Fusion 3D Trials & Tribulations

[Arbutus]

Regarding holes, stress, fit, etc - designing 3D printed parts with fasteners takes some planning. The images are for a machine control panel which will be used and abused in service. It must be tough, shockproof, dustproof and servicable. The design (F360) uses geometry to hold the parts snugly in place without screws. The lid is screwed into the case and the base of the case has a VESA style mount plate. I use M3 and M4 inserts which fit into an undersized hole and are melted into position with a soldering iron. Wall thickness is 3.5mm. Material ABS-CarbonFibre.

Designing with Fusion offers many possibilities, including parametric designs, full 3D component integration and complex motion assemblies.

 

[slow-poke]

You zoomed right in on my other barrier to entry for 3D Printing.

Unless I am wrong, I understand that I need working CAD to be able to customize designs before printing. Everything I know says you need both 3D CAD and 3D Printing. They go together.

A couple of points to consider:

+ it seems there is a step file for almost everything these days, so often for trial fit you can print things that will be a part of what you are building with no CAD program or need to use it. I do this for things like bearing blocks, shaft couplers etc. A step further integrating these models into a simple design, for example a simple mounting plate with a bearing block takes very little skill, easy to make a simple rectangular plate a d then you just add the more complex part that someone did all the hard work developing.

+ I don't know how to use Fusion or any similar program, however the PCB software I use (Altium) has 3D capability that is very easy to use. That's all I have been using. So perhaps you can leverage some other software that you are already familiar with. With Altium you can make the shape of the PCB anything you want and you can set the thickness to anything you want, a through-hole pad becomes a drilled hole. So I can make a shape and then save that thing as a step file. I can then make a more complex part by just merging the various step files and saving them as a step file. I can rattle off a simple part in minutes using this technique. Yesterday I needed a simple mount for a power supply. A few measurements later I had my simple model and off to the printer.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Here's the result.View attachment 41882

The original box had 62.8mm diameter cavities. For 60mm diameter gear cutters. The width of the box is 70mm. My cutters are 40 and 50mm in diameter. Gee I though. Parametric CAD. Why not make boxes the right size for my cutters.

So when I draw the box I set the width to the cutter diameter plus 10mm. The 50mm cutter box width is therefore 60mm. That's the only parameter I need to set. The slot for the cutter is 2mm larger. The depth and width and all work out just peachy.

Just got an email that my grey filament order is ready for pickup. Time to go get that and then print the 40mm box.

 

[DavidR8]

Speaking of filament @jcdammeyer , the m3d brand that Industrial Paint and Plastics carries is made here in Victoria. I picked up a roll of Performance Plus and it prints beautifully on my SV06.

 

[Susquatch]

Nice @jcdammeyer !

I had originally thought it was for Lathe gears, not gear cutters. But they are both good ideas! I have a few gear cutter sets that could benefit from a holder like that.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Nice @jcdammeyer !

I had originally thought it was for Lathe gears, not gear cutters. But they are both good ideas! I have a few gear cutter sets that could benefit from a holder like that.

So what you do is learn CAD and buy a 3D printer...

 

[jcdammeyer]

Speaking of filament @jcdammeyer , the m3d brand that Industrial Paint and Plastics carries is made here in Victoria. I picked up a roll of Performance Plus and it prints beautifully on my SV06.

Just got back from there. Hard place to find. Nice guys. Going mount the grey and try it.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Nice @jcdammeyer !

I had originally thought it was for Lathe gears, not gear cutters. But they are both good ideas! I have a few gear cutter sets that could benefit from a holder like that.

BTW. The credit all goes to @David_R8. It was his initial drawing that he did that I then copied. I hadn't even thought of making something like that.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Here's the result using brand new M3D grey. For some reason it lifted in the corners a bit. Normally this printer doesn't do that.

These are the 40mm diameter M0.5 gear cutters. I think I should build a lid for it or print a second as a cover.

