Friday, July 14, 2023

Using My How To Draw Threads In Fusion 360 To Work

I have created a macro / spreadsheet to create XML files for Fusion 360 threads. The screw thread feature only works on cylindrical faces, but if the cone angle is constant you could use a tapered thread type like NPT or BSPT which are used in pipe fittings. In one part of the tutorial you mention using tap & die to clean up 3D printed threads. The first one, which used the default clearance that Fusion 360 applies, is a little bit too tight. It actually got stuck on there and I had to use a vice and wrench to get it off. This default often doesn’t work on smaller thread sizes. We also want to make sure to add the same radius to our internal thread of the nut. I’ll turn the visibility of the nut component back on and I’ll make sure it’s active. Before reactivating the fillet command, I’ll select the edge again. This time, I’ll add a fillet radius of .15mm, which equals a total of .3mm, something that will make a significant difference in the print. If you look at the threads on most plastic parts, for example, the threads on a disposable water bottle, you’ll notice they’re almost always rounded over. As we all know, most metals are stronger than plastics, and they hold up better long term. I like to type out the clearance added to the default. For this one, I’ll type out -0.1 and I’ll extrude cut this down -.2mm to make a simple emboss. The second to last option is the thread direction. The majority of the time you’ll want to leave this on the default of right-hand. However, if you do find yourself working on a project where something loosens anti-clockwise, you’ll want to use left-hand, which will prevent loosening over time. Watch what happens to the pitch of the threads in the model as I change this to a lower pitch. The size option lets you change the size of the thread. If I switch this to 20mm, you’ll see that the designation switches to m20.


The iPadOS app has Apple Pencil support which is pretty neat. Frankly, I would be perfectly willing to toss a couple hundred dollars at them if it were a boxed product that I "owned" and could reinstall in 10 years. But they don't offer that, its a rental model or nothing. After all, I paid for simply3d, despite there being a bunch of free slicers, because it works well and I can use it for an hour or so a year without fretting over continuous payment. I don't think Blender is an option or even a useful starting point for a replacement. It solves an entirely different problem and any similarity in problem domain being addressed is purely superficial. I particularly disliked having to upload files to their 'cloud' for conversion between formats or even for slicing objects. Not really what I'm comfortable doing with client's assets. I think that with a bit of work, an addon could build on the boolean modifiers and create something fairly powerful. You have a pile of vertices/edges/faces, you do some editing, and you have a different pile of verticies/edges/faces. There's some stuff doable with non-destructive modifiers, but they're for very limited specific tasks. Since blender is so easy to write add-ons for with their Python API, I'd be surprised if there wasn't already community effort around this. On re-reading it, I think it is less clear than when I originally read it. Regardless, it's a bit of hair-splitting because he's clearly been using the free license for at least a portion of that time. This isn't even debatable but somehow easily forgotten.


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