MFG321419-L

Better Machine Design with Inventor Design

Accelerators
Thom Tremblay
Concepts and Design, LLC

Learning Objectives
• Learn how to produce machine components using the load requirements to
establish what geometry will work.
• Learn how to place clearance holes through components after calculating the
fasteners required to hold the assembly together.
• Learn how to choose a standard belt size and position pulleys based on power
handling requirements.
• Learn how to create meshing gears based on the loads without having to draw the
gear features.

Description
Simulation technologies are very powerful, but for purchased fasteners or machine components
that use standard gear tooth profiles, bearings, chains, or springs simulation aren’t the most
efficient solutions. The answers to selecting those types of components have been cataloged for
decades in handbooks and reference materials. In this course, we’ll get hands on to try out
several of the Design Accelerators in Inventor that use time-tested performance standards to
size and select components. These tools can also shorten the design process by creating
multiple features at once even through multiple components in an assembly. If you design
machinery, you need to be aware of these tools.

Speaker
In 1988 Thom Tremblay became convinced that a 3D model should be used as the primary way
to create the 2D drawing he needed. The next several years working as a drafter and
mechanical designer in shipbuilding, planning, casework, commercial electronics, and
centrifugal compressors eventually led Thom using his skills to teach others. With over twenty
years of experience consulting with businesses and education institutions of all types and sizes,
Thom has developed an understanding of how people use and learn technologies. Thom also
holds professional certifications in Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor, and is an
Autodesk Certified Instructor - Gold. Thom has authored several books and online learning
content on Autodesk Inventor and is authoring online learning content for Fusion 360.

Page 1
Design Accelerators
Design Accelerators are a standards-based tool for creating or calculating machine components
based on the engineering requirements of the design. Each of the tools is either a Calculator
which can give you the information on what is required of a machine component or a Generator
which can based on basic input or calculators create the digital model of the standard
component.

Created in the context of an assembly, the Design Accelerator use your inputs to determine
what standard components to select for fasteners bearings belts and chef components. They
can also use your engineering requirements to develop custom components based on standard
materials, gear profiles and using metal profiles to build frames.

The Design Accelerator tools can be found on the Design tab of the ribbon when working in an
assembly file. The tools are segmented into Fasten, Frame, Power Transmission, and Spring
panels. The panels do a great job of segmenting the based on their primary use in the type of
component they generate or calculate.

Fasten
The fasten tools focus on the Bolton Connection generator and a series of tools for creating
Pins. The Bolton Connection gen is one of the most commonly used tools applying not only
fasteners into the assembly for creating the clearance and threaded holes for connecting
components together simultaneously.

Frame
The frame generator creates metal frames based on a skeleton model which can be made up of
solids, surfaces, or sketch geometry. In addition to using a large library of standard metal
sections to create frame segments and advanced editing tools, this panel also includes a frame
analysis tool for validating the design.

Power Transmission
This panel focuses on the chefs the components that support them are connected to them or
drive the rotation. Expanding the panel will reveal a number of calculators and machinery
handbook.

Spring
Compression, Extension, Belleville, and Torsion springs can be created based on loads, work
range, and standard spring wire materials.

Page 2
Getting Hands on
Expand the data sets if they are not already installed on the lab system. The path you choose
will not matter as long as you can locate the files and most importantly the project file.

Activate the MFG 321419-L.ipn file to be able to access the files required for this lab.

Exercise 1: Creating and editing a Shaft

When using Inventor, most users begin to develop a shaft by drawing a half section of the
component and revolving it. The shaft generator focuses on building the shaft in sections and
includes the ability to add specialized features such as wrench flats or axial holes. With the
ability to develop internal geometry the shaft generator is also very useful for creating hubs and
other rotating components that have a consistent profile. Along with the geometry there are
calculator tools that allow you to validate the size of the shaft elements based on the loads that
will be applied to it.

1. Open the Belt Driven Reducer –

Shaft.iam file from the Workspace
folder.

2. Switch to the Design tab, hold the Ctrl

key and start the Shaft generator tool
from the Power Transmission panel.

