Error with Thicken command

[Anonymous]

Hello! I've created a 3d surface using the loft command and now I want to give it a 5mm thickness to create a solid. I keep getting an error message...

I' m new to Inventor and could use some help!

Thank you.

[imajar]

Thicken (and shell) can have issues if the input geometry has radii smaller than the thickness target thickness (especially if you are thickening inward).  In you case, the tail edge of the foil makes a very very small radius.  If you increase the radius (alot) it works.  You may need to use the spline only for the leading geometry and use lines or arches at the tail to come to a point (which thicken can solve much easier).

How did you make those anyway?  Are they externally generated and imported?

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much for the reply! It was really enlightening.. I'm gonna try to make a bigger radius at the tail and see how it goes.

Yes the foil is generated from a set of points provided by National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) that you can import and then connect with spline.

Thank you again for the info.

Kleopatra A.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Thicken or Shell does fail on this one. I have to say Inventor has a lot of room for improvement in this area. However, there is a way to make it work by using an unorthodox workflow. First, replicate the body by using Pattern. Next, scale the patterned body non-uniformly. Lastly, cut main body with the scaled body (see attached part).

Many thanks!

[WHolzwarth · Accepted solution]

I think, for all airfoils better results are achieved, if you're using top and bottom faces. This way you can get a sharp edge at the trailing line, together with no distortions at the nose.

Because changing the existing splines is a whole bunch of work, I'm only showing this at a single section. It's divided into a top spline and a bottom contour. This shape can be extruded or lofted between similar sections, and can be shelled quite well.

2021 demo is attached.