Advanced Mate Types in

SOLIDWORKS
Instructors Name
Course Name

1
Assemblies - Mates
• Degree of freedom is geometry that is
not defined by dimensions or
relations and is free to move.
• In a 2D sketch, there are three degrees
of freedom:
– Movement along the X axis.
– Movement along the Y axis.
– Rotation about the Z axis.

2
Assemblies - Mates
• When you create an assembly
document, the base component
should be fixed, fully defined or
mated to an axis about the
assembly origin.

3
Assemblies - Mates
• What is the purpose of Mates in
SOLIDWORKS?

4
Assemblies - Mates
• Mates remove degrees of
freedom of a component in an
assembly.
• A component in an assembly
has (6) degrees of freedom: 3
translational and 3 rotational.
• It can move along its X, Y, and
Z axes and rotate about its X,
Y, and Z axes.

5
Assemblies - Mates
• Move (Click and drag) a
component within its degrees of
freedom to visualize the
assembly's behavior.

6
Assemblies - Mates
• Determine the static and
dynamic behavior of mates in
each sub-assembly before
creating the top-level assembly.

7
Assemblies - Mates
• How many mates do you need in an
assembly?
– As many as you need.
• Can you fully constrain a component
with a single mate?
– Yes. Lock mate.
• Should you always fully constrain all
components in an assembly?
– No.
8
Assemblies - Mates
• Mating Tip:
– Try to use a common mate
reference.
– Do not create mate loops.
– Do not over define mates.

9
Assemblies - Mates
• Mating Tip:
• Before you redefine or edit a Mate, save
the assembly. One Mate modification can
lead to issues in multiple components that
are directly related. Understand the Mate
Selections syntax.

10
Mates Types in SolidWorks
• There are three categories of
mate types in SOLIDWORKS:
• Standard, Advanced, Mechanical

11
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Profile Center. Mate
to Center automatically
center-aligns common
component types such
as rectangular and
circular profiles to each
other and fully defines
the components.

12
Example: Profile Center mate

13
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Symmetric mate.
Forces two similar
entities to be
symmetric about a
planar face or plane.

14
Example: Symmetric mate
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Width mate. Centers a tab
within the width of a groove.
• The Width mate is used to
replace the Symmetric mate
where components have
tolerance and a gap rather
than a tight fit.

16
Example: Width mate
• Width mate:
• Centers a tab within
the width of a
groove.

17
Example: Width mate

18
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Path mate. Enables any
point on a component to be
set to follow a defined path.
• Linear/Linear Coupler
mate. Establishes a
relationship between the
translation of one
component and the
translation of another
component.

19
Example: Path mate
• Path mate:
Constrains a
selected point on
a component to a
path.

You can define pitch, yaw, and roll of the

20
Example: Path mate
• Path mate:
Example 2 - Path
mate for a key in
a cylinder.

You can define pitch, yaw, and roll of the component as it travels along the
path. You can also add motion.

21
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Linear/Linear Coupler
mate. Establishes a
relationship between the
translation of one
component and the
translation of another
component.

22
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Distance mate (Limit mate).
Provides the ability to allow
components to move within a
range of values for distance
and angle.
– Distance. Locates the selected
items with a specified distance
between them.

23
Advanced Mate Types (Cont.)
• Distance mate (Limit mate).
Provides the ability to allow
components to move within a
range of values for distance
and angle.
– Angle. Locates the selected
items at the specified angle to
each other.

24
Example: Distance - Limit mate

25
Example: Distance - Limit mate

26
Mate Alignments
• Mate alignment. Provides
the ability to toggle the
mate alignment as
necessary. There are two
options:
– Aligned. Locates the
components so the
normal or axis vectors for
the selected faces point
in the same direction.

27
Example: Aligned

28
Mate Alignments
• Anti-Aligned. Locates the
components so the normal or axis
vectors for the selected faces point in
the opposite direction.

29
Example: Anti-Aligned

30
Mates in General
• Mates do not prevent interference
or collisions between components.
To prevent interference, use
Collision Detection or Interference
Detection tool.

31
Mates in General (Cont.)
• Clear Mate Selection:
Right-click in the Mate
Selections box. Click
Clear Selections or
delete to remove all
geometry or a single entity
from the Mate Selections
box.

32
Mates in General (Cont.)
• Delete a Mate: Before you
redefine or edit a Mate,
save the assembly.
• One Mate modification can
lead to issues in multiple
components that are
directly related.

33
Mates in General (Cont.)
• Delete Mate: If you
delete a Mate and then
recreate it, the Mate
number will be different.
• View the mate symbols in
the Mates folder.

34
Mates in General (Cont.)
• Use the View
Mates
command to
view the mates
in an assembly.

35