Week 1 Tutorial: Making a Nametag
First, I made a sketch using the two buttons highlighted above.
Next, using the two-point rectangle tool (highlighted in
blue on the tool ribbon above), I sketched a 25 mm x 65 mm rectangle.
I then used the offset tool and offset the rectangle to
create a smaller rectangle within the one I drew earlier. This is a very useful
tool for making the outer raised border of the nametag, as I would have to manually
draw the smaller rectangle and centre it myself later on, and this tool helps
with both of that. Not only does it save time, but it also reduces the
frustrations I would have felt trying to centre the rectangle.
Using the fillet tool, I rounded off the four corners of the
outer rectangle to remove the sharp corners for a cleaner look. The offset tool
from the previous step also helped with this, as the corners of the inner
rectangle automatically got filleted as well.
Next, I drew a line…
…and changed the line type to a construction line by
right-clicking on it.
Using the Dimension tool, I then specified the dimension
between the left short side of the rectangle and the line I created in the last
two steps to be 7mm. I had previously not known about this tool and I would
have loved to had known I could do this long ago, being able to specify
dimensions between to elements rather than having to redraw them…
I then used the point tool under Create as shown above to
put a point at the middle of the line (not shown in the photo)
From the point I made in the last step, I sketched out a
circle using the Circle tool and specified its diameter to be 5 mm.
Next, I selected the text tool to start putting the text
that I want on my nametag.
Then I used the pop-up to edit the font and type in the text
I wanted. For this nametag, I went with my usual nickname and used the Impact
typeface. Other settings I edited were the alignment to make the text centred,
and kept the character height to 10mm, which was the pre-set height, and
increased the character spacing to 10.
After finishing the sketch, I then started the extrusion
process to turn my 2-dimensional sketch into the 3-dimensional nametag. First I
selected the two rectangles that I sketched and extruded both 3 mm, the results
of which can be seen below.
After the first extrusion, I then hid the visible body in
the browser and made my sketch visible again. This way, I can select the border
and my name to extrude.
For this step, I extruded both my name and the nametag
border by 1.5mm, but in order for the name and the border to be above the base
I extruded earlier, I had to start the extrusion from an offset of 3.0mm, which
is the thickness of the base. The final results are as shown below.
You can have a full 360-degree view at the keychain here:
Post-Tutorial Reflection
From this quick exercise, we were tasked to use the skills we had learnt in the previous semester to make the nametag to refresh our memory. This helped me recall the use of tools such as the sketching tools for the rectangle, lines and filleting, as well as the extrusion tool to turn our 2D sketch into a three-dimensional product. When I was doing the tutorial, I had a problem where the extrusion wouldn't go through as it was having errors due to the whole plane of the nametag (i.e. the "body" of the nametag) having been extruded already, and the name and the border having to be extruded past that. My Fusion360 hence had trouble with the second stage of extrusion, and this had prompted me to restart the whole project. Though usually I would be frustrated having to redo a task after making so much progress, having to redo it made me realise how fast I've gotten with the basic Fusion360 tools. I was able to redo the sketch from scratch to the step just before extrusion in about 2 minutes. This reassured my confidence in using the software and I'm glad that a few months off using it has not deemed me rusty.
Week 2: Handphone Stand
Introduction
This week, we were taught how to use parameters in sketching and modelling. Parametric design is one where the the different parameters of the design are defined before the modelling is started to capture the design intent. This is done through the use of features and constraints, which allow the designer (which is me in this case) to automate repetitive changes (Brunelli, 2017), or in a simple design like mine, help to make changes in dimensions quicker as I can just use the parameters I've set instead of having to think of and list down or remember a whole set of numbers. I share more thoughts on this in my reflection below. Full disclosure: this was my third attempt over the week to design the phone stand, I had so many oversights in my first two designs that they warranted a clean slate to make it easier to document as well.
Here is the final design of the handphone stand, and my design process right below it:
Designing the Handphone Stand
As with all work we've done on Fusion 360, we first start with creating a sketch by selecting it on the toolbar.
Then, I selected the x-y plane (the plane shown in the image above with the grid) to start my sketch on. Before I started my sketching, I went to the Modify section of the toolbar and selected "Change Parameters" as shown below.
