Making 2 Part Programs into 1. One Graphic, One report

@ wolfman, Ahhh, I see. No, I need the single CAD graphic to equate. I appreciate your time though.

@agarcia as well. The 2 models idea means 2 programs... with no ability to intersect dimensions from 1 to the other.

Thanks fellas...

...btw the Help file "directions" are exquisitely unhelpful in the Equate department... (2014 mr1)

I am measuring this block 2 sides at a time. The square block is positioned (fixtured) nearly all the way deep in X+ and Y-.
After side 1 and 2 are finished, the block is spun 180 degrees on the fixture.

The worst part is I had it once! I was tinkering and got equate to work. CAD w/ previous feature graphics and probe reversed in the graphics window! Then I clicked somewhere back in part 1 and the whole thing 'sploded.

I couldn't quite get back to part 2. ...so I ran the program offline to purge it of demons. ...if you'll excuse the expression.
So I foobed the one time I saw it work. (visually, in the graphics window)

I need to create intersected features between part 1 and part 2. This thing has got like cylinders inside of other cylinders
with crazy little sub-cylinders... that connect other cylinders. And it has a 7 million page blueprint! ... approximately.

Yes, I picked the wrong part program to learn Equate. I'll prolly try a quick test block program to hammer it out offline. Geez does it work offline?

"Save As" your program as you go along. This may help you "keep" an example that works.

How I perform is this:
1st stage...
man interative aln. repeat interative aln in dcc. do local alignment to whatever... ABC, DEF... etc. After all features are covered in top side, create new alignment... do not recall. In the new alignment, since my 1st DCC iterative was to the CAD ref frame, not the Local part reference frame(ABC) i'll recall my 1st DCC iterative there.
then open another new alignment. CTRL+ALT+A, whatever. Thats when I recall the startup. then go to manual mode.

flip

2nd stage:
Perform 2nd man iterative aln. repeat 2nd dcc iterative aln.

I name everything. After my 2nd iterative aln is complete, I go to , insert>aln>equate.

equate new 2nd DCC ALN with original DCC before Move(thats what I named it) then hit enter.

They're equated. except the 2nd manual feature in the 2nd manual iterative aln are not equated. they will be in space.

I just hide those...

So now.. about a year later... I need to prove that the equate process is sound....

Has anyone ran into issues using the equate?

My only issue so far, is that sometimes i cannot grab the same planar points, but i do probe the same circles. So I'll probe 3 hits on Datum A 2 cirlces. interative. then go. Flip it, probe 3 points on a parallel surface to datum A, and still grab the same 2 holes. equate done.

The boss says that if I dont grab the same 3 points from the 1st aln, then the equate is equating incorrectly.

I just cant explain the process correctly to justify the method.

Ander posted earlier that the uncertainty will increase. But does the equate malfunction if you're not using the same features? I do, just not the planar ones.

Does this make sense?

How far different are we talking? Can you not just probe a few points on the surface around the holes?

From my understanding and use of equate it is better to use all the same features and surfaces. However you are still picking up on the same two holes which are the most important features in this case. Is the surface the same surface just in different positions?

EDIT: just read it was a parallel surface, this may introduce some error. especially if the surfaces are machined and could be different every time.

The purpose of equate is to dimension features when the part have been moved. In my case its measuring an angle of a cylinder from center-line. When I start my inspection, the cylinder is on the bottom of part. When I flip my part over, the plane I used to level and z origin is now facing down and about a half inch above the granite. I physically can't probe it. You do not have to probe the same features from your first dcc alignment but your tryhidreon must be in the same place after your equate alignment. I had to offset my Z origin .714" and then equate my final flipped alignment.

My part is too big for the CMM to move around so we have to stop, flip it over, align to it so the CMM can find it, then equate the final flipped alignment to my original dcc alignment. Make sure the the trydidreon is in the same place as my original dcc alignment and proceed with inspecting.

A little late but,.... 2 models does not mean 2 programs. You can hide the model you are not using until you are ready to work with it.

The boss is right. (nobody likes to hear that)

In order for the metrology aspect to be sound, you need to probe the same points. In addition to the possible parallelism error, the amount the parallel plane is off from nominal is induced into the flopped position as measument error in the Z direction.

Equate isn't malfunctioning, but

So to my understanding the best way to dimension features pre flipped to flipped is to elevate the part so you can reach as much features as you can before flipping? For example the height of a plane from a pre flipped surface to a flipped surface. Another programmer on a different shift assigned a variable and made a generic point. I was just wondering what way is most accurate and less time consuming. If I need to make a fixture to elevate the part better I will. I was just going to use a vblock because we have so many different part #'s to make fixtures for.