Inventor Constraint Difficulty

Besides the usual crimp-on cap and grease seal, consider a key-and-keyhole like antique doors used. The parts would assemble 180 degrees out of alignment, and stay together in normal position.

Hi Mike

Yes, I'm sort of doing that at the moment by constraining the grease seal to the stem below the ball. this does keep the two parts together but only allows 360 pivot and no spherical motion. It does let me put the assembly together but not really what I wanted.

Many thanks for you thoughts though!

See if you can post a drawing or a pic, maybe we can come up with something.

Thanks Mike

I'm not at the office for a few days but will send a drawing later.

Put your feet up and enjoy the break (if your having one)!

All the best

I think you need two pivot points one for the longitude axis and one for your latitudinal if you restrain each to say 355 deg you will get a field of motion aproximate to what you need the axis for both needs to run through the bolean center of the cup with one pivot point in the center of the ball and the other pivot on the surface of the cup.. Sorry cant be more help. I no longer use Inventor. I went to SolidWorks..

Beej, how well can you explain or define the "dynamic mode".

If you can also estimate any of the dierctional forces & torques that are inter-acting under operation. Inertias are critical.

I also believe your problem is solveable. My first approach would be playing with adding "dampening" to the system & observing the results. Paul

Hi Paul

Dynamic mode (or more accurately dynamic simulation) is a function in Inv 2012 where you do dynamic moves of components and create a bit of motion video and, provided you have enough info' to fill out a load of properties boxes it is then possible to come up with failure points (FEA stuff). To achieve this, many of a models standard constraints have to be changed for "Joints"! It is one of these so called joints that actually does a spherical (type of) constraint and it works very well. The trouble is that, as soon as you exit Dynamic mode and return to assembly or model mode, that wonderful spherical constraint has been disabled.

I hope what I have written isn't gobbledy gook!

All the best

Aw, is it that easy!!!!!!

I'm as impressed with the lack of words and JUST a picture with arrows! How did you do that????

Anyway....a big GA from me AND best wishes for the New Year!

What a star!

I came across this before but can't seem to find the resource.

I was about to start up inventor and see what I can do to help out, but not sure how to take your remark.

try a heim joint