for these changes in the Customer Portal. I’m not going to provide links to my requests, as they wouldn’t work anyway with the Customer Portal’s java script. I will mention a brief description of each change, and bold keywords which may be used to easily find the open SPR’s in the Customer Portal. These are my requests, many of which I’ve talked about prior to submitting them to the ER system.

Support new ASME Y14.5-2009 symbols on drawings and models.
Option to force captilization (note the misspelling) of annotation notes on drawings (original article).
Add CR (Controlled Radius) symbol (original article).
Support External Threads as an actual feature similar to Hole Wizard (original article).
and a new one (no SPR yet), the ability to auto insert angle dimensions and values in sketch mode, just as we can already do with linear dimensions. (This was inspired by a recent article by Deelip Menezes, in which he apparently misjudged SolidWorks dimension capabilities in sketch mode, but ended up finding a good candidate for an ER anyway.)

I have other SPR’s, but these are the ones that are actually enhancement related (as opposed to bugs or workflow annoyances). Please visit the Customer Portal soon. Choose “Enhancement Requests”. In the ER search field, enter the bolded keyword(s) for each of the requests above. Then pick and vote for the associated SPR.

Stump the Chumps submission form

See if you can stump the chumps with your SolidWorks questions at our session in SolidWorks World 2010:

Stump the Chumps question submission form

Also, if you have files to submit as part of your question, please email your question and files to stumpthechumps@gmail.com.

Datum Changes in ASME Y14.5-2009

Under ASME Y14.5-2009, Maximum Material Condition (MMC) can now apply to datums that are features of size and also surfaces. The 94 standard would only allow MMC on datums that were features of size and NOT surfaces.

The following is posted about datum changes with the permission of the author, David DeLong, who is a ASME GD&T Professional (GDTP) at Quality Management Services, Inc.

Datum Changes to ASME Y14.5 – 2009

A feature of size is a hole or pin of any shape and also a width. In most cases in GD&T, the holes or pins are most important to assembly and are used a great deal as secondary and tertiary datums. Usually, the perimeter of a non-cylindrical part is not functionally important. There are certain cases where there may be a partial hole or cutout that is used in assembly and could now be referenced as a datum.

Maximum Material Boundary

The Maximum Material Boundary (MMB) is a new term used in the 2009 standard and replaces the terms “Maximum Material Condition” and also “Virtual Condition Size” when referring to a datums referenced with the maximum material condition symbol.

In certain cases, MMB is the maximum material size while in other situations, it is the virtual condition size. It depends upon whether the datum is a primary, secondary or tertiary datum.

Let’s review the MMB for datum G in the above example.

If datum G was referenced as a primary datum, the MMB would be the MMC size of the hole which would be the smallest allowable size of the 12 mm hole which is 11.6 mm. It does not make any difference whether or not the feature actually has a virtual condition size as shown, the MMB is still 11.6 mm..

In our example, datum G is referenced at MMC as a secondary datum so the MMB is 12 – 0.4 – 0.2 = 11.4 mm which is the virtual condition size of the hole. If the secondary datum did not have a virtual condition size, it would default to its maximum material condition size of 11.6.

Datum H Reviewed

If datum H was referenced as a primary datum, the MMB would be its maximum material condition size or smallest allowable size – 8.6 mm.

If datum H was referenced as a secondary datum, the MMB would be its virtual condition size but, in our situation, we have two (2) virtual condition sizes.

The positional tolerance shown would give us a virtual condition diametrical tolerance zone size of 9 – 0.4 (MMC) – 0.3 (perpendicularity) = 8.3 mm.

We also have a refinement of the positional tolerance with a perpendicularity requirement. In this situation, we have a virtual condition size of 9 – 0.4 (MMC) – 0.2 (perpendicularity) = 8.4 mm.

So, if datum H was referenced as a secondary datum, one would use the perpendicularity refinement resulting in a MMB of 9 – 0.4 – 0.2 (perpendicularity) = 8.4 mm.

In our situation, datum H is a tertiary datum and only used for orienting (anti-rotation) the part about datum G so that we are able to confirm all the dimensions. In our situation, we will use the MMB of 9 – 0.4 – 0.3 (positional) = 8.3 mm which includes the positional tolerances rather than its refinement of a perpendicular tolerance.

Here we have 4 holes of 8 +/- 0.3 mm. The feature control frame reflects a positional tolera

nce of a diametrical tolerance zone of 0.25 mm beyond the MMC referencing primary datum A (usually the mounting surface), secondary datum G at MMC (12 mm hole) and tertiary datum H also at MMC (9 mm hole).

We have already discussed that fact that the MMB changes depending upon whether it is a primary, secondary or tertiary datum. If there is any doubt about the MMB, one can reflect the actual MMB size in the feature control frame as shown above using brackets about the MMB size. This method can also be used if MMB size differs from the calculated size.

Let’s say we wanted the MMB size of datum H to be its refinement size of 8.4. One would then replace the 8.3 in the feature control frame with the refined size of 8.4 and that superseded the calculated MMB size.

For further details, please see the full article at Datums 2009.