Universal Joint Mate
Makes one shaft turn another through a cross joint, where the two shafts meet at an angle.
When to Use It
- A drive shaft with a bend
- A steering column joint
- Two shafts that meet at an angle
Step by Step
- Open an assembly (assemblies need the Pro plan) with at least two components in it. See Assemblies: Start and Insert Parts.
- Click Mate on the Assembly tab (or right-click a component and choose Assembly tools, Mate...), then click the Mechanical tab at the top of the window.
- Click the axis (round face, circular edge or axis) of the input shaft. It shows as Input shaft.
- Click the axis of the output shaft on a different component. It shows as Output shaft.
- Click Universal Joint. It is lit only when the two axes meet at one point and are bent by more than half a degree and at most 60 degrees.
- Click the green check. There is no value to type.
Options
- There are no options besides positioning only and the transparent pick.
Tips and What to Expect
- The output turns unevenly when the shafts are bent (faster and slower twice a turn), and evenly when they are straight.
- It does not hold the shafts together. Give each shaft its own bearing mate, a Hinge or a Concentric.
- Flip Mate Alignment is not available for this mate.
Common Problems
- "The two shafts of a universal joint must be bent by at most 60 degrees." Bend the shafts less.
- The button is grey. The two axes pass each other without meeting, or they are almost straight.
- Every button is grey. The picks do not fit any mate on this tab. The status line says what is missing, for example "Pick more entities." Remove a pick (click it again or press Delete in Mate Selections) and try again.
- "Collapse the exploded view to add mates." Mates cannot be added while the assembly is exploded.
- The Over defined prompt appears. The new mate conflicts with the ones already there. See Mates: Fixing Mate Problems.