Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Under the modify tab in a part file, I can drop down and click "bend part."  We have a bunch of frames made out of stock tubing that are welded together, then bent as a whole.  Is there a way to bend at the assembly?  I want the model to represent the production proscess.  I don't want to have to bend each tube alone, then reassemble.  That would double my parts/part numbers.

I attached a picture of one of the simplest frames.

[#2]

What about deriving the assembly into a part, then bending the resulting part file?

[#3]

Not a bad idea!  That'll stop me from making oodles of extra parts/configurations down to one extra.

If I change a part of the frame, will it update in the derived part?

[#4 · Accepted solution]

It should.  Unless you intentionally break the link, derived parts are still associative to the assembly (or whatever else) they came from.  You should be able to open the part and update it just like an assembly where you've modified some of the parts.

[#5]

Thank you!

[#6]

I've been playing with derive.  I can use the Local Update to make the derived part match whatever changes I made to the origonal  assembly.  However, this update removes whatever features I created on the derived part after the fact.  I don't wnat to have to remodel the steps in the derived part any time I need to adjust a feature in the original assembly.  Any suggestions?

[#7]

I've been using this technique for some time now.

"Derive Push" is perfect for projects that are assembled then bent later.

[#8]

<< However, this update removes whatever features I created on the derived part after the fact.

Can you describe this in more detail?  It sounds as if when you clicked the Update button, features in the browser below the derived part disappeared?!  I've never seen this happen, and it would be a major problem if it did.  Unless, of course, those features are dependent on features of the derived part which changed enough to break them.  But in that case, you should receive notification that things are broken.

[#9]

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eveylynne wrote:

  However, this update removes whatever features I created on the derived part after the fact.  I don't wnat to have to remodel the steps in the derived part any time I need to adjust a feature in the original assembly.  Any suggestions?

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This doesn't sound like normal behavior.
Can you reproduce this behavior with another small assembly and then attach it here?

[#10]

Apparently, all I had to do was try it again this morning, and take screen shots of every step for it to work.  I don't know what was happening yesterday, but it seems to be functioning much better today.

Thank you for your patience!