Assembly systems libraries

Publication Number
spse01645

Assembly systems libraries

Publication Number
spse01645

Proprietary and restricted rights notice

This software and related documentation are proprietary to Siemens Product

Lifecycle Management Software Inc.
2011 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Siemens and the Siemens logo are registered trademarks of Siemens AG. Solid Edge
is a trademark or registered trademark of Siemens Product Lifecycle Management
Software Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. All
other trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks belong to their respective
holders.

Assembly systems libraries

spse01645

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1
Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1
Activity Systems library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1
Lesson review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-1
Lesson summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1
Activity Systems library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1
Place the motor on the plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Use Inter-Part Copy to associate the holes in the motor to the
plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create holes in the plate from the Inter-Part copy . . . . . . . . .
Create the pocket on the plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Place the first fastener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Pattern the fasteners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create the systems library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Place the systems library into an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Place more occurrences of the system library . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activity summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Assembly systems libraries

Lesson

Introduction

Welcome to self paced training for Solid Edge. This course is designed to educate you
in the use of Solid Edge. The course is self-paced and contains instruction followed
by activities.

Solid Edge self-paced courses

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spse01510Sketching

spse01515Constructing base features

spse01520Moving and rotating faces

spse01525Working with face relationships

spse01530Constructing treatment features

spse01535Constructing procedural features

spse01536Modeling synchronous and ordered features

spse01540Modeling assemblies

spse01545Creating detailed drawings

spse01546Sheet metal design

spse01550Practicing your skills with projects

spse01560Modeling a Part Using Surfaces

spse01610Solid Edge frame design

spse01640Assembly patterning

spse01645Assembly systems libraries

spse01650Working with large assemblies

spse01655Revising assemblies

spse01660Assembly reports

spse01665Replacing parts in an assembly

spse01670Designing in the context of an assembly

Assembly systems libraries

1-1

Introduction

Lesson 1

spse01675Assembly features

spse01680Inspecting assemblies

spse01685Alternate assemblies

spse01686Adjustable parts and assemblies

spse01690Virtual components in assemblies

spse01691Exploding assemblies

spse01692Rendering assemblies

spse01693Animating assemblies

spse01695XpresRoute (tubing)

spse01696Creating a Wire Harness with Harness Design

spse01424Working with Solid Edge Embedded Client

Start with the tutorials

Self-paced training begins where tutorials end. Tutorials are the quickest way for
you to become familiar with the basics of using Solid Edge. If you do not have any
experience with Solid Edge, please start by working through the tutorials for basic
part modeling and editing before starting this self-paced training.

1-2

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Lesson

Working with Systems Libraries

in assemblies

When building assemblies, you often need to use the same group of parts more than
once. This group of parts may also need the same feature modification made to a
mating part in the assembly to facilitate placement of the group of parts.
For example, you may need to place a bracket (A) and its mounting bolts and washers
(B) in many different assemblies, or many times in one assembly. The bolts may also
need mounting holes in the part (C) to which they are fastened.

You can use the systems library functionality in Solid Edge to define the group of
parts, features, and assembly relationships so you can reuse them easily later.
The parts, features, and relationships for a systems library member are stored in an
assembly document you define.
A systems library document can consist of the following:

Complete subassembly documents

Part documents

Features that are associative children of one of the part documents

Creating Systems Library members

When creating a new systems library member, you must adhere to the following
rules:

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You can only select parts and entire subassemblies that are in the top level
assembly.

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Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies

Lesson 2

You cannot create a systems library member when working in an alternate

assembly. You can use the Save Member As command to save a copy of the
alternate assembly as a normal assembly to use this functionality.

You cannot create a systems library member when you are in-place activated
in a subassembly.

