You can create Ribs in a model following the template shown below:
The dimensions in the graphic are defined as follows:
Variable
Description
t
Reference wall thickness
h
Maximum rib height
a
Rib thickness
R
Rib blend radius
To create ribs on a part,
1. Click Mold Feature and then, in the Plastic Feature group, click Create. The Plastic Feature Browser opens.
2. Double-click Ribs in the browser. The Ribs dialog box appears.
3. If necessary, select from the Calc Rule list the calculation rule (the group of formulae) used to determine the variables during the calculation of the ribs.
4. If necessary, specify a different Mold Part to which the ribs are to be added; the default selection is the active part.
5. If necessary, specify the Workplane containing the rib profile; the default selection is the active workplane.
6. A direction for the ribs is assumed by the Advisor; to change this, click Direction and specify a different direction using the Direction 3D tool.
7. To extend the ribs to meet the walls of the mold part, click Grow on.
8. After creating the ribs, the Advisor will put the original workplane containing the rib profile in a new container, although it will remain in its original 3D position. By default, a copy of the workplane is also created that retains its original position in the data structure. To stop the system making this copy, click Copy WP off.
9. If necessary, specify a new position for the selected workplane by selecting one of the workplane positioning options.
10. Enter the thickness of the reference wall in the RefW.Thick(t) data entry field. The max Height(h) field is then filled in automatically.
11. If necessary, enter a new max Height(h). This value is the maximum allowable height of the ribs. Note that if the calculated maximum height is larger than the specified value, Mold Design issues a warning informing you of this.
12. To change any of the default parameters (determined by the selected calculation rule):
a. Click Expand on to display the default Rib Data in the dialog box.
b. Enter new values as required. Use the graphic as a guide.
13. Click OK to complete the operation and create the ribs.
If any of the parameters you enter breaks a rule, the Advisor issues a warning informing you of the allowable values for the parameter. Click Continue in the Warning box to ignore the warning and accept the value as entered.
While entering parameters, you can always return to the Advisor-determined default values by clicking Default on in the menu. The default values replace all values you have entered.
When Default is on, but you change one of the default parameters, the Default switch is automatically turned off. This tells the system that you are specifying your own defined values from that point on. Therefore, if you subsequently change the RefW.Thick(t) or Calc Rule values, the parameters do not change according to the defaults until the Default option is switched on again.
Create. The Plastic Feature Browser opens.
to complete the operation and create the ribs.