Note: Holding the Ctrl key will start the

tool with the default shaft configuration.

Page 3
3. Click anywhere in the design window
to place the shaft preview. Review the
shaft segments in the dialog and try to
relate them to the shaft preview.

4. Explore the pull-down menu at the

beginning and the end of the
segments. These pull-downs along
with the segment shape define the
segments and how they transition to
others.

5. Modify the first segment (top) by

clicking the description. Set the
Diameter to .75 and the length to 1.3.

6. Change the Chamfer left end treatment

to a threaded segment with a Thread
Length (LT) of 1.0.

7. Edit or create the second, rectangular

segment with a diameter of 1.0 and a
length of 3.41. There are no end
treatments. Select the Section Feature
drop-down (blue icon) and choose Add
Through Hole setting the Hole
Diameter to .26 and the Distance to
2.15 from the first edge.

8. Edit or add two cylindrical sections with no

end treatments with a diameter of 3.0 and
a length of .80 and another segment of 1.0
and .06.

Page 4
9. Add a final cylindrical segment with a
diameter of .75 and a length of .55.

10. Add a Chamfer right end treatment with a

distance of .03 and an angle of 45.

11. Click on the Calculation tab and change

the Radial force to a 100 lbs. ft moment.

12. Add an opposite moment approximately

where the hole in the shaft is.

13. Move the supports to either side of the

large segment.

14. Click calculate and review the results on

the Results tab.

Page 5
15. Click OK to generate the shaft. Then click a
location in the design window to place the
completed shaft.

16. Create an Insert constraint between

thread side edge of the large segment and
the inner race of the top bearing.

17. Right-click on the lower shaft and select

Edit Using Design Accelerator.

18. Review the elements of the shaft including

the presence of three different section
features related to the shaft.

19. Click Cancel to avoid making a change to

the shaft definition.

Page 6
Splines can be added to a shaft feature and/or to a hole passing through a component that
mates to the shaft. These splines are based on standards and can be sized based on
calculating the engineering requirements placed on the spline to keep the shaft coupled.

1. In the Power Transmission panel find the

Involute Splines tool (Parallel Splines pull-
down) and start it.

2. Select the cylindrical face with the through

hold as Reference 1.

3. Select the end face of the shaft for

Reference 2.

4. Set the Splines Type to: ANSI B92.1 – 37.5

deg with 12 splines.

5. Deselect the second “Objects to

Generate” which would create an internal
profile on a second component.

6. Click OK to confirm the new features and

OK again to Generate the Feature.

Page 7
Exercise 2: Generating a Gears and Bearings.
Gears can be placed around or is part of the shaft. There’s also a capacity for incorporating
existing gears into the calculation. The gears can be Spur gears, Worm gears, or Bevel gears.

There are multiple ways to design the gear components. You can develop gears based on
Number of teeth, center distance catch, module or a combination. You can also validate the
design by calculating based on the loads and materials for the gears.

1. Open the Belt Driven Reducer –

Gears.iam file from the Workspace
folder.

2. Switch to the Design tab, hold the Alt

key and start the Spur Gears
generator tool from the Power
Transmission panel.

Note: Holding the Alt key will start the

tool with the default shaft configuration.

3. Because the center distance is fixed,

change the Design Guide to Total Unit
Correction

4. Set the Diametral Pitch to 9 ul/in and

make sure the Center Distance is 4.0

Page 8
5. In the Gear 1 definition set the type of
gear to Feature, set the number of
teeth to 24 and the Facewidth to .8.

6. Select the outer face of the large

segment for the Cylindrical Face and
the face closest to the short segment
for the Start plane.

7. Set Gear 2 to Component, the number

of teeth to 48 and the Facewidth to .8.

8. Select the face of the lower shaft for

the Cylindrical Face and the same face
on the top shaft for the Start plane.

Note: It might be necessary to flip the

Start plane to align the gears.

9. Click Calculate to update the Desired Gear

Ratio

10. Click OK to generate the part files from the

gears.

11. Click OK again to create the gears in the

design.

