What practices for replacing imported McMaster components?

[campbellqn]

I have an assembly that is being designed that utilizes a lot of McMaster components through out. I am building subassembly/subcomponents of groups that get patterned out but as the design is changed I am needing to swap out different components in those sub assemblies. I understand that there is a replace component with linked parts in the design but not for natively built components. So what's the best process to able to easily remove and replace those components that get jointed?

[Drewpan]

Hi,

The first question I would ask is do you actually need all of these extra parts? It might sound a bit counter-intuitive

but are you creating a model or a representation of what you want?

Having the ability to insert McM parts is great if I actually need to track all of the parts but tracking all of these parts

leads to big performance issues the more parts that are used. An example is that if I have a plate that is joined to

some other part and it uses eight M5 bolts, do I actually NEED all of those bolts modeled, or can I  simply join the

plate and add eight bolts to my BOM? It is similar to modeling the threads of those bolts, is it actually necessary for

a representative model or required for actual fabrication?

If you do need all of these parts to be modeled then probably the best way is to make sure your design standards at

the interface of your sub-assemblies are all actually standard so that whatever the physical shape of the sub-

assembly looks like, the actual interface where you join it is identical. Using the example, all eight bolt holes will be

in exactly the same place on part A as they are on part B and so should drop straight in with no changes required.

Cheers

Andrew

[TrippyLighting]

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@..

So what's the best process to able to easily remove and replace those components that get jointed?

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As you have already discovered, "Replace Component" only works for linked components.
As such, delete and re-insert is unfortunately the best option.

If you are using fasteners, have you tried the new fasteners library that is built into Fusion ?

There, replacing existing fasteners is quick and easy.

[cgbongo]

Hi @TrippyLighting, I have a few questions about this part of your current answer.

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@TrippyLighting wrote:

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As you have already discovered, "Replace Component" only works for linked components.
As such, delete and re-insert is unfortunately the best option.

If you are using fasteners, have you tried the new fasteners library that is built into Fusion ?

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1. Unfortunately, it seems that my version of Fusion does not have this option. Is this a me problem? I remember the feature existing previously.

2. What about for other convenient McMaster-Carr components, such as bearings? Are there better practices for inserting non-fastener components?

Additionally, a general question about McMaster-Carr component insertion.

3. Is it possible to insert only the body of a McMaster-Carr component through the embedded Fusion window, so that I can potentially keep a standard component as a linked file without any child components?

Your input is appreciated.

Connor

[g-andresen]

Hi,

Inset Fastener is only possible in team mode and requires an activated history.

günther

[campbellqn]

As an FYI for anyone coming to read this later. A solution a buddy of mine came up with (haven't tests it my self yet) is to use a linked component in the design with the mcmaster part inside that linked component, make sure the mcmaster part is always joined/positioned relative to the origin in the linked design and join based on the origin of the linked design to the actual file you're working on. And use Edit in place if you need to swap out pieces.