I (Heart) Pattern Features. Better Bolt Circles With Curve Driven Patterns

Oh no, you not gonna do it are you? please, no, no. YES. Slowly step away from the rotor. Bolt Circles my friends. Large, circular, equally-spaced bolt circles to turn your manufacturing nemesis into someone that buys you cakes on holidays. Manufacturers have a special place in their heart for “B.C.” , and as engineers we want to appreciate the power of creating them easily.

Now, in SolidWorks, you have a few options, but if you’re a square plate with no circular edge to be seen, using the plain old Circular Pattern feature just won’t cut it, but there’s a tool that will.

Have a look at the image below. That’s a heckuvalotta holes huh. It’s easy to create that equally-spaced circle of holes using a circular pattern because you have that circular edge for it to follow. Now let’s look at how to do it when you don’t have a circular edge.

Bolt Circles with Circular Pattern are easy, but what do you do when you don't have a circular edge to select?

What to use when you don’t have a Circular Edge
The fastest way to get a bolt circle without using a circular pattern is to use a Curve-Driven Pattern. But there’s also a quick way to create the curve you want to use.

Step 1 – Create a reference
Using the Hole Wizard (Insert, Features, Hole, Wizard…), select your Hole Size and using the Position Tab in the Property Manager

Step 2 – Create a Curve Driven Pattern
Create a Curve Driven Pattern (Insert, Pattern/Mirror, Curve Driven Pattern…) and select the feature to pattern (the hole) and the reference circle. Note: You’ll have to right-click on the Hole Feature sketch and select Show to be able to select it.

So there ya go. A beautiful Bolt Circle to make any classy machinist have a happy day on the Drill Press.
Image via Flickr – Beige Alert

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Tagged as: bolt circles, circular patterns, happy machinist, manufacturing