About Flexible Components

A flexible component readily adapts to new, different, or changing requirements. It can be included in an assembly in various states. A spring, for example, can have various compression conditions in different places in an assembly. Values for flexibility are defined at the following times:

• Before placement (predefined)

• During placement

Flexibility can be defined for any part or subassembly and can be used for every placement instance of the component. To make the component flexible in the assembly, set values or define the following items that will vary to allow the component to become flexible:

• Dimensions, tolerances, parameters, and materials

• Suppress or resume feature and component (for subassemblies) states

Flexible components do not move and will lock the assembly's movement. To allow kinematic movement, exclude flexible parts from an assembly for the duration of the dragging operation. Flexible components have the following properties:

• The component name is the same as the original component, even if the shape or structure is different.

• All instances of the flexible component refer to the original model. The original model must be present in the current session.

• Common properties are associatively shared between the original component and all related flexible components and cannot be selected as varied items. When you modify a common property of a flexible component, you modify the original model.

• The creation or modification of a varied item affects the flexible instance of the component, not the original model.

• Varied dimensions can be associated with a measurement in the assembly.

• Varied items can be driven by an assembly relation, program or a Family Table using corresponding associated parameters.

• A flexible subassembly can directly affect components at any level of the subassembly. Such components are labeled Affected by Flexible.

• Children of flexible components and affected by flexible components are labeled Driven by Flexible. These components behave as flexible components in the context of a flexible subassembly. To open or activate them from the assembly Model Tree you must first temporarily remove upper-level flexibility.

• Components with predefined flexibility can be placed automatically.

In the Model Tree,