Flexible Option In Assemblies

[timothyfinstad]

What I am trying to do is place a hinge as a subassembly. I know in Solidworks there is an option to add it as a rigid or non rigid assembly. I have seen an option for flexible when you right click on assemblies that allow parts to be moved which is what I need but the hinge file I have from the company that sells them doesn't have that option when I right click on it and I need the hinge to be able to rotate in the model to simulate the hinge opening/ closing. Any thoughts or ideas of how I can make this work would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[pball · Accepted solution]

If the hinge is a part and not an assembly you won't be able to make it flexible. Depending on how the file you have was made, you could split the two halves apart and make an assembly from them. If you post the file someone might be able to help you, as for me I'm heading out soon so I won't be around until tomorrow.

[mcgyvr]

^^ yep recreate the hinge as an assembly in Inventor complete with constraints then drop it into your assembly and enable flexible.

It works the same as in Solidworks.

[swhite]

yes, flexible will work as you want in this case, see attached. Open the Hinge Assembly.

[timothyfinstad]

Thanks to all of you for helping me out with this. I didn't even think about that as a possible reason why I couldn't make it flexible. Still don't really know why they chose to model it as a single part rather than assembly the first time but who am I to tell other people how to make their models right. Haha anyways thanks again everyone.

[swhite]

If they modeled it as a multibody part, just derive each part out as a seperate part, then assemble them.

[JDMather]

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@timothyfinstad wrote:
.... Still don't really know why they chose to model it as a single part rather than assembly .....

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What format was the original file?
Maybe it was an assembly, but the Options you used on importing forced it to a single part file.

Can you attach the original file here or the url to the manufacturer's download?

[Anonymous]

Hey, could you help me? I have a spring I want to make flexible but that option is blocked, i dont know how to unlock the flexible option to choose it.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I think it is because the spring is already adaptive right? Adaptive and Flexible are mutually exclusive. Adaptive allows part geometry to change (extend or shrink). Flexible does not allow the geometry to change. It only allows position of the components within the subassembly to be changed. Please feel free to share an example here so forum experts can help take a look. There should be a logical reason to explaining the behavior.

Many thanks!

[Anonymous]

Hi, I need to my spring expand and shrink when my piston goes up and down, but my spring doesn't let me move my piston either cause it's rigid and I can't make it flexible. 

See attach.

Thank you.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I am confused. The second image you attached does not look like Inventor. Are you using Inventor or not?

Many thanks!

[BullionPSI]

I have a similar issue with a hydraulic cylinder. It moves freely in its own assembly, but Flexible option is "grayed out" in my master assembly. I can't seem to find out how to enable it or what is blocking it. It is not adaptive in anyway. Any help is much appreciated. I can add the files if needed. 

[jtylerbc]

By any chance, is the cylinder modeled as a weldment?

Weldments can't be set as Flexible, so that is one possibility.  Outside of that, you would probably need to post the files.  Otherwise we'll just be guessing.

[BullionPSI]

     Yes it is. I actually just came across that bit of info in a video I was watching by TFI on YouTube. Can't be a weldment. To cure this I opened a standard assembly, dropped in my weldment, highlighted my parts, and moved them up

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@jtylerbc wrote:

By any chance, is the cylinder modeled as a weldment?

Weldments can't be set as Flexible, so that is one possibility.  Outside of that, you would probably need to post the files.  Otherwise we'll just be guessing.

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into the standard assembly using the parts tree. 

     Thanks for your response. I linked the video for anyone that may ant to check it out.  

Flexible Assembly video

[jtylerbc]

Yep, that explains it.

Even though it is perfectly possible in the real world (and not all that uncommon in my field) to have a movable welded assembly, that just isn't possible to replicate in Inventor.

Was your cylinder modeled as a weldment because it's actually welded together and you wanted to show it that way, or for some other reason?  If you were actually trying to show welds, you might be able to still build the subassemblies (body and rod) of the cylinder as weldments, then assemble them together inside a non-weldment assembly that can be set as Flexible.

[BullionPSI]

I just have a habit of starting in weldment, mostly because of the extra options. I like that you can machine something for a one time use without changing the original part. Almost everything we do is custom so it helps in that respect. the welds do make things look more official and help with visual on where and how much to weld, but in this instance they are not important. I modeled the cylinder to make sure we had the clearances worked out during the range of movement.

That does seem like a good work around when necessary. Thanks for your suggestions. 

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@jtylerbc wrote:

Yep, that explains it.

Even though it is perfectly possible in the real world (and not all that uncommon in my field) to have a movable welded assembly, that just isn't possible to replicate in Inventor.

Was your cylinder modeled as a weldment because it's actually welded together and you wanted to show it that way, or for some other reason?  If you were actually trying to show welds, you might be able to still build the subassemblies (body and rod) of the cylinder as weldments, then assemble them together inside a non-weldment assembly that can be set as Flexible.

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