Workflow for modeling these kinds of slots (Interlocking T-Bolt Construction)?

[banshee10]

I'm doing some laser cut stuff and would like to connect the bits using this technique:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Anything-Using-Acrylic-and-Machine-Sc/

But my methods for doing this are really primitive and time-consuming:

https://screencast.autodesk.com/main/details/5c477cf9-6071-4c93-afc4-9f23005c207d

Note that there are a couple things that make this more interesting.  The big one is that whatever I do, it has to use user parameters for the width of the screws and the width of the material, since both of those can change.

[TheCADWhisperer]

Can you attach your f3d file here using whatever technique you currently use with the finished geometry?

[banshee10]

Sure, but calling this "finished" is far too kind.  It's really just me messing around.

[TheCADWhisperer]

To me that looks like very simple primitive geometry to create.

First thing I noticed is not using obvious symmetry about the origin to speed up creation.

In blackplateSketch you have multiple repetitive dimensions that I would have used equal (=) constraints.

As I continued down the Timeline - I got more confused by your workflow as I went.

Sketch1 in bottomSuckerplate was especially confusing.

I never repeat dimensions for common geometry, and as a general rule - pattern features rather than sketch entities.

I noticed that you appear to be making the sketches for the t-slots as individual lines.  I would do as two rectangles - and only once - I would not repeat work.

As you get more experience - come back to this one in 6 months and re-open the file.

Use symmetry.

Use geometry constraints (like =).

Avoid duplicating dimensions.

Avoid duplicating sketch geometry.

Pattern features.

Did I mention to use symmetry?

Unfortunately I am really busy at this time of the year - otherwise I would recreate the model from scratch with my technques so that you could save some work.

If you find yourself creating something a second time that you have already created once - there is probably a better way and you are doing too much work.

I moved some of the dimensions in just one of your sketches to a single area to illustrate the repetition of your technique .

[TheCADWhisperer]

After thinking about this one for a bit - 

This one is so easy - that I am going to try to find the time to create an example - check back in a couple of days.

[banshee10]

See, I told you my example shouldn't be called "finished" :-).  It's definitely an amateur effort.

And thanks - I think you gave me a list of smaller more focused quetions to ask.  I think there are a lot of people trying to do this kind of 2.5d stuff, and the documentation just isn't there.  The "don't repeat yourself" concept is pretty obvious (especially to those of us who write software for a living), but it's often completely unclear how you actually apply that idea in 360.

[TheCADWhisperer]

OK, I created a simplified model this morning.

I did not take time to add parametric variable names to the dimensions.

Open the attached file and turn on the visibility of each of the sketches one-at-a-time (the first time through do not look at all of the sketches at once).

Examine each sketch one-by-one.  Note that each sketch is simple rectangles, circles or construction lines.

In about half an hour - after you have had time to examine the sketches - I will post the parts solution.

Note that these sketches could have all been combined into 3 sketches, Base, Side and Front - just like drawing board multi-view drawing.

I split them up to avoid confusion.

[TheCADWhisperer]

In my haste to finish this - I missed a couple of important things.

I assumed when I entered an Offset distance for the clearance rectangles that Fusion would add the dimension and make it parametric all the way around - it did not, so these dimensions need to be added.

Fusion does not automatically add a horizontal or vertical constraint to one of the Rectangle lines - so this needs to be done (I did this to some of them).

The t-slot is constructed with two simple sketch Rectangles.

The technique I used is referred to as the BORN Technique where I used the origin planes as much as practical (Base Orphan Reference Node) with symmetry about the origin.

Attached is my model.

You can play the Timeline to see how I constructed the assembly.

There is no need to covert Bodies to Components unless there is relative motion between parts.