To make a chassis, I draw with a 3D sketch and then I insert the tubes with "mechanically welded elements" by clicking on the sketch lines and creating several groups, it's the fastest I know.
My CAD question is: how do you proceed when there is an intersection of several tubes? So that each tube cuts its neighbor automatically without there being a "master" tube? to then recover the cutting profile. Should it be done on a case-by-case basis each time? (especially with branches that are not necessarily on the same level...)
My mecha question, if there are connoisseurs: is joining several tubes in the same knot an OK practice or to be avoided because it is fragile?
Here are (1) some videos that have helped me a lot so far, (2) a video of a pretty cool production laser in the subject, and (3) the screenshot of a 3D sketch to put in tube as an example:
(1) 3-pipe Y joint solidworks tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-D_p0LrauPY
SolidWorks Hints and Tips - tube blends https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWpT3Qr5kRw
for my part I would make the 2 tubes where you have the annotation in one piece with bending or bending and the other 2 in V in cutting and welding as you planned. A knot is not practical to assemble and weld.
From a manufacturing point of view, making junctions on adjacent faces is never very practical because accessibility decreases and welds overlap. As a result, more preparation of the parts is needed.
If we talk about steel tubes, it's essentially extra time. If it's on aluminum, each heating weakens the material a little. So, the successive operations of welding, grinding, welding, ... make the whole more fragile.
I always come back to the same thing: but I find it "cleaner" to create a new function instead of a group in the mechanically welded. Then use the "adjust/extend" function.
It allows you to decide which tube stops where and in relation to which face/body of the other tubes. Typically, for your node, it would give the attached image
The solution of @OBI WAn with the change of order of the groups on a miter cutter , is I think the best especially if you are with at least SW 2015 because it has been greatly improved since this version.
