Product Design Suite

Test Drive
Assembly Modeling with Autodesk
Inventor
Exercise: Basic Assembly Modeling
In this exercise, you create an actuator assembly
utilizing the basic assembly practices of Autodesk
Inventor. You then use the actuator to control the
allowable motion of a front loader.

Image of the completed exercise

Please find video based instruction for this exercise
here: Instruction Video
Preliminary Setup
For this exercise, make sure that PrDS Test Drive.ipj
is set as the active project in Inventor prior to
starting the steps. Please use the following steps to
set the project file.
Open Autodesk Inventor.
On the Getting Started ribbon, select Projects.

At the bottom of the Projects dialog, click

Browse and navigate to C:\PrDS Test Drive.
Double click on the file called PrDS Test
Drive.ipj.
Confirm that the PrDS Test Drive project
appears in the Projects dialog and is marked
with a check.
Click Done.

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1. Create a new assembly file by clicking the New

file command located under the application
icon.

2. In the Create New File dialog, select the Metric

folder (1) and then double click the Standard
(mm).iam assembly template. (2)

3. Place the first component.

Start the Place Component command
located on the Assemble Ribbon.

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Select Cylinder_A.ipt located in the Inventor

Assembly folder.

Click Open.
Click once in the model window to place the
first component.
Right Click and select OK from the popup
menu.
Right Click on the Cylinder_A and check
Grounded.

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4. Place the remaining components of the

assembly.
Start the Place Component command. Use a
CTRL pick to select the following files.
i. Connector Link_A.ipt
ii. Connector Link_B.ipt
iii. Cyl Cap_A.ipt
iv. Cyl Head 001_A.ipt
v. Cyl Head 002_A.ipt
vi. Fitting_A.ipt
vii. Nut GB 6178 M36.ipt
viii. Piston Rod_A.ipt
ix. Piston_A.ipt

Click Open
Click to place the parts as shown in the
following image.

Press ESC on the keyboard to finish the

command.

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5. Use the Joint command to build the Piston.

Start the Joint command located on the
Relationships panel.

Navigate by zooming and panning with the

scroll wheel to select the edge of the piston
as shown below.

Then select the lower shoulder edge of the

Piston Rod as shown.

Click the checkmark in the heads-up display

to execute the command.

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6. Add the Nut to the Piston Rod.

Start the Free Rotate command located on
the Position panel.

Select the Nut and use the left mouse

button to spin it to a position similar to the
following image.

Right Click and select OK to finish the

command.
Use the Joint command and select the
circular edge of the Nut as shown.

Select the edge of the Piston as Shown.

Click the checkmark to execute the

command.

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7. Assemble Connector Link_A to the Piston Rod.

Use the Joint command and select the edge
of Connector Link_A as shown.

Select the top shoulder edge of the piston as

shown. Note: Use the scroll wheel and the
Shift button to rotate the assembly view if
necessary.

Click the checkmark to execute the

command.
Click the Home view button on the View
Cube to return to the default isometric view
if necessary.

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8. Position Connector Link_B.

Use the Joint command and select the
circular edge of Connector Link_B as shown
in the following image.

Then select the Circular edge of the Cylinder

as shown.

Click the Flip component option on the

heads up display.

Click the checkmark to execute the

command.

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9. Position the remaining cylinder components

using the Joint command.
Cyl Head_001A to Cylinder as shown.

Cyl Head_002A to Cyl Head_001A as shown.

Cyl Cap to Cyl Head_002A as shown.

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10. Place the Piston into the Cylinder.

Start the Joint Command and select the
Piston Rod as shown.

Select Cylinder_A as shown.

Click the checkmark to execute the

command.
Use the left mouse button to drag
Connector Link_A outside of the Cylinder as
shown.

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11. Adjust the components and place the fittings.

Drag both Connector Links to the
approximate orientation shown in the
following image and use the Joint command
to place the fittings. Note: Use Copy / Paste
to create a second instance of the fitting.

12. Place a Constraint Limit on the Piston Rod.

Right Click on the Cylinder and select
Visibility from the popup menu.

Start the Constrain command located on the

Relationships panel.

Select the circular face of the Piston Rod as

shown.

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Select the circular face of Connector Link_B

as shown.

Click the expand button on the Constrain

dialog (1).
Check Maximum and enter a value of
350mm in the Maximum field (2).
Check Minimum and enter a value of 0mm
in the Minimum field (3).
Click Ok to execute the command.

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13. Restore the visibility of the Cylinder and test the

assembly.
Locate the Cylinder component in the
browser.
Right Click on the Cylinder component and
select Visibility.

Drag the Piston Rod back and forth noting

the limitation on the stroke distance.

Close all files without saving.

14. Place the Actuator assembly on the Front

Loader.
Open the assembly file Frontloader INVASSY.iam located in the Inventor Assembly
folder.

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15. Establish a section view.

Start the Half Section View command
located on the View tab and the Appearance
panel.

In the Browser, open the origin folder and

select the XY Plane.

Drag the arrow down and enter a value of 134mm in the heads-up display.

Click the Continue arrow on the heads-up

display.

Right Click and select OK.

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16. Use the Place Component command on the

Assemble ribbon (1), to place two instances of
the Test Drive Cyl Completed.iam assembly (2).

17. Make each actuator flexible.

In the Browser, right click on each instance
of the actuator and select Flexible from the
popup menu.

18. Use Constraints to place the actuators.

Start the Constrain command and set the
type to Insert.

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Select the circular edge of Connector Link_B

as shown.

Select the lower circular edge of one of the

rear chassis pins as shown.

Enter an offset value of 50 (1) and click

Apply.

Set the Assembly type to Mate.

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Select the axis of Connector Link_A as

shown.

Select the axis of the front chassis pin as

shown.

Click OK.
Repeat the process to position the second
actuator.
19. Test the available motion of the front chassis.
Reposition the front chassis by dragging it
left and right noting that the limited stroke
of the actuators controls the range of
motion.

20. Close all files without saving. End of Exercise.

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