Announcement
November 25, 2015

Posted on November 25, 2015 by Synergis Applications Consultant, Jim Swain
I recently had a customer in one of my Inventor Essentials classes ask if an angle has to be perpendicular to the face of the part.Jim1
I will typically draw a small flat at the desired angle, then drill the hole perpendicular to that face. But that isn’t necessary. Here is one way to do it:

  • Start a new sketch on the desired face
  • Draw a line to act as the hinge for the angle of the hole
    • This also allows the hole to be on a compound angle from existing edges
  • Draw a point at the desired hole center
  • Fully constrain the sketchJim2
  • Create a work plane at an angle to the face through the sketched line Jim3Jim4Jim5
  • Create another work plane parallel to another face through the sketched pointJim6Jim7
  • Create a work axis at the intersection of the two work planesJim8Jim9Jim10
  • Create a work point at the intersection of the work axis and the part’s faceJim11Jim12JIm13
  • Create the hole, using the On Point optionJim14Jim15
    • Notice that the counterbore is sunk into the part. This needs to be cleared out with another feature, such as an extrusion
  • Turn off the visibilities of the sketch, work planes, work axis and work pointJim16
  • Create a sketch on the face that needs to be cleared out
  • Project the face onto the sketch and finish the sketch
  • Extrude the cut outJim17

So there are a few more steps to go through than for a hole perpendicular to a face, but sometimes this is exactly what you need.
Jim
JIm18