How to "Insert Part" into another part and place around COG

[Tripulando]

I work in the precast industry and I am just starting to switch over to Inventor from SolidWorks.

I'm looking for the most efficient way to insert a lifter(s) into a concrete slab and automatically create the recess in the process.

In SolidWorks I could model a concrete product and then make it a multi-body part by using "Insert Part" to insert a lifter (which was another part file). I could then use the "combine" feature to create the recess while keeping the concrete slab and steel lifter intact.

Is there a similar way to do this in Inventor?

Keep in mind that my lifter part drawing in SWx had several configurations so if the design called for a heavier concrete slab, I could easily edit the lifter in the tree and switch it to another configuration with a higher lifting capacity and it would automatically update in the models, assemblies, and drawings.

I would prefer to keep this as a part instead of an assembly since we consider the concrete part with lifters as a single piece or section in my company but if an assembly or sub-assembly is a better option, I can work with that. Many of our products are meant to be assembled with each other to make a bigger structure (i.e. manholes, vaults, pipe layouts, etc.)

Another issue I have in relation to this is in Inventor, I have tried to "derive" the lifter into the concrete part model but I am not familiar with how to move/mate the lifters in relation to the center of gravity... Since these are large products, I need to accurately place the lifters evenly around the center of gravity to make it easier for cranes or forklifts to lift these without it tilting too much. I can't seem to do anything useful with the COG (can't project it, can't constrain anything to it, can't create a reference point with it, etc.)

Any tips for me? Thanks in advance!

[RajSchmidt]

I would use a master model approach for this. Of course, you would get an assembly. Which is reasonable, since in reality your product would consist of two parts with different materials.

But I can understand that you want to keep it simple. And if you don’t care for a BOM, correct weight, etc., that is fine. In that case you can model the whole thing with separate bodies which you subtract from each other.

The switching between the different type I have done with Model States.

The only thing I have no real solution for is an automatic placement of the lifter in relation to the CoG. You can get Inventor to show it and you can find the values in the iProperties. But there is no way to actually use these values as parameters. At least not out of the box. But you could solve this problem with iLogic programming.

The example is done in Inventor 2023.

[JDMather]

@Tripulando 

Manage tab>Derive