How Engineering Connections works?

Maxime Chagnot

28 Mar, 2019 02:52 PM

https://youtu.be/hp6KaAde0-Q

Short Tutorial / Demonstration of Engineering Connections feature in CATIA Assembly Design application in the 3DExperience

1. Step 1: Video

   
   

2. Step 2: Fix a part

   * Better to follow video *

   Create or open an assembly containing few parts.

   All the part are overlapped in the same position.

   Use the robot to move the parts in 3D

   * The part should be separated *

   Open the engineering connection panel

   Select 1 part

   This part is now fixed

3. Step 3: Copy and Move

   In the pipe video, a pipe is copied (new instance)

   To do so, click on copy/past on part

   or use CTRL+D

   * the part is now copied *

   You need to move it using the robot

   Try to align the pipes together, but no need to connect them manually.

4. Step 4: Cylindrical

   It is now time to connect these 2 pipes together

   Open the engineering Connection Panel:

   Select the pipe surface of Pipe 1

   -> the middle axis will be automatically detected

   Select the pipe surface of Pipe 2

   -> the middle axis will be automatically detected

   In consequence the engineering connection change to "Cylindrical"

   -> you can still translate and rotate.

5. Step 5: Prismatic

   Let's continue to connect these 2 pipes together

   On the SAME engineering connection panel:

   Select one hole surface of Pipe 1

   -> the middle axis will be automatically detected

   Select one hole surface of Pipe 2

   -> the middle axis will be automatically detected

   In consequence the engineering connection change to "Prismatic"

   -> you can still translate.

   * By the way, the parts move automatically to adjust at the right position *

6. Step 6: Rigid

   To finish to connect the pipes, continue on the SAME engineering connections panel:

   Select the flat surface of Pipe 1

   -> the plane will be automatically detected

   Select the flat surface of Pipe 2

   -> the plane will be automatically detected

   In consequence the engineering connection change to "Rigid"

   -> you cannot move the part.

   * Another thing to mention, is that the other part are transparent so you can just click the surface of the pipe by "passing through" the other parts of assembly *

   Click on OK

   * the connection is now made, you can continue with other parts *

   
   

   • End of tutorial