Chain Drive Animation

[ASchlaack]

I'm modeling out a steel belt conveyence system and need to aminate it. Steel belted conveyers are ran by sprockets and chain links built into the belt. Can I animate it to actually move? All I can find online thus far are ways to make it appear like it's moving but I need it to actually be able to move as if it were real.

This video is an example of what I mean by only being able to find ways to make it appear it's fully moving:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMxqJDYzbAM

Thanks,

Aaron

[JDMather]

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@ASchlaack wrote:

... I need it to actually be able to move as if it were real.

Thanks,

Aaron

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If  you have Inventor Professional - you could probably do this in Environments>Dynamic Simulation, but things could really bog down if you have too many moving components.

[ASchlaack]

Is there other ways besides with Dynamic Solutions? I don't need to to include gravity or load forces, I literally just need all of the links to rotate fully around a few sprockets.

In the video I attached is me using what I wasn't wanting to use. And that would be having it rotate the equivalent of 1 link distance then jumping back to the starting point and repeating that.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lwyi8xvh591a1sd/2_GEAR.wmv

[mrattray]

Why?

[JDMather]

Then only way I know to have parts really go around a path is with Dynamic Simulation.

[ASchlaack]

Mike, why what?

[ASchlaack]

JDMather, thank you. And assuming that is your file, could you possibly allow me to get a copy of it to look at?

Again, thanks you.

Aaron

[mrattray]

Why would you need to animate a steel hinged belt in a "non-fake" manner?

[ASchlaack]

The company I work for wants to test certain things out that would require me to fully animate this drawing.

[mrattray]

Then you'll have to use DS as JD suggested.

[ASchlaack]

Mike have you got any file examples of using DS for this? If so can you please attach them.

[mrattray]

Sorry, I do not.

[JDMather]

My example comes from this book Amazon

[ASchlaack]

Where did the video itself come from?

[JDMather]

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@ASchlaack wrote:

Where did the video itself come from?

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Screen Recording of assembly running on my computer using Autodesk Screencast Recorder software (free).

Screencast Recorder

Dynamic Simulation animations can also be published directly to Inventor Studio for access to all of those camera actions as well.

[Mark.Downes · Accepted solution]

Hi Aaron,

Sorry for chipping a bit late, Youtube has a lot of tips for animating tracks, but as stated previously, it would make you system Very slow.

But if you want to have a go at making an animation, here’s a quick example of one method (there will be lots of others to try) of how to set a track to follow the path tangentially along the desired path. The sprockets wasn’t added but that should be the easier part ;o)

Hope this helps

Cheers

Mark

Inventor 2014

[ASchlaack]

Could you please post the file you took the video of though?

[ASchlaack]

Thank you Mark!!!!

[ASchlaack]

Mark, how did you get it to drive? I see the constrants but i see nothing driving it...

[Mark.Downes]

Hi

Just right click on the blue time line parameter (0mm to 916.322mm) its the loop circumference and set it to 6 seconds.

If you tweek the 916 number you will see how it will end in a different place.

Cheers

Mark