Pipe Bending Table Generation

[john.gusic]

I have searched around the forum and on the subscription website but I am unable to find out any "clear" information concerning the generation of a pipe bend table.

My question is, can any release of Inventor, or Inventor Pro create a pipe bend table in an idw that is similar to the sheetmetal bending tables generated from a flat pattern.  We are currently using Inv Pro 2010 so I am not sure if 2011 or 2012 supports this.

We have some complex pipes, not pipe runs, but just ordinary piping for exhasut and cooling applications where it would be nice instead of doing a whole host of drawing views to just give the basic views and apply a bending table.  Our piping vendors would like this too, but I cannot find out if Inventor Pro can do this.  I see stuff for piping "runs" using a 3rd part app called ISOGEN, but I see nothing for creating a bending table from just a single pipe.

We can do a manual table, but that takes time too and in the long run, it can cause problems if the person editing the pipe/idw does not manually update the table.

Any help would be appreciated.

john

CAD Supervisor

Atlas Copco Compressors LLC

[mflayler2 · Accepted solution]

Inventor will do this if you are using the Piping Runs.  If you are not using the Piping Runs with Routed Systems then you will have to do some custom programming in VBA to get your result.  I have seen it done before, but it wasn't pretty.

If you try it in the Routed Systems portion of your Inventor Pro, all you have to do is right click on the bend tube and select Bending Machine Output and you will get options for x,y,z; lra, and will get developed length also.

[john.gusic]

Mark,

Thanks for the info.  We don't use routed systems, but since this is the only way at the present, I might give it a try.

john

CAD Supervisor

Atlas Copco Compressors LLC

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I’m using the Piping Runs but didn’t find any solution for generate pipe bend table. How do you do that?

[mflayler2]

http://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2014/...

[Anonymous]

Thank you,

Indeed it wasn't what I was looking for. I want to show the bend table in my drawing.

I have assemblies with pipe run and I have to show the dimensions for all bended pipe (about 100 pipes for each assemblies).

For the definition of the pipe, I currently add the .ipt of the pipe in my general arrangement, then define the pipe (add the dim., center line...).

But every time I change my design, I lose everything.

It is no more acceptable (pure waste of time!).

I was wondering if you have a solution. For example, a table (as sheetmetal table) who show the bend angle and the straight lenght of the segment.

[Anonymous]

No answer ?

[mflayler2]

The type of table you are looking for does not exist in the software.  You might try the ISOGEN output but you will need another software to work with the piping isometric.

Also, not sure what you mean by when you change something you lose it all.  This doesn't happen to me and not enough information about your process is given to understand what change you are making to lose everything.

[Anonymous]

Thank you!

Ok. About the table, I thought so… indeed I have no doubt anymore – thank you.

And yes, my problem is: if edit a route in the 3D and do modifications inside (even if I change a dimension), I lose the all references!

So, I lose positioning with other parts (I work with skeleton – so I can almost ignore that issue)…

BUT, of course, I the drawing, I lost everything in the view of each segments of that route! Dimensions, notes, axes… everything!

[peter.niesink]

Hi,

"If you try it in the Routed Systems portion of your Inventor Pro, all you have to do is right click on the bend tube and select Bending Machine Output and you will get options for x,y,z; lra, and will get developed length also."

The problem we are facing is the fact that the Bend machine output coordinates starts at the origin of the assembly. But the manufacturer who bends our piping requiers a bend table wich starts at the origin of the pipe itself. Now we have to do a lot of extra work to get the specified information out of the 3D model.

I wondered if there is some software in development or already for use as a plug-in or somehow which fixes our problem and saves us a lot of time.