Enhance the carrying shape of the support plate

Purpose

The support plate shape that carries the workpiece is computed directly from the workpiece shape. In some local areas, this can produce undesired geometry.

This page explains how to enhance the carrying shape by using masking surfaces in order to avoid these situations.

Load the project Fixture_Training_MaskingSurface.cendoc from this tutorial library.

Steps

1. Remove the superfluous material

1.1 Analyze the support plate

Switch to Geometry operation mode. Hide the workpiece by changing the show/hide state of the selected workpiece elements. Review the superfluous support plate areas. Then switch to Hide workspace and restore the workpiece in the regular Show workspace.

Analyze support plate

1.2 Open Fixture Utilities

Run the Utilities command.

Fixture utilities

1.3 Create a masking surface preview

Select the front edge on the brown tube where the support shape should be enhanced. On that edge, open the pie menu and start Create masking surface. Review the 3D preview and parameter panel.

Masking surface preview

1.4 Compute the masking surface

Set Base length to 40 mm and verify the preview extends far enough to also cover the hole in the green tube. Accept the definition to compute the masking surface.

The support plates are updated and the unwanted material is removed.

Compute masking surface

2. Create a tolerance to the workpiece

2.1 Create flange tolerance relief

Select the lower edge at the bottom rounding of the brown tube and run Create masking surface.

Set these values:

• Base length: 7.5 mm
• Flange length: 25 mm
• Flange radius: 2 mm

Compute the masking surface and verify the new flange shape of the support plate.

Create tolerance relief

2.2 Edit the masking surface

Run Edit on the masking surface and change Flange taper angle to 5 deg. Review the geometric effect.

Edit masking surface

2.3 Create tolerance on the opposite side

Create the same tolerance relief on the other side of the tube. If the preview orientation is wrong, use the required Swap button in the parameter panel to correct the direction.

Create masking surface

2.4 Repeat for the opposite support plate side

Repeat the same steps to create equivalent tolerance flanges on the opposite side of the support plates.

Resize support plates