If you build assemblies using standardized parts, you will add a similar set of mates for each copy of a component. Your workload can be greatly reduced if you take advantage of Mate References, which can automate the creation of up to three mates at once.
A mate reference is a kind of reference geometry applied to a face, edge, vertex or plane which identifies a type of mate. Mate references are created for each of the parts to be mated, and when one part is inserted to an assembly containing the other, the parts snap together in the mated orientation. Using mate references, you can also mate a subassembly into a higher level assembly. The mate references in both parts must have the same name.
Create a mate reference using Insert > Reference Geometry > Mate Reference. In the part below, there is a mate reference named Shaft & Sprocket with a Concentric reference for the cylindrical face, a Parallel reference for the keyway and a Coincident reference for the end of the shaft. The type of face selected controls the available choices for the mate. For example selecting a planar face does not allow a Concentric mate.
Similarly, there is a mate reference of the same name in the sprocket. The alignment option can resolve situations where more than one interpretation is possible. For example, the Parallel reference for the shaft keyway could be mated in the intended position or 180 degrees out (both positions are parallel). Using the Aligned option for the shaft and the Anti-Aligned option for the sprocket allows both keyways to be adjacent.
In an assembly the shaft is inserted first followed by the sprocket, which snaps into position fully constrained.
Mate references are used many places in SOLIDWORKS. For example, Toolbox bolts and screws have a mate reference under the head, which is why they snap into tapped holes.
Mate references are important time savers for electrical connectors in SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D and for pipe fittings in Routing. They should be used for parts in your Design Library to allow drag and drop insertion to an assembly. Smart Mates make your parametric parts even smarter.
