Sphere tangent to cone

[[ma...]]

Good morning, how do I create a sphere tangent to a measured cone?
Thanks

[[Ma...]]

You can make a theoretical sphere and drop it in the cone or create a cone calculation to achieve the point of engagement. Then use a result element to add the formula to calculate the height of the sphere.

[[Ma...]]

This would be easier with 2 lines and tangential element with defined radius.

Or with calculation you can do something like this.

1. calculate diameter on sphere from cone angle
2. make theoretical cylinder of this diameter in axis of cone
3. do intersection of cylinder and cone shell
4. place theoretical sphere in resulted circle and calculate adjustment for cone angle

Edited June 25, 2025

[[Ch...]]

highly suggest buying a probe with this exact gage ball size if possible, we do a lot of similar dimensions.

[[Jo...]]

Over Ball Height.pdf

Here is a guide for obtaining the over ball height I created years ago. There may be other easier methods to accomplish this. This is what worked for me. 

[[Jo...]]

Just my two cents, but using a stylus probe the size needed to simulate a gage diameter is not the same as a gage sphere. Stylus probes do have size tolerance and may not be the exact diameter called out on the print (of course, it's probably pretty close). This method will get you a close number depending on the diameter size error. This error might be negligible for your tolerances.

 

[[Ke...]]

Using 2 lines and a theoretical sphere within the Tangent function is an easy and accurate method, which correlates well with using a physical calibrated ball. However, this method is very dependant on the form of the cone, and you may need to closely target the actual contact area of the sphere/cone.