CAD

Computer-Aided Design Part 1

Creating a Key Chain in Fusion360

This CAD task is to create our own key chain in Fusion360. Let’s move on to the steps on how to make my personalized key chain.

 

     1. First, I click create sketch icon and select a construction plane.

    2. Next, choose 2-point rectangle to draw a 65×25mm rectangle.

    3. Then, press Fn+o to create a 2mm offset.

  4. On the Sketch contextual tab, select Fillet icon. After that, click on the 4 outer corners of the rectangle to create fillets. It will appear a radius manipulator and specify as 5.0mm.

 5. Select line icon. Draw a line at the front part of the rectangle. Refer to the diagram below. After drawing it, select that line and right-click my mouse and then click normal/construction selection.

   6. Select the 'dimension' icon and click on line 1 and line 2 to define a 7mm between them.

 

    7. Under create, select point selection. Then, create a draw point in the middle of line 2.

    8. Draw a 5mm circle from the point that was recently created.

    9. Now, it’s time to create my name. Select Text icon and then I type Zhi Wei.

  10. I am done with the base sketches. Now, I will do some extruding steps to make it as 3D sketches. Click extrude icon and then select the rectangle without the hole. Extrude it as 3mm.

    11. In order to be continued the next step, I have to hide all bodies from the browser and show my sketch. After that, select my name and the border to extrude as 1.5mm. From the extrude menu, select offset plane and enter 3mm.

 12. Finally, I click on the “eye” icon of bodies and hide the sketches. My own key chain is done!

Reflection

This activity is basically to help us recall what we have learned about Fusion360 last semester. Our memories about Computer-Aided Design basic skills will be refreshed and consolidated during this task. In this refresher activity, I realized that I almost forgot how to use Fusion360. Fortunately, with the video guideline, I am able to create my own key chain sketches and be more familiar with how to use Fusion360. This activity will help me build a basement of this skill before proceeding to CAD Part 2.

Computer-Aided Design Part 2

A more interesting CAD task is given in week 2. We have to design a simple handphone stand our own that can be made by laser cutting. After doing some research and brainstorming, I have an idea of how to design my handphone stand. Below will show my design journey of handphone stand in Fusion360.

    1. To start, I select the 'rectangle' icon and draw 2 rectangles like L shape as the dimension of 5x90mm and 5x55mm as in the diagram below. After that, I select the 'finish sketch' (green tick icon).

  2. Under Modify, I click the 'Change Parameter' icon. After that, it will display a parameters dialog. I set up thickness at 5mm, height at 90mm and width at 55mm. Once I set up certain parameters, it will automatically add them to my favourite parameters. Hence, when I am typing the name of my favourite parameters in any compatible value field, my favourite parameters display as suggestions so that I can easily reuse them through a design. In addition, my design sketch will reflect changes once I edit and update the parameters.

    3. Next, I extrude the 5x90mm rectangle sketch with 32.5mm in a symmetric direction. And this step is also applied for the 5x55mm rectangle sketch.

    4. On the Sketch contextual tab, I select 'line icon' to draw an inclined line to create a 90 degrees angle of the triangle as in the diagram below. Set the width as 32.757mm and height as 90mm in order to achieve an incline of 20 degrees. After that, click the 'finish sketch' icon.

    5. Select the 'extrude' icon and click the triangle sketch profile and then type '-thickness' which is one of the favourite parameters I set up earlier.

    6. In order to create the same body on the opposite side of the triangular prism body, click the red circle(refer to the diagram below), then select Create > Mirror. After that, select the triangular prism body which is represented the blue colour shape as in the diagram below.

    7. Next, select the plane which is parallel to the selected objects. A symmetrical triangular prism will show as below.

9. The main body design of the handphone stand sketch is almost done. Now, I have to create a stopper at the front of the basement to ensure the handphone can fix at the same position without sliding down. Hence, I add the dimensions of that stopper into the parameter dialog which are 6mm in width (naming width2) and 4.5 mm in height(naming height2).

    11. After that, select the 'rectangle' icon and draw a 4.5x6mm rectangle shape by typing the name of my favourite parameters in their certain value field. Then, click the 'finish sketch' icon.

   12. Select the 'extrude' icon and click the 4.5x6mm rectangle. Extrude it with 65mm.

    13. I decide to add text to the surface of 5x90mm rectangular. Under create, select 'text' and then type some words with my preference font. After that, click the 'finish sketch' icon.

    14. After that, select the 'extrude' icon again and type the extrude dimension as -thickness.

    15. Next, it's to join all the bodies together. Press Fn+m to enable to move all the bodies and join them together. Finally, the handphone stand sketch is completely finished.

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Reflection

In this CAD part 2 activity, I realised that it is not easier to draw my original design in Fusion360 with certain constraints. At first, I have a rough idea of the handphone design image in my mind but I find out that it is difficult and challenging when I try to sketch it in Fusion360. It means that I still have a lot of space to learn and improve my CAD skill. So next, I will keep exploring Fusion360 and watch some tutorial videos on Youtube or other Internet sources to enhance my CAD skill.

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