COPI · Orbital head
A 2025–2026 Arts et Métiers team project: designing the digital model of an orbital drive head for cleaning the inside of industrial tanks. Our deliverable documents assembly, the kinematic chain and simulation checks in 3DEXPERIENCE.
Orbital head digital modelCreate a combined motion that sweeps the inside of a tank without dismantling it.
The model covers the mechanical drive from the motor to the cleaning head interface. It combines orbital rotation around the tank axis with nozzle rotation. The subassemblies, joints and sealing zones had to support a usable kinematic simulation.
Break down
Organise the assembly into kinematic groups: frame, motor shaft, upper shaft, intermediate drive and output shaft.
Assemble
Document an assembly sequence for shafts, bearings, belts, gears and housings from the digital model.
Separate environments
Distinguish the unlubricated area, lubricated gearbox and zone exposed to the tank's wet environment.
Prepare simulation
Check pivot joints and gear reference frames; identify choices that could distort the simulated motion.
A useful CAD model is more than a rendering: its structure must match the actual movements and make assembly clear to the team.
This was a team project. The orbital head document is a design and simulation deliverable, not evidence of a manufactured or commissioned machine.