Working with Solid Models and Weldments - Autodesk Inventor 2010: No Experience Required - page 156

Keep It Simple, Make It Work
Inventor's tools can be used to create incredibly complex parts. I hope you've
seen that you can turn simple sketches into elaborate components very easily
with these powerful tools. Unlike the last two chapters, this chapter will focus
on the geometrically simple parts that so many machines are built from.
In this chapter, you'll build a number of parts and you'll also assemble them
into groups referred to as subassemblies before adding them to the fan. These
subassemblies should be approached just like any other assembly: with the man-
ufacturing process in mind. If you'll be preconstructing groups of components
before adding them to a main assembly, you should consider making them a
subassembly. There will also be times where some machining is done in a com-
pleted assembly for increased production accuracy. In this chapter, we'll explore
that as well.
Finally, we'll continue our exploration of the fact that you don't have to build
every component. In this chapter, you'll use predefi ned metal shapes to build a
frame. You'll also take the use of standard fasteners to the next level.
Making Parts
There's no need to overthink creating parts. The component you'll build in the
fi rst exercise could be made a few different ways, and none of them could be
considered wrong. It's all about how you anticipate your parts changing in the
future. Thinking about how your part will most likely evolve over time will
guide you on how to build it to begin with:
1. Create a new fi le using the Standard (in).ipt template.
2. Draw a circle, using the sketch center to place the center point.
3. Use the Dimension tool to defi ne the diameter at 2.2in., as shown in
Figure 4.1.
4. Without using the Finish Sketch toolm press the E key on your key-
board. This keyboard shortcut starts the Extrude tool.