Assembling in Inventor

After creating individual components, it is time to join the components into a manipulator that can go on a robot! Multiple part files can be combined into a single assembly in Inventor, and these assemblies can further be combined into a larger main assembly. The video below covers assembly in Inventor, along with the rest of the text.

1. Create a new assembly and place the first few parts of your assembly. (For a drivetrain that could be the 2x1s, on an intake that could be the plates on the sides, etc.)

2. You will use the constrain command to join your parts. The command itself had multiple tabs that will allow you to make a variety of joints. Watch the assembly video to see the different constraints in action.

3. Make sure your assembly is symmetrical to the planes of the assembly file. This will make the large robot assembly easier to work with as your mechanism will be symmetrical about its planes.

4. Use the planes in your parts do add constraints on parts that need to be symmetrical.

5. Adding motion constraints isn’t required but it will add an aesthetic touch to your CAD.

6. Make sure that your assembly is complete with all the parts. Do not forget to add screws, nuts, bearings, spacers, washers and any other parts that will be on the actual robot. This will allow you to be certain that there won’t be any surprising interference when you assemble the robot in real life. Check to make sure nothing is interfering.

7. Once done, save the file with the appropriate name (refer to the naming conventions document).

Example of Symmetrical Assembly