Page 9
Bearings are normally selected from standard sized based on performance in conjunction with
size limitations for the design. The Bearing Generator can be used to limit available options for
the correct bearing on size, engineering performance, or both offering you a list of bearings that
meet your needs and then placing them in the assembly.

1. Hold the Ctrl key and start the Bearing

generator tool from the Power
Transmission panel.

Note: Holding the Ctrl key will start the

tool with the default shaft configuration.

2. Select the outside face of the last segment

of the top shaft for the Cylindrical Face
reference.

3. Pick the flat face of the short segment for

a Start Plane.

Note: Pick the flip option if the preview is

not over the end segment of the shaft.

4. Click on the Bearing type near the top of

the tab to open a dialog that sets the type.

5. Click the Category pull-down on the right

and select Tapered Roller Bearings.

6. This will present a list of specific bearing

types. Click on the ANSI/SFMBA 19.2 TS –
Tapered Roller Bearing type.

7. This will generate a list of bearings of

this standard in all available sizes

8. The Outer Diameter values for From to

1.7 and To to 1.8

Page 10
9. Click the Update icon to filter the list of
available bearings.

10. Select the 05075 05175 from the

designation list and Click OK to select
the Bearing and click OK again
generate the Bearing in the design.

Page 11
Exercise 3: Adding a Belt and Key

Belts Like other Design Accelerators, there is more than one type of Belt can be added to the
machine that can be created using the V-Belts, Synchronous Belts, and Roller Chain tools.

Since these components can only be purchased in specific sizes and increments (links)

1. Open the Belt Driven Reducer – Belt

Drive.iam file from the Workspace
folder.

2. Switch to the Design tab and start the

Synchronous Belts generator tool
from the Power Transmission panel. It
may be under the V-Belts tool.

3. Set the Belt type to H.

4. Pick the face of the existing Pulley to

set the Belt Mid Plane. Set the mid
plan back .49 from the front face.

Page 12
5. Set the first (top) Pulley to be Fixed
position by selected geometry and
select the shaft of the motor.

6. Double-click the description and set the

number of Teeth to 24. Click OK to
close the Pulley Properties dialog.

7. Set the second Pulley type to Existing

and click on a tooth face of the Pulley
that was already in the design.

8. Pick on Click to add pulley…, choose a

pulley type and then change the new
pulley to Virtual.

9. Click and drag the new third pulley to

be the second position in the dialog.

10. Change the Pulley type to Virtual and

move it into an approximate position.

11. Selecting the curved arrow can change

the third pulley from inside to outside.

Page 13
12. Change the Pulley type to Virtual and
move it into an approximate position.

13. Set the Pulley Placement Guide option

to Rotation driven sliding position.

14. Pick the center of the arm the modeled

idler will rotate on.

15. Set the Pulley Diameter and the Arm

Radius to 2 inches.

16. Expand the dialog and change the

Create Belt As value to Detailed.

17. Click OK to create the new pulley data

and OK again to generate the top
Pulley and Belt.

Page 14
Keys Can be created as standalone objects, while adding a groove to a shaft, and/or a hub.

1. Switch to the Design tab, hold the Ctrl

key and start the Key generator tool
from the Power Transmission panel.

Note: Holding the Ctrl key will start the

tool with the default shaft configuration.

2. Set the Key type to Rectangular or

Square Parallel Keys with the .1875 x
.1875 - .375 size.

3. In the Shaft Groove select the middle

option and set Reference 1 to the
motor shaft surface and Reference 2
as the end of the motor shaft.

4. Select the front face of the pulley for

Reference 1 of the Hub Groove.

5. Choose the rounded edge of a Pulley

tooth for Reference 2.

6. Drag the length of the Key to 1.

Experiment with the angle of the key

and the position.

7. Click OK to generate the Key and

Grooves

Page 15
Exercise 4: Bolted Connection Generator

The Bolted Connection Generator will place fasteners but also create the holes in the
components the fasteners will pass through if needed. This saves the steps of creating, sizing,
and aligning holes across multiple components. The Bolted Connections can be placed in the
same way hole features are placed

The Calculator portion of the tool is capable of offering the number of bolts, size of bolt, or grade
of bolt needed to hold things together based on the loads offered.

