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Computer Aided Design

Fusion 360 again!👨🏻‍💻

In this week's tutorial, we were once again creating a keychain on Fusion 360! This was a really good way to help us remember to importance of Fusion 360 and refining our skills. 

Here's my journey on Fusion 360. Enjoy!📸

We first start by opening Fusion 360. (Tip: prepare a mouse, it is easier than the trackpad)

1. Create a sketch (Ensure to select top view of the box on the top right of the screen)

2. Next, select a plane

3. Ensure to be on the "sketch" tab, draw a rectangle 60mm x 25mm

4. Select Offset option (can be found under modify) and click on the rectangle

5. Offset the sketch by 2mm

6. Select Fillet (can be found under modify) and click on the 4 outer corners

7. Type 5mm for the outer radius

8. Next, create a 25mm line

9. Right click and select Normal/ Construction

10. Select Dimension and click on both lines to define a 7mm distance between them.

11. Create a point in the middle of the line

12. Draw a 5mm circle from the point that was created (refer to step 11)

13. Next, select text and type whatever you want to include. In mine, I chose symbols (reference to the famous Squid Game from Netflix). Remember to click on finish sketch after you are done!

[I created 3 different text boxes to adjust the sizing, thickness and orientation]

14. Now, we need to give it its depth. Start by clicking Extrude on the base, dimension of 3mm, DO NOT select the hole

15. Next, select border and text boxes and extrude 1.5mm. Select offset plane and enter 3mm

16. Finally, hide all sketches and you're DONE!!

Learning Points

After completing this refresher, I realise that Fusion 360 may seem really daunting at first, but this is not my first time, and I do feel as I do I learn more and remember a lot more. It may just be the basic and really easy, but this is only the beginning.  I cannot imagine what other possible design that can be made using this. The only restraint we have is our creativity. 

Other than this refresher activity, I learned that we can view a 3D figure on the blog as well, using the embedded link! 

Once again, it's Fusion 360 Woohoo!

This time, we are making a phone stand that includes the use of pre set parameters

1. Create a sketch (Ensure to select top view of the box on the top right of the screen)

2. Create a component

3. Adjust the dimensions using the pre-set parameters

4. Draw in leg and internal tag

5. Fill in the dimensions and click finish sketch. Followed by extruding everything except for the space.

6. Create component and select origin plane.

7. Construct offset plane and click on the left square in the picture above, then click press P on keyboard to select 'project' and select sketch.

8. Extrude, ensure that it is negative ply, to change the direction of the extrude.

9. Add new component "Tray"

10. Select plane.

11. Project the selected parts in blue , do it for both.

12. Draw a rectangle on the sketch.

13. Make the blue lines collinear.

14. Input the dimension in picture below.

15. Extrude the ones highlighted in blue.

16. Create new component label "Sketch"

17. Project all highlighted parts in blue.

18. Draw another rectangle.

19. Add in dimensions for the 2 borders and click finish sketch.

20. Extrude the ones highlighted in blue only, distance: ply.

21. Add new component: support/ brace.

22. Offset plane negative 5mm.

23. Create a sketch on that plane.

24. Project the ones highlighted in blue.

25. Create a rectangle.

26. Set new constraints "midpoint" and add dimension.

27. Set the dimension of the new rectangle. Extrude symmetric ply/2.

28. Click finish sketch and select combine. Select target body (in blue) and tool body (in red).

29. Complete the above, right click and select leg 1 and isolate.

30. Fillet the tabs by 0.1mm.

31. Fillet 0.1mm for the tray.

32. Select Top and fillet the base by 0.1mm.

33. Finally DONE!!

YouTube reference link: https://youtu.be/7RAdmbOudoo

Learning Points

Now that I've completed this phone stand design, it wasn't that easy but definitely a learning experience. Initially I wanted to design my own stand. I created something like a taekwondo kick (since it is my cca), however I realise that it was more suitable for 3D Printing and not laser cut since I could not put in the tabs to connect and do not know how to incorporate those in my design. Hence, I resorted to using YouTube tutorial as a guide and followed through. I also tried to personalise it like how I did for the keychain, but since the phone stand was no vertical and I tried to insert text, the text came out floating away from the phone stand so I gave up haha. 

Nonetheless, this was a very useful way of learning since we were told to design a phone stand by ourselves, being able to fail made it a meaningful learning opportunity for me. I believe that as long as I tried to the best of my ability, failure is a path to success. 

I used to think that CAD is a very difficult skill that one can master. Now I think that it is very much true, I was told by my brother, friends and seniors that CAD is not easy and always cracking their head. I didn't believe but now I've tried it, it really is challenging!!! So next I will try to learn more by watching more YouTube videos, and if I have the time perhaps I can try making several designs that I'm interested. It may not need to be printed or laser cut, I can just make it for fun and learn the tools in Fusion 360!