Autodesk Inventor/Assembly Creation

Assembly Creation
Assemblies are created by combining multiple Parts to form larger 3D model. The Parts can be either created previously or created 'on the fly' while editing an Assembly.

Parts used to create the Assembly model are attached to each other using Constraints. Constraints are 'rules' that the designer implements on the Assembly's Parts to dictate how they are positioned relative to each other. In some Assemblies, the designer may choose not to constrain a Part completely. This will allow one or more degree of freedom between Parts. This can be useful if the Assembly has moving parts like a hinge.

In more resent versions of Inventor (R12 and newer), Assemblies can be used in complex force simulations and analyses. An Assembly can used to simulate how it would react to gravity or other external forces.

Types of Assemblies
Types of Assemblies:


 * Standard Assemblies
 * Weldments

Standard Assemblies are basic Assemblies. They are a collection of parts, constrained together to create a functioning group.

Weldments are Assemblies with additional capabilities and features. Weldments, as the name implies are used to model groups of parts when they get welded together. Extra modeling tools are used to create representations of various weld beads. But this the key advantage of Weldments is the ability to create multiple representations of an assembly through out its manufacturing life cycle.

This is an common issue when designing assemblies that require welding. When a manufacturer creates a welded assembly, the parts used to make up the assembly are oftentimes only in a semi-finished state prior to welding. They then get welded together before going through the final manufacturing to finish the assembly. This technique of welding semi-finished parts is often used to achieve a finished product that is of higher precession then whats generally achievable through welding alone. Since welding and the final finishing of the parts are often done by different tradesmen, some coordination must be done to do this efficiently. This is where the designer can use the Weldment Assembly to depict what needs to be done at each stage, eliminating any possibly of confusion.

Weldment Assemblies can be used any time an assembly of parts requires further manufacturing after assembly to produce a finished product.