Coil with custom profile

Anonymous · ‎08-26-2015

Hello,

I am starting with Fusion 360 and i have really stucked at the Coil tool. I try to make a coil with a custom profile which is a isosceles triangle with base length 0.75 mm and height 0.75 mm. I made a sketch of this triangle but I can't use it as profile to my coil as it is done in Autodesk Inventor. The only thing I can do is to set Section to 'Trangular (Internal)' and Section Size to desired height, but it creates only equilateral triangle. Furthermore I can't choose plane when coil begins - the Coil toll seems to choose XY plane as beginning.

So the best option would be to choose sketched profile and all problems would be solved, but is it possible? If not, what to do?

I would be very grateful for your help 😃

TannerReid · ‎08-26-2015

Hi, apawelek92,

The coil tool today is an automated tool that generates a spiral and sweeps a pre-set profile along that path, so it's not possible to use a custom profile within the tool. While you could draw a 3-d sketch and sweep, I think I've found an easier way to do this that still utilizes the coil tool. It's a 3-step process, rather than one, but it took me about 2mins. Screencast here:

Basically, you're insetting a triangle pointed out for the coil - that way, the tip of that triangle is always along the spiral path generated to the specifications you choose in the tool. Then, you can create a custom profile, and sweep around that solid edge created by the triangular coil. Just remember to make it a solid body, rather than a cut! 🙂

Did that help? Sorry the tool doesn't do exactly what you need it to do, but hopefully, this work-around isn't too painful for you.

What else can we do to help with your project?

Enjoy yourself,

Tanner

Tanner Reid

Product Design Engineer

TannerReid · ‎08-26-2015

Sorry - embedded incorrectly! Here's the screencast link: http://autode.sk/1Igu9xv

Tanner Reid

Product Design Engineer

Anonymous · ‎08-26-2015

It is very clever idea, thank you very much for help and the movie 🙂 unfortunately the profile rotates when sweep is used, you can see it on your movie. For this reason I decided to use Coil tool for my design and set equilateral triangle, but if you or someone else will find solution it would be great 🙂

michallach81 · ‎08-26-2015

For now try to follow this screencast: http://autode.sk/1Q9129B (most important copy desired profile every half of turn)

Michał Lach
Designer
co-author
projektowanieproduktow.wordpress.com

Anonymous · ‎08-27-2015

This one seems promising 🙂 However I am not able to get my geometry working 😕 Primarily I don't know kow to properly make 3d helical curve - sketch tools seem not to do what I expect. I can't include 3d projected edge nor edges of coil, as on the movie the last step is including helical curve in Loft tool. So if I know how to do that it is huge chance that it finally will work

michallach81 · ‎08-27-2015

Only easy way is to create Coil with triangle profile (important use section: triangular external and for section position: inside.) and then create sketch and include external edge.

Take a look on screencast: http://autode.sk/1NWjugq

Michał Lach
Designer
co-author
projektowanieproduktow.wordpress.com

Anonymous · ‎08-27-2015

Thank you for help michallach81! Finally I did it!

One more thing that I had to do was to use 21 Lofts instead of 1 (1 loft every 180 deg), because my pitch was equal to height of the profile so the edges intersected. It is crazy how many operations are rquired to do coil with custom profile. Inventor has this simple feature, why Fusion 360 doesn't? Autodesk should definitely consider it.