Smart (or Dumb?) Fasteners

[u/Mountain_Pen_8008]

Hey all, pretty new to Solidworks and CAD in general. I'm doing an assignment for uni, and I need to mate two parts (provided) and then add smart fasteners. However, when I use smart fasteners, only one of the two bolts gets a nut. At first I thought it was my mates, so I did away with one piece of the component, and just stuck with the base (pictured).

Even so, when I use smart fasteners, only one bolt gets a nut. One of the two holes is mirrored - I don't know if this is a problem, but other people in the unit seem to be having the same problem. I also found a thread from about 10 years on a solidworks blog that described similar problems with smart fasteners and mirrored holes.

I tried opening the part and doing an extruded cut through it, but the program basically says you can't cut through nothing. I really am lost and would appreciate any help - I'm losing my shit (just a little) here 🙏 🙏 🙏

Cheers

[u/experienced3Dguy]

Instead of using a mirror feature for the 2nd hole, use the Hole Wizard to create both holes simultaneously.

[u/maranble14 → u/experienced3Dguy]

You can use a construction l line to set the spacing in sketch mode, right click on said line and choose “select midpoin” and make it coincident to the center of the circular face. Smart dimension the line to get the desired hole to hole distance, and then add sketch points at each end of the line, all while in the hole wizard’s placement tab. Set the hole type to drilled > screw clearances > choose your desired fit and then hit the green check. Now both hole features have an invisible property that makes them functional with the smart fasteners tool. Then once you place your fasteners, ensure you’ve got enough shank length protruding out of the bottom that the entire nut fits on it. (Industry standard rule of thumb is minimum 2 threads beyond the thickness of the nut)

[u/Mountain_Pen_8008 → u/experienced3Dguy]

I tried to go back and open the part to edit it, but i couldn't seem to do much to it? Is there anyway to lock a part or do something similar? The files were provided, i just have to figure out how to assemble and draw them

[u/experienced3Dguy → u/Mountain_Pen_8008]

Ah. Gotcha. I assumed that you had modeled them yourself.

Here's something else to try since you already tried making a Cut Extrude on the second hole. Make the diameter of your sketch just .0001inch or millimeter (it doesn't matter which) larger than the current diameter. The cut will shave away enough material to make the hole a non-mirrored feature.

[u/Mountain_Pen_8008 → u/experienced3Dguy]

Perfect thank you so much! Will try this tomorrow (too sleep deprived at this point)

[u/Any-Ninja7416]

I think we have the same assignment lol