Introduction to Weldments in Autodesk Inventor

This tutorial will introduce you to creating Weldment Assemblies in Autodesk Inventor. You will be exposed to creating preparation, fillet welds and groove welds in the 3D environment.

Create a New "Standard.ipt" Part File

Create a new "Standard.ipt" part file

Create a New 2D Sketch

Select the "Start 2D Sketch" command from the sketch panel.

Select a Plane

Select the XY Plane to begin creating your box.

Create a Two Point Center Rectangle

Select the origin as the center point of your rectangle.

Give It Some Size

Input the dimensions as shown to create a 6" x 2 1/2" rectangle. Hint use the TAB key to jump to the next input box quickly.

Give It Some Thickness - Extrude

Select "Finish Sketch" and select "Extrude". Input the thickness as .375 or 3/8 in the distance input and select "OK"

Save Your File

Save you new .ipt file in a known location for future reference.

Create a New Weldment.iam

Create a new standard "Weldment.iam" file.

Select "Assemble" Tab

Select the "Assemble" tab to allow you to place and constrain components in your weldment assembly.

Place the File

Select "Place" to place the .ipt file we have recently created in steps 1 through 6. Once found select the file and select "Open".

Place 2 Components

Use the left click button to place 2 components. When complete select escape to exit the place command.

Ground It

Select one of the components, right click and select "grounded" to ground the component. Grounding restricts the motions of the component.

Mate Constraint

Select "Constrain" from the top menu. Ensure "Mate" is enabled and select the faces as shown. Select "Apply" and move to the next step.

Flush Constrain

Select the "Flush" constrain option and select the face shown. When complete select "Apply" and move to the next step.

Center Plate Using Flush With Offset

Center the plate using the "Flush" constraint and an offset. Select the face as shown and input the values as shown in the "Offset" box.

Fillet Weld

Select the "Weld" tab from the top menu. In the weld tab select "Fillet". Select "Face 1" as indicated by the number "1" in the figure. Select "Face 2" and select the face indicated by number "2" in the figure. Input the size of the weld as shown and select "OK".

Select "Preparation" from the "Weld" tab. Select the "Chamfer" command as shown. Select the edge indicated by the arrow in the figure. Input the size and select "OK" to create the bevel preparation.

Groove Weld

Select "Groove" from the "Weld" tab. For face set number 1 use the selection shown in the picture. When complete move to the next step.

Groove Weld Face 2

Select "Face Set 2" and select the face shown in the figure. Once complete move to the next step.

Groove Weld 3

Select the "Fill Direction" button and select the edge as indicated by the figure. Once complete select "OK".

Create Welding Symbols

Select the "Symbol" feature to create welding symbols for the weld we have just created. Select the fillet weld bead from the screen and input the size as shown. Once complete select "Apply" and move to the next step.

Symbols 2

Select the "Bead" button to select a new bead for symbol creation. Select the groove weld bead and change the symbol from a fillet to groove by selecting the fillet symbol in the weld symbol detail. Select "OK" once completed.

Save It

Save this file for future reference. Your done!