Seam Welds

Connect parts along a continuous edge or line.

Note:
  • When parts are seam welded together, the contacts between the surfaces are automatically converted from Bonded to No Contact.
  • Seam welds can be applied to solids only. Either solver can be used for the solution. The solver can be set in the Preferences under Inspire > Run Options > Run Options: Analysis solver.

Automatically Create Seam Welds

Learn how to automatically find potential seam welds, where twoparts are within close proximity.

  1. On the Structure ribbon, select the Seam Welds tool.
    Tip: To find and open a tool, press Ctrl+F. For more information, see Find and Search for Tools.
  2. In the guide panel, select the Auto tab.
  3. Next to Parts, the Select button is active. Choose two or more parts. If no parts are selected, the tool works on displayed parts.
  4. Click Preview Welds to see a preview of the potential seam welds.
  5. Enter the Section Size, which is the radius of the seam weld’s cross section.
    Note: To run a sensitivity analysis or optimization, use f(x) to generate variables for Design Explorer studies.
  6. Enter the Minimum Length, which is the minimum length of edges to be considered for seam welds.
    Note: To run a sensitivity analysis or optimization, use f(x) to generate variables for Design Explorer studies.
  7. Click Preview Welds to see a preview of the potential seam welds.
  8. Next to Skip, click the Welds button to choose the seam welds that may be unmanufacturable or otherwise undesirable.
  9. Click Apply.
  10. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.

Manually Create Seam Welds

Manual creation gives you more control over the welds, allowing you to parametrize more weld properties for optimization.

Tip: Ensure there are no gaps between parts that could prevent weld connections. Use tools like Push/Pull and Booleans to reduce or eliminate gaps, enabling the detection of welds.
  1. On the Structure ribbon, select the Seam Welds tool.
    Tip: To find and open a tool, press Ctrl+F. For more information, see Find and Search for Tools.
  2. In the guide panel, select the Manual tab.
  3. Next to Path, the Select button is active. Choose an edge. The tool will find multiple line continuations or you can turn on Tangent Propagation to weld a single line.
  4. Click Preview Welds to see a preview of the potential seam welds.
  5. Enter the Section Size, which is the radius of the seam weld’s cross section.
    Note: To run a sensitivity analysis or optimization, use f(x) to generate variables for Design Explorer studies.
  6. Enter the Minimum Length, which is the minimum length of edges to be considered for seam welds.
    Note: To run a sensitivity analysis or optimization, use f(x) to generate variables for Design Explorer studies.
  7. Enter a value for Adjust End 1 or Adjust End 2, which is the distance from the edge/line where you want the seam weld to end. Alternatively, drag the white arrow at the end of the seam weld.
    Note: To run a sensitivity analysis or optimization, use f(x) to generate variables for Design Explorer studies.
  8. Click Apply.
  9. Right-click and mouse through the check mark to exit, or double-right-click.

Seam Welds Table

Review all seam welds and edit their names in one place.

Click the satellite icon on the Seam Welds tool to review welds in a table.

Note: Some properties cannot be edited due to construction history dependence.
To Do this
Rename a seam weld Select the cell in the table and then click again to make the field editable.
Change the material Select the cell in the table and then select a different option from the list.
Sort a column Click the column header. Click repeatedly to toggle between ascending and descending order.
Add or remove columns Right-click on a column header.