Sweep command in SolidWorks

Sweep is an extrusion tool that enables you to extrude a profile along a drawn route, such as a circle, square, or complicated form. Consider intricate pipe routing, guard rails, or springs when considering sweeping features.

Swept features often need two drawings since they are composed of a swept profile and the route that profile travels (except when the profile is a simple circle or tubular shape).

There are four primary uses for sweep:

• Circular route with a circular profile
• a route with a tubular profile
• a basic route with a unique profile
• Profile following a spiralling route

Sweeps must adhere to these guidelines.

• For a base or boss sweep feature, the profile must be closed; for a surface sweep feature, the profile can be either open or closed.
• There might be an open or closed way.
• The route might be a curve, a series of model edges, or a collection of drawn curves packed in a single drawing.
• The profile's plane must be intersected by the route.
• It is impossible for the segment, the route, or the resultant solid to cross itself.
• The profile or a point in the profile drawing must correspond with the guiding curve.

Continuous Profile along Easy Path

Because circular profiles are included in the sweep tool, doing a sweep with a circular route along an easy path is simple. As a result, only one drawing is needed to develop a new feature of this type and none are needed to simply change an existing one. Parts formed of wire, such as springs and paper clips, or solid cylindrical bar stock that has been bent, such as rebar configurations, would frequently have this kind of characteristic.

To perform this kind of sweep, first draw your line on the plane that will lead to the orientation you want.

You must then close the drawing and select the sweep option. Choose "Circular Profile" from the property manager for the sweep, and then click the path sketch in the path selection box. Set your size, then confirm.

Choose "Merge Tangent Faces" if you anticipate your sweep to be in one piece, like with the paper clip.

We'll draw a crude route in this activity, and then sweep a circular profile along it. For the sake of time, we won't bother with completely defining the sketch in the video, but you are welcome to attempt and duplicate the definition displayed in the paper clip path sketch.

• Use the line and arc tools to make a rough sketch of the paper clip's journey on a default plane.
• To generate a rough sweep of the paper clip, activate the Swept Boss/Base Tool and play about with the parameters.

A Simple Path along a Tubular Profile

With the exception of using the thin-feature option in the sweep command, creating a tubular profile along a straightforward path is 90% similar to creating a circular profile.

The railing example below demonstrates this, showing how the steps are the same as the circular profile sweep: Create a straightforward route sketch on the plane you want to use for the right orientation, then quit the sketch and sweep with the thin-feature and circular profile choices selected.

You will do much of the identical actions in this exercise as you would in the circular sweep, with the exception that you will activate the Thin Feature option for the Swept Boss/Base to build the 2130008 Hand Rail.

• Start a new drawing in SolidWorks on the Right Plane. As you sketch the handrail's course, make careful to keep the arcs perpendicular to the lines as indicated in the figure.
• On the Command Manager's Features tab, choose the Sweep tool. Choose a circular profile with a 2 inch diameter.
• Choose your path sketch from the Graphics Area and place it in the path selection box (highlighted in blue).
• Check both the Thin-Feature and Merge Tangent Edges boxes.
• Zoom in on one of the handrail's ends, set the Wall Thickness to.1875", and make sure the wall thickness extends beyond the drawing. If not, confirm by selecting the reverse direction option.
• For further extrusion experience, you may also extrude the handrail's end plates.
• To preserve the plates as distinct bodies, you should uncheck the "Merge Solids" option in your initial extrude.
• So that no data in your modelling is repeated, you must replicate the body and limit it to the secondary place.
• For advice on how to accomplish this properly and quickly, consult your mentor or instructor.

CUSTOM PROFILE DOWN A STRAIGHTFORWARD PATH

You have the most control over your sweep when you create a unique profile along a straightforward path since you may customize both the profile and the path. To do this type of sweep, there are additional procedures. Two sketches are required for this sweep: a profile sketch and a path sketch, the latter of which must cross the former. Using a novel relation known as the Pierce Relation, you can be certain of this intersection.

The path sketch must be created first, followed by the sketch's departure, in order to create a sweeping feature using a custom profile sketch and a path sketch. Making care to include a pierce connection between the pertinent line on the path drawing and the pertinent point on your profile sketch, you next create your profile sketch. Next, pick the Swept Boss/Base tool from the Command Manager, enter your settings, choose your profile sketch for the profile selection box, and your path sketch for the path section box.

In this assignment, you will make two distinct sketches: one for the path and one for the profile. You will then sweep the profile down the route using the Swept Boss/Base command.

• On the right plane, create a rough route.
• On the front plane, draw a rough profile and make careful to include the pierce relation between one of the profile's points and the route.
• Sweep the profile along the route with the Swept Boss/Base tool.
• Keep in mind that this type of sweep also works with the thin feature.

PROFILE SWEEPING DOWN AN HELATIC PATH

A spiral in a two-dimensional direction is called a helix (see SolidWorks Help: Helix for more information). Helixes can be seen in operation in springs, threads, coils, slinks, oil channels, and other structures. Helixes are typically used as threads and springs by mechanical designers. An automated 3D drawing of a helix may be created using the helix tool in SolidWorks for usage in swept boss/bases (such as with springs and coils) or swept cuts (like threads).

The helix and Spiral tool is found under the Curves menu on the features tab of the CommandManager. The first step in building a helix is beginning a sketch on a plane that will serve as the end of the helix since a circular sketch is required before you can make a helix. After that, you may set the parameters for the helix by going directly to the helix command.

If your profile is just circular, you may move directly to the sweep command after finishing your helix and complete your swept feature by following a straightforward path as you would for a circular profile. If a custom path is necessary, you would draw out the path, stop sketching, and then carry out a custom profile simple path sweep.

MAKE THE HELICIC SPRING.

• Start a drawing in SolidWorks on the front plane and draw a.3875-inch circle at the origin.
• Select the Helix and Spiral command from the Command Manager's drop-down menu for Curves.
• Change the "Defined By" section to "Height and Rotations", enter.35 as the height, 7.7 as the number of revolutions, and 0 as the start angle. Make sure the rotation is set to clockwise as well.
• Verify the Helix/Spiral and then head right to the Swept Boss/Base tool on the Command Manager's Features menu. Select the helix for the path while setting the sweep to a circular profile. Adjust the profile's diameter to.025 inches.

THE ENDS ARE GROUND OFF AND "CUT WITH SURFACE"

• To create the ground geometry on the bottom of the spring, use the Front Plane and a "Cut with Surface" operation.
• Select the reference point command from the reference geometry drop-down menu on the Command Manager's features tab.
• Confirm the reference point by clicking the end face of the spring's end on the opposite side of the spring.
• Select the front plane and the reference point as your references after activating the reference plane tool in the reference geometry section. If you can't see them from the Graphics Area, you might have to choose them using the Feature Manager flyout.
• Verify the reference plane, then cut with the surface once again to grind off the end of the spring on this side, exactly as you did on the other. Save the section after setting the material.