Hi,
If you are new to design then this type of model is ambitious. You have suggested
that you have put in your slots but not actually calculated where they should be
precisely, this is bad design. You need to know exactly where the slots need to be
or the model will not work. Most commonly this method will lead to the mechanism
jamming.
What you can do is use your model to calculate the exact place that these slots need
to be. You know that at one end of the slot, the bar will be in the retracted position.
This is the first critical point. You also know that at the other end of the slot that the
bar will be in the extended position. Another critical point. Now you need to work out
another critical point to create the correct slot curve radius. I would suggest putting
the bar in the middle of these two points at the half way measured position and marking
this as the third critical point.
Once you have three critical points, it should be fairly straight forward to create the
slot by putting the diameter of a circle equal to the width of the slot around the three
points and joining them with an arc or curve.
In order to make your motion in the slot make the bar extend and retract you may also
need to set up a Motion Link between the two joints.
Cheers
Andrew
