topic Re: Measuring Thread Size in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:49:21 GMT

Hello guys,
is there a way to measure thread sizes in drawings or while modeling?
I didn't find any solution yet, even though this has been requested for a decade (found a forum discussing this from 2015 and imo this shouldn't be requested to begin with, but a default feature).

@autodesk This is a feature in Inventor for many, many years...why can't you add it to Fusion360 as well? You guys are playing in the same team? You are updating Fusion360 almost weekly, yet this is still missing.
And please don't tell me you can double-click on a measurement and type in the thread size manually.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

Drewpan — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 09:34:03 GMT

Hi,

While it may not be perfect, if you use the Thread Tool in fusion you get a large choice of different threads based on

the hole size and user choices. While modelling, if you went to the timeline you could click on Edit and view the

thread information you are using for that thread.

I am not certain of this, but if you have actually modeled the threads that you should be able to check it with the

tools in the Drawing panel. Most of the time you elect NOT to model the threads in a design because it affects

general performance. If you actually uncheck the box I thought the thread details were shown. It has been a long

time since I used the Drawing tools on threaded hole designs.

The Documentation seems to suggest that the Auto-Dimensioning tool will create thread information.

Thread Notes also might be what you want.

Cheers

Andrew

Re: Measuring Thread Size

HughesTooling — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:01:42 GMT

If you've created the thread in Fusion just editing the thread\hole feature will tell you the thread info. Would be nice if the measure tools gave you this info as well, @Phil.E are there any tickets for this improvement?

In the 2d drawing workspace you need to add a note to show thread\hole details,

Re: Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:03:33 GMT

Dear @Drewpan , thanks a lot for your fast respond.
I was not aware, that you were able to create a thread note within the Drawing workspace. Unfortunately only for threads which has been modeled manually and only in the Drawing workspace. It would be great to have this option in the modeling workspace as well, without opening the "adding thread-operation" in the modeling-history again (can lead to software crashing or freezing).

I often add McMaster-Carr components to my model - those are not able to be measured and I cannot find any information about the model in the tree or history.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:10:18 GMT

That's correct, but editing the thread can lead to Fusion crashing/freezing if this operation was a long time ago.

Thanks for the "Hole and Thread Note", didn't know it - intuitively I thought it will be in the measuring option, like in Inventor. Unfortunately only works on manually modeled threads.

Still it is not able to measure added components from 3rd party suppliers, like McMaster.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

HughesTooling — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 10:48:50 GMT

@officeZJ276 wrote:

Still it is not able to measure added components from 3rd party suppliers, like McMaster.

Didn't know Inventor could do that. Does that work on holes with modeled threads or is it picking it up some other way?

Re: Measuring Thread Size

MRWakefield — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:10:00 GMT

I can't comment on Inventor's ability to measure threads on 'dumb' imported geometry (such as McMaster-Carr) as I don't use that particular application. In Fusion you could create a sketch on a plane coincident with the thread centreline then perform a Project/Include-Intersect:

Add a centreline and two lines that intersect the flanks (as shown in the sketch below). Make these two lines equal (these represent the pitch diameter). Add dimensions accordingly. Sometimes it will be obvious but sometimes you might have to reference some thread tables to determine the exact designation of the thread. It's a bit of a faff but it's the best way I can think of.

Hope this helps.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:25:14 GMT

Wow, that is quite impressive that you came up with that solution.
But, without being offensive, I'd never do that 😅 that is way too many operation for a simple task such as measuring a thread size.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

MRWakefield — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:28:38 GMT

I guess it depends how desperate you are to know what the thread is!

Re: Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 12:45:10 GMT

Not really, in my opinion that should be a default operation to measure/read a thread.
I do not have the time nor the nervous to:
- create a plane
- start a sketch
- project the outlines
- measure them
- looking it up on a thread table
As you said it yourself:" (...) It's a bit of a faff (...)"
My clients certainly won't understand why I charge them money for measuring a threat.

Instead a click on a button would be much appreciated.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

MRWakefield — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 13:48:48 GMT

Sorry, I'm just a user trying to help out another user. Even if it's too much bother for you perhaps it might help others looking for a similar solution in the future.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

HughesTooling — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 13:59:12 GMT

@officeZJ276 How does this feature work in Inventor for imported threads? What do you select, the outside helix or points on the helix or does Inventor use some sort of feature recognition? Can you show a screengrab from Inventor?

Re: Measuring Thread Size

officeZJ276 — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:01:24 GMT

Thanks for your help, I highly appreciate it.
Maybe my respond came too strong or harsh, was not my intention. Your way is a good solution...I was just hoping that I was missing something in Fusion360 and there is already a function to measure threads instantly.

Just a bit frustrated that there isn't.

Anyways, thanks for your help 🙂

Re: Measuring Thread Size

MRWakefield — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:11:31 GMT

No problem, you're welcome.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

HughesTooling — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 14:17:34 GMT

Looking around for info on Inventor I see there is a feature recognition add-in here. Does it recognise threads, if it does I guess it works better than the one in Fusion.

If you edit the base feature for an imported part you can run feature recognition and it picks up some features but not a thread.

After running and rediting the base feature. I guess this could be improved to try and pickup threads.

I also found Inventor added a new feature to the measure tool recently for threads created in Inventor, here.

Re: Measuring Thread Size

etfrench — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 17:54:31 GMT

McMaster-Carr has all the information needed. Note: The exterior thread on the insert isn't a standard thread. The minor and major diameters are shown on the website. If you need the pitch and the flank angles, project it to a sketch.