1. Open the Belt Driven Reducer –

Fasteners.iam file from the Workspace
folder.

2. Switch to the Design tab, hold the Ctrl

key and start the Bolted Connection
generator tool from the Fasten panel.

Note: Holding the Ctrl key will start the

tool with the default shaft configuration.

3. Set the Hole Type to Blind.

4. Change the Placement to On Point.

5. Set the Start Plane to the face of the

Flange of the Gear Cover.

Page 16
6. Pick one of the eight points in the
sketch that go around the face of the
Gear Cover.

7. Set the Blind Start Plane on the face of

the Stand.

8. If the remaining sketch points aren’t

automatically selected, click the Points
button again and select the seven
remaining sketch points.

9. Use the Click to add Fastener at the

top of the Bolt stack.

10. When the dialog opens, use the

Category pull-down to choose Socket
Head Cap Screws

11. Pick the Hexagon Socket Head Cap

Screw – Inch Fastener.

12. Click to add another fastener and

choose the Helical Spring Lock
Washer.

13. Switch to the Calculation tab.

14. Switch the Type of Strength

Calculation option to Bolt Diameter
Design.

15. Set the Maximal Axial Force to 200

lbforce and the Maxial Tangent Force
to 400 lbforce.

16. Change the Number of bolts value to 8.

17. Click Calculate and watch the bolt

preview in the design window.

Page 17
18. Switch back to the Design tab and
note that the diameter of the bolts has
been changed.

19. Click OK to create the components and

features.

20. Inspect the Stand and Gasket

components to see the threaded and
clearance holes.

Page 18
Exercise 5: Frame Generator

Building metal frames from standard shapes can lead to complex connections between frame
members. Changes to the frame can be time consuming. To address many of the most common
problems with metal frames, the Frame Generator uses a “skeleton” to position frame members.

Once in place the frame members can be edited using tools that simplify the most commonly
applied edits.

1. Open the Belt Driven Reducer –

Fasteners.iam file from the Workspace
folder.

2. Switch to the Design tab and start the

Insert Frame tool from the Frame
panel.

3. Choose the ANSI standard, ANSI

AISC family in a 2 x 2 x 1/8 Size.

Page 19
4. Pick the four edges around the base of
the frame sketch.

5. Change the Orientation in the dialog so

that all four members are above the
sketch and within the footprint.

6. Click Apply to begin creating the

members and OK to Create the frame
files and OK again to create the
individual members.

7. Pick the front and side edges of the top

of the frame sketch and modify the
orientation to keep the members inside
the footprint and under the top level.

8. Click Apply and then OK to create the

new members.

9. Add a frame member on either side of

the frame along the angled edge with
the section centered vertically on the
edge of the profile in line with the left
and right sides of the base and top
frame members.

Note: This might need to be done in

two steps.

Page 20
10. Add two frame members using the
vertical edges to set the members
outside of the footprint and flush with
the back edges of the top.

11. Click OK to create the new members.

12. Turn the visibility of the Frame Sketch

off to see the rough frame.

13. Use Trim/Extend to trim the long base

members to the inside of the back of
the frame.

14. Click OK to apply the edits.

15. Use Trim/Extend to trim the long base

members to the inside of the front of
the frame.

16. Click OK to apply the edits.

17. Use Trim/Extend to trim the angled

members to the inside of the top and
bottom of the frame.

18. Click OK to apply the edits.

Page 21
19. Use Miter and select the three
segments of the trim their ends to one
another.

20. ç

21. Start Lengthen/Shorten, set the Offset

to Symmetric, and the offset length to
4in.

22. Click OK to apply the edits.

23. Activate the Frame Sketch component

and edit Sketch 1.

24. Change the 3 inch dimension to 1.5

inches.

25. Edit the Parameters and change the

platform_height parameter to 24
inches.

26. Edit the frame_width parameter to 10

inches.

Page 22
27. Click Done to finish the edit.

28. Turn off the visibility of the Frame

Sketch component.

29. Return to the top of the assembly to

update the frame.

Page 23