Composite Design > Composite Design Workflow > Creating Plies > Create a Ply
Create a Ply
A ply is defined by a boundary, rosette, material, orientation, drop-off, name, and sequence. To create a ply, you must first set up the Composite environment. To learn how to setup the Composite environment, see Setting Up the Composite Environment.
You can create a ply in one of the following ways:
• Manual Ply—Creates a ply object by defining a boundary, rosette, material, orientation, drop-off, name, and sequence. The ply feature that creates the ply object with this method is indicated by .
• Zone Based Ply—Creates a ply object by specifying a laminate zone for its boundary, rosette, material, orientation, drop-off, name, and sequence. The ply feature that creates the ply object with this method is indicated by .
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You can change the default prefixes of the name and the sequence of a laminate object in one of the following ways:
• Click File > Options. In the Creo Parametric Options dialog box, click Applications > Composite. Specify the values under Name Policy Settings.
Manual Ply
Create a manual ply as follows:
1. Click Ply. The Ply tab opens.
2. Under Type, select Manual Ply.
3. In the Boundary chains collector, select chains to define the boundary of a ply. You can define a boundary by selecting a single closed loop, one outer and one or more inner loops, multiple individual loops, or multiple intersecting curves, edges, or loops. To learn how to define the boundary of a ply, see Example: Define a Ply Boundary.
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To invert the selection, click Flip Side.
4. To change the default rosette, click in the Rosette box and select a rosette from the Composite Tree.
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Using the appropriate rosette type for the specific ply shape can produce more accurate draping results, eliminating the need for multiple Cartesian rosettes. To learn how to specify a rosette type, see Define a Rosette. To learn how to use the Search Tool to identify the rosettes with a specific projection type, see Identify a Rosette Based on the Projection Type.
5. To change the default material, select a different composite material from the Material list.
6. In the Orientation box, select or type an angle to set the orientation of the ply. The ply is oriented relative to the local zero-degree direction which is obtained from the evaluation of the rosette at that location.
7. (Optional) In the Ply Settings tab, change the following settings:
◦ In the Drop-off box, select Default or specify a value. When you select Default, the ply will use the drop-off value defined in the setup. When you specify a custom value, that value will be used.
◦ In the Name box, specify a name.
◦ In the Sequence box, specify a sequence. Two or more laminate objects can have the same sequence.
8. Click OK.
Zone Based Ply
Before you create a zone-based ply, you must first create a laminate zone. A laminate zone stores a boundary definition. To create a laminate zone, you must first set up the Composite environment. To learn how to set up the Composite environment, see Setting Up the Composite Environment.
Create a laminate zone as follows:
1. Click Laminate Zone. The Laminate Zone tab opens.
2. In the Boundary chains collector, select chains to define a boundary. You can define a boundary by selecting a single closed loop, one outer and one or more inner loops, multiple individual loops, or multiple intersecting curves, edges, or loops. To learn how to define the boundary of a ply, see Example: Define a Ply Boundary.
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To invert the selection, click Flip Side.
3. Click OK.
Create a zone-based ply as follows:
1. Click Ply. The Ply tab opens.
2. Under Type, select Zone Based Ply.
3. In the Laminate zones collector, select one or more zones to define the boundary of a ply. The zones you select must form a single closed contour.
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When you use multiple zones to define a ply boundary, the zones must be adjacent, intersecting, or both. Make sure that you avoid detached zones.
4. To change the default rosette, click in the Rosette box and select a rosette from the Composite Tree.
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Using the appropriate rosette type for the specific ply shape can produce more accurate draping results, eliminating the need for multiple Cartesian rosettes. To learn how to specify a rosette type, see Define a Rosette. To learn how to use the Search Tool to identify the rosettes with a specific projection type, see Identify a Rosette Based on the Projection Type.
5. To change the default material, select a different composite material from the Material list.
6. In the Orientation box, select or type an angle to set the orientation of the ply. The ply is oriented relative to the local zero-degree direction which is obtained from the evaluation of the rosette at that location.
7. (Optional) In the Ply Settings tab, change the following settings:
◦ In the Drop-off box, select Default or specify a value. When you select Default, the ply will use the drop-off value defined in the setup. When you specify a custom value, that value will be used.
◦ In the Name box, specify a name.
◦ In the Sequence box, specify a sequence. Two or more laminate objects can have the same sequence.
8. Click OK.
Locate a Ply Object
• To locate the ply object of a ply feature, right-click the ply feature and select .
• To locate the ply or core objects of a laminate zone feature, right-click the laminate zone feature in the Composite Tree and select .
Locate a Ply Feature
• To locate the ply feature of a ply object, right-click the ply object and select .
Locate Laminate Zones
• To locate the laminate zone features of a ply object, right-click the ply object and select .
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