Joint conflict when replacing one component in a design with another

[zizumara]

I have a fairly simple design of a robotic finger with three finger segments connected to three actuators by seven revolute joints.  Refer to the attached screencast.  All segments and actuators in the existing design work together to extend and retract the finger.  I want to replace the innermost actuator with a different actuator that has identical attachment points.  I have tried to do this by deleting the joints between the old actuator and the rest of the design and then replacing the joints with new revolute joints, but I get a joint conflict when adding the second joint.  I have also tried deleting all of the joints and starting from scratch, beginning with the grounded component and then working progressively outward, but I still run into joint conflicts.  I suspect that there is a specific order in which I need to select components and add joints to avoid this.  Can anyone please review the screencast and suggest the proper way to do this?

Here's the public link to my design:

https://a360.co/31KlRTp

John
Richland Hills, TX

[davebYYPCU]

Model works as expected, 

without the screencast, I can not see how to join the gear profiled component.

Is there something missing in the file?

[zizumara]

My apologies.  I forgot to include the screencast link.  Here it is:

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/community/screencast/a0e4dc24-93b7-4698-a110-f2a227671fbd

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

Somewhere along the line, you have a Z-Axis error between your Gear component and the mechanism it is attaching into.  Without searching to find this axis, simply use a Cylindrical Joint for the joint applied to the drive pin on the gear.  This will allow it to adjust to the variation in the Z-Axis.  Model is attached with a different name.

[zizumara]

Thanks.  I did as you suggested, and this eliminates the conflict.
Is there any way to avoid, detect, or correct Z-axis errors before they create joint conflicts like this?

[laughingcreek]

the toothed part isn't the same thickness as the part your replacing.  it's not going to just drop in without adjusting something somewhere.

[zizumara · Accepted solution]

Aha.  When I measured the two parts before with inspect (I), my precision was only set to 3 decimal places, so I thought they were the same thickness.  Increasing the precision and remeasuring revealed that the new part was not 0.1 inches thick, but 0.10024 inches thick.  Nice catch!  Thank you.