Creating a new Systems Library member

You create a new systems library member using the Create Systems Library
command on the Home tab in the Systems group. When you click the Create Systems
Library button, a command bar guides you through the steps required to create
the systems library member:

Selecting the assembly components you want

Selecting the features you want to capture (optional)

Viewing the captured relationships

Defining the new assembly document name, template, and location

Selecting components
Any parts and subassemblies that are in the active assembly can be added to a
systems library document. When adding a subassembly, the entire subassembly
must be added. You cannot select individual parts in the subassembly. You can
select the parts you want to capture in the assembly window or in PathFinder. If
you select an assembly pattern, the parts that were used to define the pattern are
automatically captured.
The parts and subassemblies you select are listed in the Selected Components
dialog box. When you have selected all the parts and subassemblies you want in
the new systems library member, click the Accept button on the command bar to
proceed to Captures Features Step. The relationships used to position the parts and
subassemblies are automatically captured.

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Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies

Capturing features
You can only capture features that were created using inter-part associativity
techniques. If one of the parts you selected in the Select Components Step was used
as a parent to create an associative feature on another part, the associative child
feature on that other part is available for use in the systems library member. For
example, if the hole feature (A) in the mounting plate was constructed using the
Include command to associatively include edges (B) (C) from the bracket part, the
hole feature (A) can be part of the systems library document.

Note
For more information on inter-part associativity, see the Inter-Part
Associativity Help topic.
In the previous example, the system library member will then consist of the bracket
part (A), the bolts and washers (B) (C), and the hole feature (D). When you place the
systems library document later, the plate part itself is not placed.

When you select parts that have been used as parents in an associative inter-part
feature, the child features that are available for including in the new systems library

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Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies

Lesson 2

document are listed in the Captured Features dialog box and are highlighted in the
assembly window so you can select only the features you want to capture.
You can also capture any treatment features that modified the associative inter-part
feature. For example, if you added chamfers to the holes described earlier, you
can add them to the captured features list by selecting the chamfer feature in the
assembly window.
After you have selected the features you want to capture, click the Accept button on
the command bar. If you do not want to capture features for the new systems library
document, you can click the Next button on the command bar to bypass this step.

Capturing relationships
When you finish defining the parts and features you want to capture, the Capture
Relationships dialog box is displayed so you can review the parts, features, and
positioning relationships you captured. You can click the relationships listed on
the Capture Relationships dialog box to highlight the faces used to define the
relationship you selected, or you can click the OK button on the dialog box to dismiss
it.

Defining the Systems Library container document

When you click the Create Group button on the command bar, the Create Systems
Library dialog box is displayed so you can define the systems library document name
and location, the assembly template you want to use, and rename any features
you captured.
If you are going to share systems library documents with other users at your
company, you should define file naming and location conventions to make it easier to
use systems library documents.

Placing a Systems Library member document

You place a systems library member document by dragging the assembly document
for the systems library member from the Parts Library page in PathFinder, and
dropping it into the assembly window. When you drop the systems document in the
assembly window, a command bar and the Input dialog box are displayed to guide
you through the steps required to place the systems document:

Positioning the parts

Positioning the features

The parts that comprise the systems library document are also temporarily
positioned in the assembly window.
The Input dialog box lists the assembly relationships required to position the
systems library components. When placing the component parts and captured
features, options are provided on the command bar to skip captured relationships
or features. As you complete the steps required to define a relationship, the Input
dialog box is updated to indicate the steps you have completed.

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Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies

Positioning parts
You position the parts similarly to the way you would normally position a part in an
assembly, by selecting a part already in the assembly, and a face or element on that
part to define the relationship. If the Use Reduced Steps When Positioning Parts
option is set, then you will only need to select a face or element on an assembly
part to define the relationship.
When you drop the systems library member into the assembly, the face on the
placement part for the first positioning relationship is highlighted (A). You can then
select the target face in the assembly to satisfy the first relationship (B). The Input
dialog box displays the relationship type and default value for each relationship. You
can also use the command bar to define a new offset value for the first relationship,
or skip defining the relationship entirely.

After you select the target face for the first relationship, the set of parts is
repositioned, and the face on the placement part for the second positioning
relationship is highlighted (A). You can then select the target face in the assembly
to satisfy the second relationship (B).

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2-5

Lesson 2

Working with Systems Libraries in assemblies

You continue in this fashion until all the positioning relationships have been defined
or skipped.

