Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype

Transcription

1 Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype Bryan Fields Advanced Solutions, Inc. MA305-5 Using the tools available in Autodesk Inventor, this session will look at the progression from concept to Digital Prototype. Attendees will learn to define and work within a defined envelope. Using Design Accelerators, Dynamic Simulation, and Stress Analysis will ensure that designs not only meet Form and Fit, but also Function as intended. About the Speaker: Bryan earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Technology and Industrial Arts from Berea College in Kentucky. He has 8 years of industry experience working primarily for Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers, where he gained experience in tooling design for metal stamping, jig and fixture design, specialty machine design, and gage design. For the last 8 years, Bryan has worked with an Autodesk Premier Solution Provider in manufacturing -- an opportunity that has allowed him to assist a variety of companies in learning and adopting best design practices with the latest Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions Division products. bfields@advsolinc.com

2 Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype

3 Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype Working from 2D sketch To Concept To Functional Digital Prototype

4 Starting with the Conceptual Sketch: Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype Working from sketch is a perfect way to start your designs. It is common for engineers and designers to start with a sketch. These sketches are commonly done on graph pads, white boards, and even napkins. Using Inventor for your conceptual sketch gives you advantage you do not have on conventional sketching tools. Inventor lets you parametrically build your sketch. These sketches can be animated. They can then become the skeleton of your design. When it comes to building your sketches there are several options. Sketches can be an assemble feature, inside a part, or as their own part. There are cases where each of these methods is appropriate but it is recommended to use a part file for your sketches. Assembly Sketches cannot be turned into surfaces if needed. Your conceptual sketches can always be brought into your parts by deriving them from the part containing the sketch if needed.

5 When creating your conceptual sketches be sure to set the BOM Structure to reference. This can always be changed later but it will save time doing this up front. When design requires sub-assemblies, create the part with your conceptual sketch inside the context of the subassembly. If you don t build the subassembly structure when you create your Conceptual Sketch Parts, you can always push them to a sub-assembly later with the Demote Component tool. Sketches can be created on 1, 2, 3, or more planes to give you Front, Side, and Top Views as needed. These are Conceptual Sketches, so create as much or as little geometry as need to define your design.

6 When it comes to constraining your sketches in the context of the assembly try to resist constraining sketch lines in on part to sketch lines in another part. Lines are defined by 2 points so they do not constrain your geometry as much as planes which are defined by 3 points. If you build your sketches in relationship to the origin you can use the XY, XZ, and YZ planes to position one sketch in relation to another. Parts with conceptual sketches can be constrained in the context of the assembly just like parts with 3D geometry. Constraining Sketches will allow you to proof your design without have to create the first 3D Model.

7 Finding a place for Surfaces in a Solid Model World: Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype Surfaces are useful geometric features in Inventor. In addition to being used to define freeform shapes surfaces are also uses with defining prismatic shapes. Surfaces can be used to define size and shape of assemblies and components. Users can also use surfaces to define working area. Taking your conceptual sketch to a surface model is a natural step in the design process. It gives you the ability to have your design start taking shape without creating several models that make up your design. The surface model then can act as a placeholder in your overall assembly. Depending on the complexity of your conceptual sketches you may only need to extrude your sketch to create your surface

8 In other cases you may need to create a loft to get a surface model There may also be time you need to create multiple surfaces and use Inventor Surface tools to create you surface. At this point you need to determine if the additional work is needed of it may be easier to follow another method of design. If your sketches where constrained prior to the creation of your surfaces, your surface assembly should function as your sketches did. If needed, you can always add assembly constraints to your surfaces as needed.

9 Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype Building the Models: Once the 2D sketch has been filled out with surfaces you can start building the models needed to support your surfaces and complete you design. When it comes to building you models you have a variety of options. You can, work from the sketch, work from the surface, use the Frame Generator, and use Design Accelerators. Any or all of these practices are great for filling out your design. Of course you can always use standard modeling practices, copy old designs, or use the content center. When it comes to working from the sketch to create your design you have at least 2 options. First you could simple take that sketch and give it volume. Use this approach if you don t want to retain the sketch for other uses. This method is also appropriate if there is not much complexity in the component or components that make up the design. Depending on the intent of your design you can bring that sketch into you new parts with the Derived Component. This allows you to retain the sketch as its own part. This method builds associatively between the sketch and the parts built off of it. This allows us to change one sketch and modify multiple components in the design.

10 Working from the Surface is a typical design process for sheet metal design. Once you have created you new part, use the Copy Object tool to bring the surface or surfaces you need into your new design. You can simple thicken the surface your material thickness, or project its edges for use with faces and/or profiles. If you design contains structural steel components, Using Frame Generator is ideal. Your existing sketch and/or surfaces can be used for placement of structural steel components.

11 To allow you to focus on your design, and not the geometry, Autodesk Inventors, Design Accelerators give you the ability to create mechanical components based on the specifications you know. A working set of gears can be built, in place, in a mater of moments. Using the Bolted Connection, assemblies almost populate themselves with the needed hardware.

12 Validating the Design as a Digital Prototype: Autodesk Inventor : From Concept to Digital Prototype The Dynamic Simulation module in Autodesk Inventor Professional allows us to validate our design throughout the process. By defining Joints and forces, assemblies can be actuated as they would in the real world. Using the Dynamic Simulation Module give us dramatically different outcome than constraint based dragging, driven constraints, and the Contact Solver in Inventor. With Constraint based dragging you are simply moving a part from one location in space to another. Driven constrains recalculate the model at each step along the values you have set. Contact sets do allow one item to appear to contact another but no consideration is given to force or function. You can create a contact set that has a cam with square lobes, this will work but how would it, or would it even, work in the real world. These tools are useful, and do give us functional models but this is not simulation. When it comes to building your Dynamic Simulation you work from you assembly. Items fully constrained in the assembly, are going to be Grounded in the Dynamic Simulation Module. This allows us to treat sub assemblies with multiple components as one item in the simulation but it can frustrate users when they find everything grounded and nothing moves. Just remember, if it doesn t move freely in the assembly its not going to when you go to simulate it. This is typically a mater of suppressing constrains to allow you assembly to move.

13 Autodesk Inventor s Dynamic Simulation uses a series of Joints to determine how part with interact with each other. Joints differ from constraints in that they allow movement when constraints restrict movement. There are several types of joints in Dynamic Simulation to allow components to move in relationship to each other. Once the appropriate joints are placed, we can apply both linear forces and or rotational forces.

14 These forces, in addition to being static can also by dynamic. By building multiple forces, at various points in time, we can simulate the loads that our design will be subject to in its normal operational cycle. Once our simulation is defined by joints and loads, we can run the simulation.

15 Not only do we get visual feedback in the model window but also graphed output of part positions, velocity, acceleration, force, and moment.

16 Stress Analysis insures parts in your designs are capable of holding up under the loads and forces they will subject to when in use. Autodesk licenses a FEA (Finite Element Analsys) solver from Ansys to determine how parts will behave under stress. Stress analysis allows us to predict how a part will behave when constrained at certain areas, and has force applied on other areas. We can use our results from the dynamic simulation when running stress analysis on our parts. Doing so allows us to get real world forces. These forces can also be gotten from various points in time. From our calculation we can determine if the part will fail under the forces applied. If the component will not fail, we can determine if there is deformation beyond the limits of our design? Using these tools we can create a design that design that we can be assure will perform and function as expected without have cut the first piece of stock or ordered the first part. We can confident we will not have to re-order or remake parts because we have built a Digital Prototype.