I really do believe that small things add up. In our day to day use of SolidWorks, there are little nuances, in our work, that make us a bit less efficient. I know I probably sound like a broken record, as I spend so much time talking about the small things that make SolidWorks that much quicker, but I truly believe that designing great products becomes easier when we’re not constantly fighting with SolidWorks.
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Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of work with some plastic parts. The parts that I’ve been creating use the Master Model approach. Now this has both upsides and downsides. The technique allows for avoiding the some of the pitfalls of assembly design, such as a complex reference structure.
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So how do we terminate the threads on something like a mason jar or plastic bottle? Unfortunately the Thread Wizard, added to SOLIDWORKS 2016, does not give us a simple option to finish a thread. There’s a couple methods that I like to use.
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In SolidWorks 2013, the intersect tool was introduced. It’s core function is to allow easy creation and modification of solid bodies. For example, you can turn a set of surfaces into a solid without having to trim them first. You can also add to an existing solid with an intersecting surface.
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It’s relatively simple to create a helical swept cut in SolidWorks. Create the helix, the profile, and then the swept cut. If the swept cut doesn’t pass the entire length of the body, though, you’ll get a flat end that doesn’t really represent the geometry you’d find in a drill bit, screw, or bolt.
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