Positioning features
After you define the assembly relationships, you specify the part that you want to
modify with the captured features. For example, if the feature you are placing is a
hole feature, you would select a planar face on the assembly part (A) on which you
want to apply the hole feature. The hole feature is associatively linked as a child of
the parent part used to define the feature. In this example, the parent part is the
bracket part (B).

After placement, the parts behave exactly the same as any part in an assembly.
The systems library document itself is not placed into the assembly. It is used as a
container that defines the systems components.

Reviewing inter-part relationships

The inter-part relationships that you use when creating a systems library member,
and when you placing a systems library member are indicated in PathFinder, and
can be further reviewed using the Inter-Part Manager dialog box.
For example, a symbol is added to the child part (A) in PathFinder to indicate that it
is associatively linked to another part in the assembly.

2-6

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Lesson

Activity Systems library

The objective of this activity is to teach the fundamentals of creating a systems

library and then placing the library into an assembly so that the parts and features
associated with that library are correctly positioned.
When you complete this activity, you will know how to use systems libraries
to quickly create components and features, which can be used in many other
assemblies. You will learn procedures used during systems library creation that
make placement of system libraries easy and consistent.

Turn to Appendix A for the activity.

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Assembly systems libraries

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Lesson

Lesson review

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the definition of a systems library?
2. How are features, such as holes and cutouts linked to the system library?
3. When placing assembly components in an assembly to be used in a systems
library, is it good practice to define as many relationships as possible to a single
component that is part of the systems library?
4. When creating features that will be placed on target components of systems
library, is it good practice to keep the reference plane orientation the same for
each feature?

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Answers

1. What is the definition of a systems library?

A systems library is a group of assembly components and features that can be
repeatedly placed. Features that typically be needed on target parts, such as
cutouts and holes can be stored and placed as the systems library is placed.
2. How are features, such as holes and cutouts linked to the system library?
When creating features to be placed on the target assembly component, the
features are linked by inter-part geometry.
3. When placing assembly components in an assembly to be used in a systems
library, is it good practice to define as many relationships as possible to a single
component that is part of the systems library?
It is good practice to have as many relationships as possible to the one of the
components in the systems library. Relationships that need to vary because of
differences in target part geometry (such as varying plate thickness) do not need
to be defined by the relationships to another member in the systems library.
4. When creating features that will be placed on target components of systems
library, is it good practice to keep the reference plane orientation the same for
each feature?
When creating features that will be placed on target components of systems
library, it is good practice to orient the reference plane the same for each feature.

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Assembly systems libraries

0-1

Lesson

Lesson summary

In this lesson you learned how to place components into an assembly and define
them as a systems library. Relationships were, when possible, established to the
first part in the features library. Care was taken in creating profile based features
such that the reference plane was oriented consistently for each feature. When
the systems library was placed, the reference plane orientation for placement was
consistent with the orientation used to create the feature.

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Assembly systems libraries

5-1

Activity Systems library

In this activity you will create an assembly called a systems library that consists of
parts and the underlying features needed to modify target geometry as the assembly
is placed.

Place the motor on the plate

The motor is first placed on the plate. Parts and features that need to accompany the
motor in a systems library are created on this plate.
The systems library consists of a group of parts and features that are meant to be
placed many times. First, you assemble the components of the systems library in
the manner you later wish them to be placed. Once the components are correctly
positioned, then you define them as a systems library.
Note
In creating a systems library, it is important to establish as many relationships
as possible between components that are going to be a part of the systems
library. Relationships to other parts need to be reestablished upon placement,
so whenever possible establish relationships with components within the
group to speed placement. Establish as many relationships as you can to
the first part that is placed.

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Open Create_Sys_Lib.asm with all the parts activated.

Assembly systems libraries

A-1

Activity Systems library

The right (y-z) plane of the part base_plate.par will be used to position the motor
on the plate. The assembly reference planes can be turned off.
Hide the assembly reference planes.

