Datasheet

26 CHAPTER 1 INVENTOR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
◆ Reuse of library parts (including but not limited to fasteners, purchased parts, or
company-standard parts used in multiple designs) will improve consistency and per-
formance when loading assemblies. In addition, placing company-standard parts will
eliminate duplication of files and filenames within the data management system.
Make Your Models Mimic the Manufacturing Process
The simplest advice that we can give to new users on the subject of assemblies is to structure them as
you would in real life. If in the design you plan to assemble several parts into a transmission and then
drop that transmission into a housing, then make the transmission a subassembly and insert it into
the upper-level housing assembly. By making your models mimic the manufacturing process, you can
also find possible flaws in your design such as fasteners that cannot be accessed or areas where parts
may interfere during assembly.
You should also build parts around the origin geometry whenever possible. A transmission has gears,
bearings, seals, and so on, that are all concentric with the shaft. If you model all the parts so that their
x-axes will be aligned in the assembly, then it will be more stable. If you constrain the parts by select-
ing model features, then you run t he risk of constraints failing after a revision to a part.
Establishing Standards for Documentation
Documenting your designs in 2D drawing files should follow a standard established by your
company. However, documenting 3D designs and assemblies using traditional methods and
workflows might pose performance and stability issues.
Consider a workflow similar to this: establish a design workflow that encompasses the principle
of ‘‘one part=one part name/number=one drawing.’’ This establishes a link between just one part
file and a single drawing file. This part could be used in many different assemblies and should be
documented separately from assembly documentation. Figure 1.19 illustrates this workflow.
Figure 1.19
Part documentation
workflow
Part File
Contains Material Properties
BOM Properties
Project Information
Design Status
Relationships to IDW/DWG
Documentation
Drawing/Documentation
File
Linked to Part File
Supports Documentation Styles
IPT IDW/DWG
Documentation may take many forms. Inventor offers several options in this area. Your
choice of methods may greatly influence productivity downstream. Aside from conventional
paper prints generated from an IDW or Inventor DWG file, the Export command allows many
options for creating various image formats. Figure 1.20 lists the options available in Autodesk
Inventor 2010.
Don’tTrytoUseInventorAsIfItWereAutoCAD
Users must also realize t hat Inventor is not AutoCAD. AutoCAD has millions of possible ways to
annotate designs and is seemingly infinitely customizable. Many companies complain that Inventor