Tab-slot Joint

Plugin AVC_TabSlot for AutoCAD and BricsCAD

Modeling the connection of two parts using a series of tabs(pins) at the end of one part and a series of slots(dadoes) on the plane of another part.

The Tab-Slot Joint program (TabSlot command) helps to model one of the typical connections of parts. A row of evenly spaced rectangular tenons (tabs, studs) is created on one part, and slots (dodoes) are cut on the counterpart part. Such a connection is used in furniture, POS and building products, boxes, stairs. The connection allows you to connect two parts from any flat sheets: steel, wooden board, MDF, chipboard, plastic, cardboard, sandwich panels and composite materials. Usually, after joining, the parts are fixed with glue or welding.

Program features

The program itself finds the joints of the parts and determines which part is joined by the end, and which by the plane.
The program can process many seams at once, can find all seams in an assembly block. One part can be processed from all sides at once.
The program always divides the seam into equal steps. The maximum allowable step length is configurable, but the step length cannot be set exactly.
You can limit the minimum number of seam division steps and you can force the program to divide the seam into an odd number of steps.
You can adjust the depth of the slots and thus the height of the tenons. You can customize the program to cut slots through parts of any thickness. Or tuck the depth of the slots to leave the specified thickness.
The program can widen the slots in all directions to allow the tenon to fit freely.
You can choose what the program will do in the first step - leave the thrust pad (do nothing), or make a tab-slot. This way you can control how the ends of the seam will look.
You can also use the program to joint parts end-to-end. But the direction of extrusion of the tenons in this case is unpredictable.
The program is configured in a convenient settings dialog.
You can create up to 9 styles of program settings for different occasions and quickly switch between them from the command line.

Program restrictions

The program works only with solid models. Doesn't work in 2d, doesn't work with meshes.
The parts to be joined must be created from flat sheets. The program does not work on bent skins (But the DadoDoint program does)
Parts must fit together without gaps or overlaps. The seam region must be rectangular. At a non-rectangular joint, the program will also work, but the result will not please you.
The program is similar to the DadoDoint (DDJ) program, but cannot replace it, cannot do only 1 pin and slot.
The tab and slot are always extruded strictly perpendicular to the joint plane, even if the parts are joined at an angle other than 90 degrees.
The program can only make rectangular tenons and slots. The program is not intended for modeling 'Zigzag' or 'Dovetail' connections or the like.
Too small joint division leads to a large number of tenons, and the solid becomes too complex. AutoCAD will be slow and glitchy, and A>V>C> programs are configured to ignore solids with more than 200 faces. Avoid overly complex details.
Like all other modeling commands, the TabSlot command erases all data about the coloring and materials of solid surfaces. Assign cover and edge banding materials only after modeling is complete.
The program does not search for contacts at the junction of two blocks. If you have all the parts packed in separate blocks, then you must first execute the Unpack command.
The program does not control that the slots can break a part that is too small into pieces.

Read about downloading and installing the program here.

To run the plugin, you will have to register account and top up your account balance or receiving bonuses.

Then you can activate one of the licenses:

Annual license - 10 EUR.
Unlimited license - 50 EUR. Free updates for 1 year.
The trial period is 20 days.

Operating procedure

You can pre-configure the program. To do this, open the A>V>C> Options Palette (AvcOptions) on the Tab-Slot Joint tab.

Create a model of your product from 3d solids. Parts must be in contact with each other with flat surfaces, without gaps and overlaps. It is convenient to model boxes (_box), and then peel the walls of the required thickness from them with the Multi-Slice (MSL) command.

You can select details before calling the TabSlot command. You must select at least two solids or a assembly-block with solids inside. Machining parts is a complex and lengthy process. To prevent AutoCAD from freezing, the program refuses to work with more than 20 solids in one call. If you do not need to make a connection at all joints of the assembly, then you can try to filter out unnecessary parts using the filter settings. In more complex cases, you will have to select the parts to be joined in pairs and run the TabSlot command for each pair separately. If blocks are selected, the program will add all the solids from them to the processing list. As well as solids from nested blocks. But scaled blocks will be ignored.

Call the TabSlot command. If nothing has been selected yet, then the program asks for a selection of parts. On the command line you will see the options:

SwitchStyle - quickly switch between program styles
Tune - open the settings dialog.

Next, the program will begin to sort through all the details and look for joints between them. A measurement procedure will be called for each part. Some details may be ignored if filters are configured. Joints that are too small will be ignored (see the Minimum area setting). The program will write on the command line how many matching joints were found.

Next, the program will begin to process joint by joint. At each seam, the longest linear edge will be found and divided into even steps along it. By default, the first section (step) is skipped. There will remain a stubborn platform, and in the second step the program will make a tab-slot. And so on through one step to the end of the joint. You can switch the program so that it make tenon on the first step and stubborn platform on the second. But if the joint is divided into an even number of steps, then the ends of the joint will in any case be different - at one end there is a tab-slot, at the other there is an stubborn platform. Therefore, the program has the option of dividing the seam always into an odd number of steps.

Of the two joined parts, the one that is joined at the end (surface of a smaller area) will be selected and rectangular tenon will be attached to it. Slotes will be cut into the second part (joining large surface). If the parts are joined by the same surfaces (end-to-end joint), then you can not control in any way which way the tenon will be directed from the original joint.

The depth of the slots can be set in the settings, or can be calculated individually for each joint. Set the Depth to 0 to have the software take the thickness of the part as the depth of the slots. In most cases, this will result in through milling of the part. An exception is the case when it was not on the main plane of the part, but on the end (for example, a end-to-end joint). Then you will again get blind slot to a depth equal to the thickness of the part.

You can also set a negative slot depth. The program will then calculate the depth of the slot as PartThickness - |Depth|. And then you will get the same thickness of the part wall remaining behind the slot, regardless of the thickness of the part.

After work, the program will display the number of joints made on the command line.

Watch the command line - there may be messages about the reasons for filtering objects and error messages.

Program settings

To customize the Tab-Slot Joint command, you can use the A>V>C> Options Palette (AvcOptions) on the Tab-Slot Joint tab. Or reset the selection and call the TabSlot command with the TUNE option.

Style Name

The name for this reduce-style (set of settings). Not used in the program. Only for convenience of choice.

Max step

The program always divides the joint into equal parts. You can't set the exact tenon length - it is calculated individually for each joint. But the length of each slot and stop should not exceed this value.

Minimum number of steps

Prevent the program from taking too few steps on short joint.

Depth

The parameter sets the tenon height and slot depth.

If you set it to 0, then the program will cut through the window instead of the slot.

A negative value specifies the remaining material thickness after slot milling, and the depth will be calculated for each part as Part Thickness - |Depth|.

Gap

Gap between details. If you specify a value greater than 0, then the cut slot will be enlarged in all directions. This will allow the tenon to slide freely into the slot without any effort. Default 0.

Start with tab

The first step is to make a tab and slot. If the option is disabled, then the stop pad remains at the first step. The setting is meaningless if the joint is divided into an even number of steps.

Odd number of steps

Always divide the joint into an odd number of steps. Then two stop pads will remain at both ends of the joint. And if 'Start with tab' is set, then tenons and slot will be made at both ends.

Selected objects filter

Filtering is needed to discard drawing objects that accidentally fall into the selection frame. It is easier to select all the objects of the model in a row, and let the program select only the necessary ones from them. In this section, the search for parts inside block assemblies is turned on. You can read more about filtering on the Data Table page.