Show the reference planes for the part file base_plate.par. Later, these will be
used to position the motor. In PathFinder, right-click base_plate.par and then
click Show/Hide Component and select the On check box for Reference Planes.

From the Parts Library, drag motor.par into the assembly. Position the part
using the following steps.

Click Options on the command bar and set the options as shown.
Note
Even though the FlashFit option is set, choose the appropriate relationship
and leave the default as FlashFit.

A-2

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Activity Systems library

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On the command bar, select the Mate relationship, and mate the plane of the
foot of motor.par to the top plane of base_plate.par.

Select the Planar Align relationship, and align the front face of the motor
bracket on motor.par with the vertical face of base_plate.par. Set the fixed
offset to 15 mm.

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Activity Systems library

A-4

Use the Planar Align relationship to create a relationship between the reference
plane of motor.par to the reference plane of base_plate.par. Access the reference
planes for the motor by turning on the construction display for reference planes
as shown.

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Activity Systems library

The motor is now centered on the base plate.

Use Inter-Part Copy to associate the holes in the motor to the holes
in the plate
Next, add holes to the base plate. Use the Inter-Part Copy command to associate the
holes with the corresponding geometry on the motor.

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Click the Application button.

Click Solid Edge Options.

Click the Inter-Part tab and set the options as shown. Then click OK.

In Assembly PathFinder, right-click base_plate.par, and then click Edit.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

Note
When editing a part in the context of an assembly, you can turn off the view
of the rest of the assembly. The command that does this is View tabShow
groupHide Previous Level. For the upcoming steps, however, do not hide
the assembly.

If you cannot see the motor, select View tabShow groupHide Previous Level.

Choose the Home tabClipboard groupPart CopyInter-Part Copy command

Select motor.par as the assembly part to copy from. Select the bottom plane of
each foot as the faces to copy.

Click the Accept button, and then click Finish to place the inter-part copy.

Create holes in the plate from the Inter-Part copy

Place features on the plate. These features become part of the systems library and
will be placed as features in the target part at the time of placement.

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Activity Systems library

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Choose View tabShow groupHide Previous Level to turn off the display
of motor.par.

Choose Home tabSolids groupHole command

Click Hole Options and set the values as shown, and then click OK.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

Select the reference plane shown in the image. Use the N key on the keyboard to
orient the reference plane as shown.
Note
When creating features for a systems library, it is good practice to orient
the reference plane consistently for all the features.

A-8

Place four Through All holes using the center of the inter-part surfaces to place
the holes.

Choose Home tabClose groupClose Sketch.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

Click with the arrow in the direction shown to define the direction of the hole
extent.

On the command bar, click Finish.

Create the pocket on the plate

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Click the Cut command.

The reference plane is created from the top face of the plate. Use the N key to
orient the reference plane as shown.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

A-10

Click the Include command and set the options as shown, and then click OK.

As shown below, offset the bold lines a distance of 5 mm from the inter-part
construction surfaces.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

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Click Trim, and trim the 4 offset lines as shown.

Click Close Sketch and on the command bar, enter 7.5 mm for the extent of
the cutout.

Click to define the direction of the cutout as into the part. Click Finish to
complete the cutout.

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Activity Systems library

Click the Round command. Select the top edges of the cutout, and enter a radius
of 2.5 mm. Preview and finish the round.

Click Close and Return to return to the assembly.

Place the first fastener

A-12

Drag 10mm_cs_screw.par into the assembly.

Using FlashFit, select the circular edge of the screw, and then select the circular
edge of the hole in the foot of the motor as shown.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

The screw is placed.

Drag 10mm_nut.par into the assembly.

Note
It is good design practice when creating a systems library to position
subsequent parts relative to a single part that will be included in the
systems library. In this case, the plate will not be a part of the systems
library, but the features on the plate will be. Because all the features need
to be placed relative to the motor, the motor will be used to establish as
many relationships to as possible.

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To establish relationship 1, axial align the cylindrical face of 10mm_nut.par with

the cylindrical face of the hole in motor.par.

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Activity Systems library

Mate the top face of the hex face of 10mm_nut.par to the bottom face of
base_plate.par.