I did not take pictures of this (mostly because it involved my phone, partly because I forgot), but I grabbed a set square from my pencil case and did measurements of my phone. I decided on a length and height for the phone stand that would fit a large phone like mine (I have an iPhone 11 Pro Max, which is pretty beefy in itself). I also measured the length at which my phone would have a suitable angle for viewing when placed on the table, and this defined the width of the phone stand base. I entered these values I have decided on on the table of parameters.
The photo shown above is an example of how it is like to enter the parameters I wanted to use for my design. It involves naming the parameter which I can then type in when defining dimensions as you'll see later on, deciding on which unit to use (I stuck with the default millimetre) and then specifying the dimension for that specific parameter. I did so for all the parameters I wanted to define, and here's the final list of them.
With all (or most, more on that later...) the parameters defined, I could start the sketching. I started with the basic two-dimensional shape of my stand, which was a horizontal rectangle with two rectangles perpendicular to it. First I sketched the horizontal rectangle using the Two-Point Rectangle tool and defined its dimensions using parameters.
Then I used the same tool to draw the perpendicular rectangles. I defined their dimensions using parameters like before.
I then positioned the rectangle correctly, which is something parameters are a godsend for. Entering the parameters earlier, I had defined a parameter <edgetoslot>, which is how far the slots in the pieces will be from the edge of the piece. Since the slots will be in the intersection of the different pieces, I could use them to properly position the perpendicular rectangles as well.
I did this to both the left side and the top side of the first perpendicular rectangle.
I repeated the same steps for the other side of the horizontal piece to make the second perpendicular triangle. To save some space, I won't show the steps as they were exactly the same. Here is the final sketch that I had at this point:
Great! With this sketch, I could finally bring my phone stand to life by starting the extrusion.
Starting with the right rectangle, I extruded the rectangle to the height I needed it to be, which is a parameter I defined earlier, <baseheight>.
To create the slot on the piece, I started a new sketch and selected the face of the rectangle I wanted to sketch on, which is the face of the piece that's highlighted in the photo below.
I then used the Two-Point Rectangle tool to sketch the rectangle for the slot, and used the parameters to define the dimensions of the rectangle.
Not shown here, but I actually wanted to define the length from the right side of the rectangle to the edge of the piece to be the parameter <edgetoslot> like earlier, however, trying to use the Dimension tool and specifying the dimension would tell me that it would over-constrain the sketch and a driven dimension would instead be put, which is just an indicator of the length. I later found out that this could have been circumvented by changing my perspective so I can properly select the edge and it would allow me to define the length.
I did not do that for this step (I only found that out in a later step), but thankfully the rectangle was exactly the right distance from the edge that I needed. This would have been because I defined <tabwidth> to be the same as <boardthickness>, which I assumed to be 2 mm. Since I earlier defined to be the top edge of the perpendicular rectangle (the right edge of the piece in the closest photo above) to be <edgetoslot> (i.e. 10mm) from the nearest edge of the horizontal piece, the pieces aligned perfectly and the rectangle I just sketched aligns with the horizontal piece as well, which was the design I intended.
This is a great example of why I appreciate having learnt parameters, as it greatly simplified the process which would have otherwise resulted in a lot of troubleshooting, and saved me from a lot of frustration :D
The next step I did was extruding the rectangle I just sketched, which will serve as a slot for this piece to connect it with the horizontal bar in assembly.
The results of the extrusion are as shown below.
I then continued on to do the exact same steps for the other perpendicular rectangle. Again, to save space, I will not be showing the steps individually as they are exactly the same as the past 6 photos, just for the other side of the base. Here is the state of the phone stand as of this step:
The next step for me is to make the vertical bar which the phone will be leaning on when on the stand. I started this by creating a new sketch and selecting the top face of one of the pieces.
Using the Two-Point Rectangle tool (my new best friend at this point), I sketched a rectangle with the dimensions <boardthickness> and... oh. I mentioned earlier that I missed out parameters on my list, and this was one of two that I forgot. I would have defined it as <backguardwidth>, with a value of 10mm. Since I did not define this parameter, I just went ahead and defined the length of the rectangle as 10 mm.
