Can't revolve a Slot pattern

[Anonymous]

I've got a cylinder inside of a slot that is extruded and I need to be able to revolve it 50 degrees to extrude out material and it won't let me do it.  It keeps giving me errors...see attached image. I'm trying to create an insert turn 45 degrees to lock in place assembly.  Any ideas why it won't let me do this or how to do this?

[Phil.E]

The screenshot is showing that you are trying to make a new body using the Revolve command, which doesn't sound like it matches your description.

This error shows that you are trying to use Revolve where your path crosses the revolve axis. This doesn't work, as the text says.

Is there any way you can clarify exactly what you are trying to do? It's really not clear at this point.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

I'm trying to get that "slot" that is cut out (extuded out) such that the "cut-out" is rotated "as well" by 50 degrees in the counterclock wise fashion.  So you stick something in, turn it 50 degrees in a clockwise fashion and is held in place by those tabs....  Does that make sense?

[Anonymous]

Hmm, trying to get in the right lingo.  I'm guessing I want to "extrude" on a rotational axis instead of an up/down x/y axis.  Is this possible? Somehow, this happened by mistake a couple weeks early but I have no idea how I did it....so it must be possible somehow.

[Phil.E]

Okay got it.

What you need to do is either:

1. Create the sketch you want the first time.

2. Or use a body as a cutting tool. This isn't exactly your solution, but perhaps will get you farther in this workflow.

[donsmac]

I'm curious, how can a part be rotated in a hole thats not a circle or part of a circle?

The radius of the tabs and end walls would not match the sweep of an object that is rotating from the center point. 

Phil.E 's screencast shows what you have described but there's no way to insert a part and rotate it to lock it under the tabs. 

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, but I'm not following you. It is a partial circle we are talking about a 1/4 turn slot locking mechanism.  It can't do it currently, because I need to extrude and sweep out the material so it can do the 1/4 turn.

[Anonymous]

Ok, I already created the sketch and extruded it but I never created a "body" from it.  So you are saying I have to create a body from it instead of a "cut".

Also, I'm not looking to join those two bodies like you did, I need them to sweep so it creates the female portion of the 1/4 turn....let me see.

[Phil.E]

My suggestion was based on your description.

From what you are showing us in your replies:

• Sounds like your original slot just needs to be a different shape.
• I think what you need to do then is sketch the slot in the shape it needs to be when finished and extrude it.

You can do the whole layout in the sketch by drawing construction lines that represent the path of the object being turned in the slot. Then just adjust your profile to include that shape.

I must apologize I've never made a mechanism like this, so it wasn't clicking at first. If you upload your locking mechanism part file I can play with it some more, or perhaps another user can help out here.

Thanks and good luck!

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure.  I can go back to the original slot and create a new body from it but then the shape isn't extruded!!

I'm really still back to the original problem. 

See attached image. I'm not back to where the sketch has been created and the shape extruded.  So, now, how do I take that shape and extrude in 3d around an axis instead of merely in 2 dimensions up and down?

Somehow I did this by mistake before.....

[Phil.E]

I'm still a bit at a disadvantage without all the data files, but here is another try.

You are talking about creating a locking mechanism. This is usually accomplished by designing the whole thing from the start.

You can do this by laying out your sketch using construction geometry to represent the mechanism. This is not my preferred method, but it does get you quickly to an accurate sketch that accounts for the resting position and activated position of the thing that moves.

Or you can create both parts as components, join them together, and then do the design work by creating the slot that accomodates both open and closed position. This video is a very fast and crude demonstration of this.

Again, let me be very clear. I cannot completely describe what your challenge is without your design files. But you should be able to complete your job using one of these methods, applied to your particular design geometry.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Ok, here it is as a "NEW BODY".  I gave it the name "cutter".  However, it won't let me revolve the cut -50 degrees.  It won't even let me choose the "GREEN" axis.

[Phil.E]

I think you misunderstand the use of Revolve. You should use instead Move>Body.

Here is what Revolve does.

[Anonymous]

This won't work at all...it is symetrical....and I'm trying to extrude the entire shape, not a rectangle on only one side. Your arc doesn't even end up with a symmetrical circular path.

[Anonymous]

That is EXACTLY what I want to do, except I want to do it on the Y axis instead of the X axis.

Exactly what you end up with, but now revolve it again on the Y axis as well to create a circular pattern of centric cuts into that originally solid piece.

[Phil.E]

I'd like to help more but feel that this discussion is not moving forward without sharing the model. Can you export the design and post it here?

• Please include the part you show in the drawing and also the part that you want to interface with the problem model.

I can work out a solution for you with this information.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Thanks Phil.  I just "brut-forced" the solution. It took a lot more steps and I guess I was thinking it was going to be simple, but I got it.

[Phil.E]

That looks a lot like the result I imagined. Glad you got it.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help.  Yeh, that's why I included the pic so you could see what the heck I was imaging...lol  It is not done...the tabs got broken (pulled off the edge) and we need a mechanism to lock it, but I'll be working on that today.  Hey if you have a better way to make two plastic parts "lock" together that is simple enough to just be a twist and doesn't require manufacturing beyond injection molding, I'm open to suggestions.  😉

[Phil.E]

This kind of mechanism is a bit outside my wheelhouse, just never having produced a product like it I can only see it with fresh eyes. So I might not have the best solution.

I want to put this out to the community, do any of you have a screenshot of something like this for inspiration? 🙂