Click the Select tool to exit the Place Part command. Select 10mm_nut.par in
Assembly PathFinder, and in the lower plane, click the axial align relationship.

Lock the rotation.

The nut is positioned.

Pattern the fasteners

The pattern in motor.par will be used to pattern the fasteners.

A-14

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Activity Systems library

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Click the Pattern command

In Assembly PathFinder, select 10mm_cs_screw.par and 10mm_nut.par to be

included in the pattern, and then click the Accept button.

When prompted to select the part that contains the pattern, select the motor.

Select the pattern shown.

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Activity Systems library

Select the reference feature shown, and then click Finish to place the pattern.

Create the systems library

All the components of the systems library are in place and can now be stored. Create
the systems library.

A-16

Choose the Home tabAssemble groupcreate Systems Library command

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

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In the Assembly PathFinder, select all parts except base_plate.par.

The dialog box showing the set of parts to be added to the systems library is
displayed.

Click Next on the command bar.

The dialog box showing which features are to be included in the systems library
is displayed.

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Activity Systems library

A-18

Add the round feature to the selection set, by clicking on the feature in the
assembly window.

Click Next on the command bar.

The dialog box showing the Captured Relationships is displayed. Click OK.

Click Create on the command bar.

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Activity Systems library

Name the new systems library motor_assembly.asm. Fill in the appropriate

boxes in the dialog box. Make sure the new file location is the folder containing
the lab files for this activity.

Click OK.

The systems library is now created. Save and close the assembly.

Place the systems library into an assembly

To place the systems library, you will create a new assembly with a plate. You will
place four occurrences of the systems library on the plate.
Note
During creation of the systems library, care and consideration was given in
orienting the reference planes consistently for each feature, and as many
relationships as possible were established to motor.par. This makes accurate
placement easier.

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Create a new assembly file. Save the assembly file as newplate.asm.

Drag newplate.par into the assembly window.

Hide the assembly reference planes.

Right-click newplate.par and click Show/Hide Component, and then select the
check box for Reference planes. These will be used to position the systems
library on the plate.

Drag motor_assembly.asm into the assembly window.

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Activity Systems library

A-20

The first relationship to be established is the mate between the foot of the motor
and the top face of the plate. Select the top face of newplate.par

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Activity Systems library

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Establish the planar align relationship with the 15 mm offset. Click the front
face of newplate.par.

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Activity Systems library

A-22

Now the Mate relationship between the reference plane of the motor and the
reference plane of the plate is to be established. Click the reference plane shown.

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Activity Systems library

Place the 10mm_nut.par. Establish the Mate relationship with the bottom plane
of the plate.
Note
Notice that no action is required to place the screws. This is because all
the relationships needed to position the screws were established relative
to the motor.

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Click the bottom face of newplate.par.

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Activity Systems library

Place the Cutout feature and the Round on the plate.

Note
The orientation of the reference plane selected to place the features will be
consistent with the orientation at the time of their creation.

A-24

Position the mouse so that the reference plane associated with the top face of
newplate.par highlights. If needed, use the N key to orient the reference plane
as shown, then click.

Assembly systems libraries

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Activity Systems library

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The systems library has been placed.

In Assembly PathFinder, right click newplate.par and then click Show Only. You
will see the systems library placed holes for the screws as well as the cutout
and rounds under the motor.

Save, but do not close, this assembly as newplate.asm.

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Activity Systems library

In Assembly PathFinder, right-click the newplate.asm and then click Show All.

Place more occurrences of the system library

Repeat the placement of motor_assembly.asm on the other 3 sides of newplate.par

as shown. Remember to orient the reference plane correctly when placing the
features.

This completes the activity.

Activity summary
In this activity you learned how to place components into an assembly and define
them as a systems library. Relationships were, when possible, established to the
first part in the features library. Care was taken in creating profile based features
such that the reference plane was oriented consistently for each feature. When
the systems library was placed, the reference plane orientation for placement was
consistent with the orientation used to create the feature.

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Assembly systems libraries

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