Now, I had a similar issue as I had when I was making the slot from earlier: I could not define the length from the right edge of the sketched rectangle to the right edge of the piece using the Dimension tool. It was at this step that I figured out that I could actually work around this by changing the perspective, which I did and it worked out for me, and I was able to define it as my parameter <backtoconnector>.
I then proceeded with the extrusion for the stand.
As with before, I did the exact same steps with the other piece, and the results are as follows.
Next is a pivotal step that warranted this third attempt at designing the phone stand: I had forgotten to make the pieces I have designed to be their own components. When I continued on from this point forward on my second attempt, the connector joined with the current pieces and it became one whole body. My phone stand would not be good for laser cutting in that case, hence I had to restart and not make the same mistake. To prevent this problem, I did some quick research and found out a way to change the bodies into components, which is shown here:
I could then proceed with extruding the connector piece with confidence that the parts won't join together like before. I made the two components invisible and extruded the connector piece from the first sketch I made earlier:
Just as a failsafe, I also converted this piece into a component.
To create the slots, I started a new sketch and chose the face of the connector piece that I wanted to sketch on.
Utilising my best friend, the Two-Point Rectangle tool, I sketched the rectangle with my defined parameters for the slot.
For some reason I can't explain,
I did the same for the other end of the connector piece, and I started the extrusion to make the slots.
The main body of the three pieces are now complete! At this point, I made the other two components from earlier visible, and I had my first look at the phone stand in an actual, physical form.
What was left was the finishing touches. I'm not really a fan of sharp edges, especially since the phone stand would be made out of acrylic or wood when laser cut, so softening most of the corners is also a step that can reduce any cuts or gashes when using the product (I've had a bad experience with sharp acrylic edges before...). I did so by filleting the corners first at the top of the stand, and I did this for both of them, though what I've shown here is only me doing it on the left side of the stand.
I took a look at what I had currently and something felt off... After looking for a minute, I realised I had not made the stoppers at the front that prevent the phone from slipping and falling over. I took a break from filleting and went back to the drawing board (literally), editing the sketch I did earlier to form the vertical portions of the stand. I used my handy-dandy best friend, the Two-Point Rectangle tool and I sketched out a rectangle and defined its dimensions to be <boardthickness> and... not again! I wanted to use another parameter but I also forgot to define this one, which I wanted to be <frontguardwidth> with a value of 5mm. I then just defined the length of the rectangle to be 5mm as I wanted.
I then proceeded to extrude the front guard portion, and did the same to the other piece.
I continued my filleting, starting again with the front guards I had just extruded and as usual, doing it for the front guards in both sides of the stand.
Down to the last step: all I had to do now is fillet the remaining corners that would not be in contact with the table.
At long last, two failed attempts and a whole week later, my phone stand is finally complete! You can have a look at a three-dimensional model and explode the model to separate the three components in the window below:
Post-Activity Reflection
From this activity, I felt like designing the product parametrically in Fusion360 compared to modelling it directly helps out a lot with the designing process. Like I mentioned in the introduction for this activity, it saves me time and effort than to have to remember the dimensions I want, and it also helps to make designing the phone stand a more organised process. Aside from learning how to use parameters in Fusion360, I had also learnt how to create components when modelling which I used to design the phone stand to have multiple parts. This helped me out as the phone stand is intended to be laser cut, hence breaking it up to multiple components that are flat enables me to do just that, instead of having to use other methods to create it such as 3D Printing.
I definitely think that I'll be able to utilise my learning from this activity in future projects, specifically for the project we have to do for this module and of course our Final Year Project. Looking back, I've done a few personal projects trying to replicate phones in Fusion360, and I think parameters would have been handy to know so that I could be more accurate with my replication. Perhaps I could do another one during the next holidays, and separately make the buttons as their own components. Overall, I feel like I've definitely one-upped myself in terms of my skills in using Fusion360, specifically when modelling the product and bringing my vision to life. I can safely say that I took a stride towards reaching one of my goals of improving my capabilities in using Fusion360 with this activity, and I look forward to making another momentous in the future like I did designing this phone stand.
References
Brunelli, M., 2017. Parametric vs. Direct Modelling: Which Side Are You On? [online] Available at: <https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/cad/parametric-vs-direct-modeling-which-side-are-you-on> [Accessed 3 November 2021]
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