Use the Design tab to design a shaft of a shape. The designed shaft can contain unlimited number of sections. Each section can have two edge features and unlimited number of middle features. The preview of the shaft displays in the Autodesk Inventor window. On the Design tab (which is optional) as you design, its shape changes according to the specification made in the Design tab (number of sections, shape of sections, hollow shaft shape, and so on).
In the Autodesk Inventor window, use the 3D grips to change and define parameters of the shaft. Click the shaft element to enable it and when the grips are shown, you can:
- Browse the selected section to see the tooltip with displayed dimension values.
- Double-click the section to open the Edit dialog box where you can set values such as length or diameter. A preview of the section is also shown.
- Double-click the grip to open the Edit dialog box where you can set the appropriate value (length or diameter).
- Access
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Ribbon:
Design tab
Power Transmission panel
Shaft
Placement
Defines the placement of the shaft. Within the Autodesk Inventor window, select cylindrical face or work axis, start plane and shaft orientation, as needed.
When you define placement, the shaft is previewed in that location in the Autodesk Inventor window. Click OK to create and constrain the shaft in the assembly.
- Axis
- Select the cylindrical face or axis.
- Start
- Select the workplane or face that can mate with the start of the shaft.
- Orientation
- Select the workplane to rotate shaft or its features.
- Flip
- Reverses direction of the shaft.
- Mate
- Check the box to mate the shaft onto the selected geometry.
Sections
Use this area to design a shape of the shaft. Use the graphic toolbar and the section tree control. Select Sections or Bore on the right/Bore on the left from the drop-down list. Your selection displays the appropriate commands on the toolbar. The Options command is always available.
Click the button to add appropriate shaft section (cone, cylinder, or polygon) and feature (keyway for example). For edge features, a dialog box displays where you can set the appropriate values. Click the middle feature icon to open the Edit dialog box.
Selected section and feature displays in the list where you can edit or delete it.
The graphic representation of features and sections are displayed in the Autodesk Inventor window as a 3D preview. In the Design tab, as a 2D preview (optional). Work with the preview with 3D Grips. Drag the preview to the appropriate position. Double click to display the Edit dialog box. Move the mouse cursor above the graphic representations to display a description of a section/feature.
Use hotkeys to perform following actions:
- Click a section icon
- Adds the section behind the selected one.
- CTRL + Click a section icon
- Inserts the section before the selected one.
- Double-click
- Opens an edit dialog box.
- Right-click
- Displays the context menu.
- Drag (for sections only)
- Moves section.
- Sections
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- Insert Cylinder
- Inserts the cylinder section after the selected shaft section.
- Split Selected Section
- Splits the selected shaft cylinder while keeping the same length of the shaft.
- Insert Cone
- Inserts a cone section after the selected shaft section.
- Insert Polygon
- Inserts polygon section after the selected shaft section.
- Specify shaft by picking geometry in assembly
- Measures the shaft geometry from selected cylindrical face, planar face, workplanes, or sketches from the assembly.
- Insert Cylinder
- Bore on the left
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- Insert Cylindrical Bore
- Inserts inside cylinder section on the left after the selected shaft section.
- Insert Conical Bore
- Inserts inside cone section on the left after the selected shaft section.
- Insert Cylindrical Bore
- Bore on the right
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- Insert Cylindrical Bore
- Inserts inside cylinder section on the right after the selected shaft section.
- Insert Conical Bore
- Inserts inside cone section on the right after the selected shaft section.
- Insert Cylindrical Bore
- Section tree control
- Section tree control contains controls for shaft sections and features. Middle features display as children of the sections. Edge features display as a part of sections. Section tree control displays sections or bores at one time only.
Left edge features
The list of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) and based on the section position (first, in the middle, on so on).
Click the arrow to display list of available left edge features.
Click to add a feature.
Following left edge features are available:
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Chamfer -
Fillet -
Lock Nut Groove -
Relief -
Thread -
Plain Keyway Groove -
Keyway Groove with one rounded end
Section types
Three shaft section types are available within the Shaft generator. According to your section selection, the features are available. For Cone, no middle features are available. For polygon, no edge features are available, only Through Hole is available.
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Cylinder -
Cone -
Polygon
Right edge features
The list of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and more) and based on the section position.
Click the arrow to display list of available left edge features.
Click to add a feature.
Following right edge features are available:
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Chamfer -
Fillet -
Lock Nut Groove - Relief
Section features
List of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) .
Click the arrow next to the 
icon to display list of available section features.
Click to add a feature.
Following section features are available:
-
Keyway groove -
Retaining Ring -
Wrench Opening -
Relief D -
Through Hole -
Groove - A, Groove -B
2D Preview
When you design a shaft, you can display a 2D preview of the designed shaft within the Design tab. To display 2D Preview, select the Always Show option within the 2D Preview box of the Options dialog box, and click OK.
2D Preview area is resizable.
When you select a section, appropriate section is also selected in the tree control in the Design tab, and in the Autodesk Inventor window.
Right-click to display a context menu with available features.
Tips:
- Double-click the section to display the dialog box where you can edit section dimensions.
- Press CTRL + Drag to reposition the section.
Results
To display the Results area on the right side of the Design, Calculation, and Graphs tabs, double-click the double line on the right or click the chevron.
Displays the calculated dimensions values such as main diameter. Click Calculate to display the values. The units of the calculated results values can be changed. Double-click the specified value you want to change.
The following output parameters are displayed in the Results pane:
- Dimensions
- Shaft Length (L)
- Cylinder
- Main Diameter (D)
- Length (L)
- Cone
- First Diameter (D 1 )
- Second Diameter (D 2 )
- Length (L)
- n-Side
- Diameter Circumscribed (D out )
- Diameter Inscribed (D in )
- Length (L)
- Number of Edges (N)
- Main Diameter (D)
Graphical Preview
A graphic preview of the selected geometry is displayed in Autodesk Inventor. You can use grips to specify section and feature dimensions. 3D Grips are available for selected section or middle feature.
Double-click or drag the 3D grip to change the dimension.
You can use 3D grips to edit following dimensions:
- Cylinder:
- diameter of the section
- length of the section
- Cone:
- first diameter of the section
- second diameter of the section
- length of the section
- Polygon
- diameter of the section
- length of the section
- rotation of section
- Keyway
- distance of feature from section start
- rotation of feature
- length of the feature: Available only if there is a list of available data. From Content Center, for example
- Retaining Ring
- distance of feature from section start
- Wrench
- feature width
- feature length
- distance of feature from section start
- rotation of feature
- Relief D
- distance of feature from section start
- Through Hole
- feature diameter
- distance of feature from section start
- rotation of feature
- Groove - A
- distance of feature from section start
- Groove - B
- distance of feature from section start
- rotation of feature
Tips:
- Double-click a 3D grip to open the dimension edit dialog box.
- Double-click a section/feature to open the feature edit dialog box.