Datasheet

UnDerstanDIng FUnctIonal DesIgn
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The V-belts Generator
An example of functional design and its benefit is the use of the Inventor’s V-belts Generator.
Traditionally, to design a pulley system, you would lay out the pulleys in positions as required by
the design and then choose a belt that met the design requirements and came as close as possible to
fitting the pulley spacing. The result oftentimes is that no common belt size fits the pulley spacing.
The functional design approach to this task allows you to specify the belt from a standard catalog of
belt sizes at the same time that you are creating the rest of the system. In this way, you know from
the outset that the design is indeed functional and will work in the real world.
Functional design supports design through generators and wizards that add mechanical con-
tent and intelligence to the design. By using the components within Inventor functional design,
you can create mechanically correct components automatically by entering simple or complex
mechanical attributes inside the generator.
Using the functional design components within Inventor provides many advantages:
You shorten the design and modification process through the use of intelligent
•u
components.
You produce a higher level of design quality and accuracy.
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Functional design provides a more intuitive design environment, compared to creating •u
complicated geometrical designs.
Functional design can eliminate the need for physical prototypes for the purpose of ana-
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lyzing stress and movement.
The following portions of Autodesk Inventor are part of the functional design system:
Design Accelerator
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Frame Generator•u
Inventor Studio•u
AutoLimits•u
Content Center•u
Bolted Connection Generator•u
The Design Accelerator
The Design Accelerator is an important component of the functional design system, provid-
ing the user with engineering calculation and decision-making support to identify and place
standard components or create standards-based geometry from the input provided by the
user. Design Accelerator tools automate selecting standard parts and creating intelligent
geometry. The initial design quality is improved by validating against design requirements.
Standardization is simplified by selecting the same components for the same tasks.
The Design Accelerator provides a set of component generators and calculators that are
able to create mechanically correct standard components automatically by entering simple or
detailed information.
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