Spiral / Coil Pattern

[Anonymous]

Spiral / Coil -- Trying to assemble a spiral conveyor frame -- very similar to a spiral staircase without the outside runners -- I am attempting to use a pc of 1-1/4" Sch 40 pipe that coils thru the centerline of the spiral -- center line radius 27" -- I then want to constrain 4" x 8" x 3/16" thick plates that have thru hole in center to the O.D. of the coiled pipe -- these plates need to constrain in a typical pattern similar to the stairs that run up a spiral staircase -- the kicker is I havent been able to figure out how to constrain to coiled or sweeped geometry -- program does not recognize geometry -- pattern component - circle tab - will not let me spiral a pattern -- someone out there has had to of tried this -- please let me know -- thank you

[Anonymous]

http://mfgcommunity.autodesk.com/blogs/blog/view/6/Pattern_Along_Path_1/

[Anonymous]

Thank you....I will let you know.

[mflayler2]

http://blogs.rand.com/manufacturing/2009/03/inventor-tutorial-curve-driven-patterns.html

[SBix26]

Sounds as if you want a helical path, not a spiral. Mathematically (and Inventor is nothing if not mathematical) two different animals. A spiral is a 2D figure, a helix is a 3D figure.
Sam

[JDMather]

>program does not recognize geometry -- pattern component - circle tab

You will select the pattern feature from part file (most likely workpoints) to pattern components in iam.

http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/AU2007/MA105-1L%20Mather.pdf

Post back if you have trouble and I will attach a simple example.

[Anonymous]

Rectangular Pattern command worked perfectly....thank you

[Anonymous]

What is the right way to change the patterned features in the part to separate parts in an assembly?

[Anonymous]

http://forums.autodesk.com/t5/Autodesk-Inventor/Create-individual-parts-after-curve-pattern-spiral-s...

[kent_wold]

@kent_wold - this post has been edited.

I found this from Imaginit when attempting a spiral chain pattern... it worked for me!

Successfully spiraled chain

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! The procedure in the document is valid. One thing changes in more recent releases is the ability to create variable-pitch and variable-radius helix. You can easily create such curve without having to create a surface body. Then you can use it a pattern direction.

Many thanks!

[kent_wold]

Yes I found the Helix 3D operation to be reasonably easy with the improvements to 3D sketching in Inventor over the past few years. 

Following the path involved expanding the window for the advanced options which is a procedure I am trying to remember on my own even with some of the simpler more often used commands. 

Advanced options open a huge window of opportunity that most of us accidentally ignore!