Assembly and use of Mates
Assembly is an environment in SolidWorks where we put together multiple parts to create a complete product or mechanism, using Mate commands to define the relationships and constraints on the movement of those parts.
Mates are a tool used to model the physical connections between parts in an assembly. The first part imported into an assembly is automatically fixed, and all other parts must be assigned relationships (Mates) until they are fully defined .
1. Standard Mates (Standard Mates)
It is the most basic Mate used to define relationships:
Coincident Mate (mutual relationship):
Function: Make the surfaces, edges, or points of two parts lie on the same plane or touch.
Usage: Used to place the planes of workpieces together or to place points/lines on a plane.
Concentric Mate (Concentric Relationship):
Function: Make the central axes of the curves (e.g. holes, shafts, cylinders) of two parts lie on the same axis.
Usage: Used to insert a shaft into a hole or to align the drilled holes.
Parallel Mate (Parallel Relationship):
Function: Make the surfaces or lines of two parts always parallel.
Usage: Used to control the direction of the workpiece to be parallel to the reference surface.
2. Advanced Mates (Advanced Mates)
Mates used to set more complex limits or controls:
Limit Mates (Mate sets limits):
Function: Control the linear movement (distance) or rotation (angle) of the part within a specified range.
Usage:
Limit Distance: Specifies the minimum and maximum distance between two surfaces (e.g., simulating a fully sliding drawer).
Limit Angle: Specifies the minimum and maximum angles of rotation (e.g., simulating a hinge that opens at a limited angle).
| Main | SolidWorks, Assembly, Assembly of parts, Mates |
| Level/Target Group | Beginner, Basic, Mechanism, Motion, Motion Simulation |
| Specific commands | Concentric, Coincident, Limit Mates, Mate, Standard Mates, Advanced Mates |
| Usage | Fixation, limitation of movement, alignment, fully defined assembly |
| language | English, English Tutorial, Thai |
Figure 1: Introduction to SolidWorks Assembly
Image Caption: Overview of the SolidWorks Assembly environment, showing unassembled parts and emphasizing the concept of Mates in defining relationships between parts.
Image text: "SOLIDWORKS FOR BEGINNERS", "1. INTRODUCTION TO ASSEMBLY & MATES", "DRAG & DROP COMPONENTS, DEFINE MOTION", "ASSEMBLY DESIGN TREE", "MATES = COMPONENT RELATIONSHIPS".
Figure 2: Coincident Mate - Surface to Surface
Image Caption: Shows the use of Coincident Mate to align the surfaces of two parts, a basic mate for part alignment.
Image text: "SOLIDWORKS FOR BEGINNERS", "2. COINCIDENT MATE - SURFACE TO SURFACE", "STANDARD MATES", "COINCIDENT MATE: ALIGNING FACES"
Figure 3: Concentric Mate - Aligning Axes
