Applying Mechanical Design Principles in Autodesk Tools

[bidrohini]

I’m reviewing some core mechanical design principles and came across this article that explains them very clearly:
https://www.justway.com/blog/Engineering_Technical/The_Design_Principles_of_Mechanical_Parts_a71968a...

I’m interested in how these principles are best applied when working in Autodesk tools such as Fusion or Inventor. For example, when designing mechanical parts in Autodesk software, which features or workflows do you rely on most to account for things like load paths, stress concentration, tolerances, and manufacturability?

Do you follow these principles during the initial modeling stage, or do you mainly validate them later using simulation and analysis tools within Autodesk?

I’d appreciate hearing how experienced users translate fundamental mechanical design theory into practical Autodesk workflows.

Thanks in advance.

[TheCADnoob]

Would you care to eleborate on why you are asking about those tools in this particular forum? I ask as i question your autheticity and want to know what I may have mistaken. 

[bidrohini]

I’m asking in the Autodesk forum because I am less experienced in autodesk tools. I want to know how expert users translate fundamental mechanical design principles into practical workflows using fusion 360 or inventor.

[Kent1Cooper]

This isn't a generic Autodesk Forum, but the AutoCAD Forum.  You may do better in the dedicated Forums for >Fusion< and >Inventor<.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Typically, Mechanical Design is an iterative process. You start with a conceptual design. You check it against the basic requirements (size, material, weight). Then you start adding more detail to serve certain functions. You may run simulations to validate the design. And you modify the design according to the simulation result.

Tolerancing and manufacturability are mostly considered in the latter phases of the design cycle. Certainly, more experienced engineers or designers may consider tolerancing and manufacturability much earlier. Also if the design target is a variation of an existing released design, such consideration may happen even earlier.

Regardless of the processes, Fusion and Inventor should be able to facilitate the entire design cycle. However, if you are talking about Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDO, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multidisciplinary_design_optimization), neither tool is MDO capable yet.

Many thanks!