 

[Doggggboy]

Here's the result using brand new M3D grey. For some reason it lifted in the corners a bit. Normally this printer doesn't do that.

These are the 40mm diameter M0.5 gear cutters. I think I should build a lid for it or print a second as a cover.

View attachment 41897

Dry your filament

 

[jcdammeyer]

Dry your filament

It's brand new. Just came from Martter3D.


They are housed in a bay behind another business. Two extruders. The pellets are mixed with colour, extruded and then cooled in a long hot water bath and after that in a cold water bath. Then they do something else with it but I didn't quite understand. Then from the machine it goes into the winder. Boxes everywhere.
The reel was vacuum packed with two packages of slica gel. Quite possible that it should be dried first anyway.

I'm now busy printing the 50mm cutter box. It's the same length as the others but an extra 10mm wider.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Regarding holes, stress, fit, etc - designing 3D printed parts with fasteners takes some planning. The images are for a machine control panel which will be used and abused in service. It must be tough, shockproof, dustproof and servicable. The design (F360) uses geometry to hold the parts snugly in place without screws. The lid is screwed into the case and the base of the case has a VESA style mount plate. I use M3 and M4 inserts which fit into an undersized hole and are melted into position with a soldering iron. Wall thickness is 3.5mm. Material ABS-CarbonFibre.

Designing with Fusion offers many possibilities, including parametric designs, full 3D component integration and complex motion assemblies.
View attachment 41888View attachment 41887View attachment 41886

That is one impressive box. I wish the electronics magazines would run an in depth column just on packaging. I find that one of the more difficult things when I build stuff.

 

[DavidR8]

Here's the result using brand new M3D grey. For some reason it lifted in the corners a bit. Normally this printer doesn't do that.

These are the 40mm diameter M0.5 gear cutters. I think I should build a lid for it or print a second as a cover.

View attachment 41897

When I bought the m3d filament I printed a temp tower.
Best temp for the Performance PLA for me was 210 extruder and 60 bed.

 

[jcdammeyer]

When I bought the m3d filament I printed a temp tower.
Best temp for the Performance PLA for me was 210 extruder and 60 bed.

This was the cheaper Basic Series PLA. Extruding at 215C and 70C bed temp. I could try a slightly lower bed temperature.

BTW, this is one of the most frustrating parts of 3D printing. One object prints perfectly after being in the dehumdifier overnight. Then next part lifts and has problems with a different filament that was also in the dehumidifier overnight.

 

[YYCHM]

BTW, this is one of the most frustrating parts of 3D printing. One object prints perfectly after being in the dehumdifier overnight. Then next part lifts and has problems with a different filament that was also in the dehumidifier overnight.

Shssss...... Don't let @Susquatch hear that

 

[Matt-Aburg]

Shssss. Don't let @Susquatch hear that

you just added another year..

 

[Susquatch]

So what you do is learn CAD and buy a 3D printer...

That's the plan.

Major breakthrough in Fusion yesterday. Turned out my problem was a Fusion bug!

 

[jcdammeyer]

Here's the second one. Gives a better perspective of Parametric 3D CAD in the sense that the two parts are different by changing a single dimension that is then used to create a number of other dimensions.

 

[Susquatch]

Here's the second one. Gives a better perspective of Parametric 3D CAD in the sense that the two parts are different by changing a single dimension that is then used to create a number of other dimensions.

Oh my...... That's awesome.

Is that like print scaling or some other tool?

 

[jcdammeyer]

Oh my...... That's awesome.

Is that like print scaling or some other tool?

Each length can be a distinct value like 1.000" or 25.4mm and each dimension is assigned a number. Like D2, D3 etc. Now imagine this new length you want to set is D4. You could set it to be 1.000". Or it could be D2*4. If D2 is 0.25" then D4 is 1.000". Same value but D4 is now dependant on the parameter D2. That's why it's called parametric CAD.
Make sense?