Tube ad Pipe Derived Route

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to insert a Tee piece (asme weld fitting) into a tube and pipe run from a derived route?

[BrennanJWilkie]

Not 100% sure what you mean, but I make piping models almost daily. Are you wanting to have a pre-defined route, like a 2D or 3D sketch, and then have the piping and tees generate along that path? Feel free to add your file (I'm on Inv 2016, so if it's a later version, just do a screenshot please).

[Anonymous]

Hi Brennan,

Are you able to open this .step file?

Thanks

Rob

[BrennanJWilkie]

Yep, I can open it. So where should I be looking?

[Anonymous]

Excellent!

Ok so I have populated a predefined route in a 3D sketch which is shown (using the 'Derived Route' button then 'Populate'). This route is currently 4in NB.

I need this to tie into the 5" Flanged outlets on the 3 pumps that are shown so need to get a 5" to 4" reducer in.

I also need to add in 4" Tee pieces on the top longitudinal run to the run down into the penetrations shown on the tank tops.

However if i try place components into the run from content center it says 'Can't insert a fitting into a derived route'

(pics below)

Thanks

Rob

[BrennanJWilkie]

Ok, so to start off with, I want you to know that I normally work in a different way. The piping runs that I do are not normally confined to a specific space, as it looks like yours is by being inside the TEX beams. My beams would be based off of whatever length my piping is. So if what I say doesn't work for you, it's probably because we have different methods.

For inserting the reducer along the defined path, I would think it probably doesn't like that there is nowhere on the path that will fit it. I did some quick reading and found that when you make a defined line, it can't cross another route (https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/inventor-products/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2014...). Following this logic from 2D paths to 3D, if there is a part that is already there, in this case the pipe, it won't be able to identify a place where the reducer could fit. Also, I think the reason why it doesn't just change the pipe length is that it sees the pipe as an individual entity. When I am making a pipe layout and bringing in a piece of pipe, Inventor asks me to save each piece of pipe that is a new length (so if I already have a 2" long piece of 0.5"D pipe and want to put in a 3" long piece of 0.5"D pipe, it makes me save the new piece.)

In order to remedy this, I'd suggest trying to shorten the preceding piece of pipe so that the reducer can see the line you want it to fit to. If this works for you for the reducer, just follow the same line of thinking in getting the tees in there.

Let me know if this works for you!

[Anonymous]

Going off at a tangent here, sorry.

Is there a way I can flip the direction of the flange in highlighted in red?

Its snapped to the end of the line and needs to mate up with the butterfly valve

[BrennanJWilkie]

No problem! 

If you look at the picture below, you'll see the options for constraining a butterfly valve with a flange. When you click on the two faces you want to mate, you will get the window in the picture. Click on the highlighted button and it should flip the way it is mating (or inserting, if that's the command you are using).

If this doesn't work (once again, different processes here), try these things:

- Right-click on the model of the flange you want to flip, and select "Find in browser". Hit the + sign beside the flange in the browser, then open up the "Relationships" folder and delete all the relationships in there. Try to get the flange to work for you then.

If there were no relationships in that folder...

- Add a bit of extra length onto the end of the path that you want to constrain the flange to. Might be having the same problem where the flange isn't able to pick up the path because there is no room (assuming that worked for your other problem).

Feel free to keep asking questions. On top of having just been watching YouTube at work today, I'm happy to finally be able to help with something after asking so many questions on here.

[Anonymous]

Hi Brennan,

I'm comfortable with constraining the flange in an .iam conventionally.

However in the tube and pipe runs I can't get the the flanges to snap to the pipe ends and face the right way. Hopefully the attached vide link will demonstrate what I'm trying to achieve.

https://youtu.be/-P28jfNfRxw

Thank

Rob

[BrennanJWilkie]

Did a little more digging. It looks like best practice for this situation is to place the flange from the content center (or just place it as another part in the assembly), and then use the end of the flange as the starting point of your routing. That being said, it is possible (apparently) to flip so that the flange is facing the right way.

Check out @cbenner's comment in this thread

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/inventor-forum/tube-and-pipe-adding-flange/td-p/6017059