Cutting Slot Patterns onto cylinder face

[Anonymous]

I am stuggling to model the attached file and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are a series of slots on the outside cylinder face that are connected by 30 degree angled slots. I attempted this as a solid and now am attempting it with a surface model. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[JDMather]

I do not see an attached *.ipt file, only the image?

[Anonymous]

My bad,

Here is my attempt. It is a close approximation, but I am not satisfied.

[WHolzwarth]

I'd do it this way.

The red faces are distorted, because a combination of rotation and linear movement of the tool. I've killed the sharp edges in the transitions by cutting, ending in the blue faces

Walter

[-niels- · Accepted solution]

Here's something i tried, didn't use any of your dimension and i'm not sure if it's what you're after...

But maybe you can get some ideas out of it.

[Anonymous]

I think that has got it! Thanks for the assistance, it was a real brain bender. My main mistake is I tried to tackle the problem from the perspective of a machinist.

[WHolzwarth]

Depends on what you need in the end.

The solution shown by -niels- is good for visual display. But how about machining?

Walter

[Anonymous]

The slot wraps completely around the cylinder, so if I can work out the positions of each slot on the circumference, I should be able to develop an accurate model of the part. Eventually this information will be transposed to Mastercam in order to be manufactured, so accuracy is important.

[WHolzwarth]

Hmm. If accuracy of the 3D model is important, you'd consider this:

- With an embossed rectangle sketch on a cylinder the side faces are pointing to the cylinder axis. They are not parallel.

- If you need parallel side faces, you can do an extrusion, if the rectangle sketch is parallel to the cylinder axis. But as soon as there's an angle relative to the cylinder axis, only both sides thickening of a wrapped (round cylinder) middle surface ends up with reliable results.

[JDMather]

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@Anonymous wrote:
 My main mistake is I tried to tackle the problem from the perspective of a machinist.

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As a machinist - my first question to you would be, "What size cutter?", since I don't really trust your model.
There would be a bunch of follow-on questions.

I always think like the machinist I was (20 yrs ago).