Mechanical Assemblies and Mechanisms in Flux

Flux is an AI hardware engineer. It builds mechanical assemblies and mechanisms with the electronics that complete your product.

Build a multi-part assembly

Ask Flux to build the assembly from the parts in your project.

An assembly combines parts in a shared product model. It can contain imported parts, new parts, standard hardware, and the board with its components. Describe how each part connects and how the complete device should work.

1. Add or import the parts that belong in the assembly.

2. Tell Flux which parts form the assembly and what each part does.

3. Describe how the parts align, such as face to face, edge to edge, or along an axis.

4. Ask Flux to place the parts and keep their intended relationships.

5. Add the board and other electronics to the assembly when they are part of the device.

6. Ask Flux to refine the positions or geometry as the design changes.

You can place parts by a face, edge, or axis. Use these references to align mounting surfaces, center rotating parts, or set the position of a bracket relative to a frame. For a board inside an assembly, name its mounting holes, connectors, and the parts that surround it.

Add mechanisms

Ask Flux to connect the parts with hinges, joints, gears, or linkages.

A mechanism describes how connected parts move. Tell Flux which parts stay fixed, which parts move, and where the motion occurs. You can design hinges, joints, gears, and linkages. A pan-tilt assembly can rotate around two axes. A robot arm can connect several links and joints to reach a work area.

1. Identify the fixed base and the moving parts.

2. Describe each joint or hinge and its axis of movement.

3. State the range or sequence of motion that the mechanism needs.

4. Ask Flux to position the parts and connect them through the mechanism.

5. Add the board, motors, servos, or other hardware that drives the motion.

6. Refine the links and mounts to suit the hardware and product envelope.

Use the mechanism's purpose to guide the design. A pan-tilt mount may need a clear camera view and room for its cables. A geared mechanism needs its shafts and gears in alignment. A robot arm needs links that connect its joints and support the loads at its end.

Mate parts

Ask Flux to position parts with mates that keep their relationships in the assembly.

1. Open the project that contains the assembly.

2. Open Chat and name the parts and the mate type.

3. Open the assembly in the 3D view to review the part positions.

Flux positions parts with concentric mates that share an axis, coincident faces, aligned edges or axes, and offsets or distances. For example, use a concentric mate for a shaft in a bore or a bracket on a pivot. Use a coincident mate to place two faces together. Flux solves the mates in the part's editable CAD code, so a dimension change keeps the parts in their relationships. See Editable CAD code to learn about editable parts.

Ask Flux to check the mechanism for collisions through its full range of motion.

Organize the assembly in the object tree

Ask Flux to group the assembly models in the order you assemble the product.

1. Open the Objects panel.

2. Expand the groups to see their models.

3. Select a group to highlight its parts in the 3D view.

4. Move models out of a group before you delete the group.

Flux groups the 3D model nodes in the Objects panel in assembly order. Each group represents one physical unit and has a clear name, such as Base, Front panel, or Internal assembly.

Keep the electronics in context

Ask Flux to place the board and its parts in the mechanical assembly.

Flux works with the board and its parts in the same project as the mechanical assembly. Place the board where the enclosure, frame, or mechanism needs it. Include connectors and displays in the model so the assembly reflects the device you plan to build.

Tell Flux how a board attaches to the assembly. Name the mounting holes or support points, and describe the required orientation. If the board connects to a motor or display, include their position and orientation in the request. Flux can then use those relationships as it edits or adds parts.

For a multi-board product, describe each board's role and where it sits in the assembly. Ask Flux to keep access to the connectors, service areas, and moving components that the product needs. The resulting assembly can include electronics, wiring space, structural members, and external parts. Create each board in its own project, and see Multi-board devices.

Multi-board devices

Ask Flux to design each daughterboard in its own project and place its populated 3D model in the parent assembly.

Give Flux a dimensioned brief for each board. Include its outline, thickness, connector positions, mounting points, and interfaces to the other boards. Flux creates a separate project for each daughterboard. Add the populated 3D model of each board to the parent assembly to check fit against the enclosure and other parts.

Grow from a mechanism to a complete device

Ask Flux to add the next parts of the device, one focused change at a time.

Start with the main movement or product function. Add the frame, mounts, covers, and board in the order that makes their relationships clear. Refine the assembly through focused changes. For example, adjust a joint mount without changing the board position, or update a frame to support a longer link.

1. Describe the product and its main function.

2. Ask Flux to model the core parts and mechanism.

3. Add electronics and hardware to the product assembly.

4. Ask Flux to add the supporting parts, mounts, and covers.

5. Continue with the next design requirement, such as a new range of motion or a change to the product envelope.

This approach scales from a small hinge to a pan-tilt device and a complete robot arm. Keep the product requirements and real hardware in view as you add parts.

Example prompts

Ask Flux to build, position, or organize the parts in your assembly.

Related pages

• Mechanical Design

• Design new parts

• Fit and clearance

• Mechanical analysis