Heater feet

[Anonymous]

Hello,

 I am having a problem with a modified design. I am in the process of drawing and machining the Titan building block series. Right now I am on 10m here's a link of the actual act of drawing.

https://academy.titansofcnc.com/series/titan-10m/how-to-draw-the-titan-10m

I have modified his 10m design a little to be used as feet for my oil filled space heaters that are infuriating because they all  have broken casters, I know that the feet part will be worth more than the heater, but if Im gonna do this as a learning excercise I might as well make something that I can use. If this is successful, the feet wont break again thats fro sure.

 There is a move where he draws circumscribed polygons and then uses those to create a web, he calls it isometric something or other, but it looks VERY cool, saves weight and maintains the same strength.

 He then defines the thickness of the web and he is able to do a press pull and then select each individual triangle, press pull them as through holes. My problem is that I cant select each individual triangle, probably because they are not defined correctly, but I have followed Titans directions as closely as I could, but they wont select individually. It seems like there was a move a while back where you could "break chain"?. Please find attached pics of the 10m and I have attempted to attach the link to the drawing. Thanks for any help you guys can offer, please let me know if you need anything else or if you can view the drawing.

https://a360.co/2D0jgZ1

[etfrench]

He went to a lot of work to create a set of lines at 60 degrees.  A rectangular pattern would be simpler and work better parametrically.

You need to create the center rectangular hole before creating the web.

 The bosses and/or threaded holes can be created after the web. 

Only one sketch is needed to do the model. 

In the screencast, I made all of the endpoints coincident in order to make the selection easier for me as well as the web command.  It probably isn't necessary.

Use dimensions in your sketch for the holes.  It will make it easier to position them relative to the web.

[davebYYPCU]

Your description of his steps in the video, are a little different to that video, I wonder what else may be a little different in your model.  I would need the file attached to a post to access it. (Long story).  I have noticed your model is almost the same so far.

At the time he dimensioned the internal rectangle, he could have extruded it at that time.  I did not see a reason not to.  He didn’t, but continued with the web Geometry, was very carefull with his snap points.  If you are not seeing the triangles in preview when you hover over the sketch, it will be in this area to investigate.

Might help...

[Anonymous]

Etfrench,

 Thanks, the vid is awesome, I want to save it somewhere so I can reference it later. I can see that I had things "connected" that did not need to be and I didnt have things connected that needed to be. I got it all the way up to the point where you create hte web and I keep getting an error message that says :

the rib can not be created. Ensure profile curve can intersect body, or flip the direction. I know I did something wrong, but Not sure what it is.

Also, if I want to create a rib down the center horizontally, like in the original drawing, I can just snap a line and do it with create web after this? cant I? Should I post a link to where I am Now?

[Anonymous]

Also, it seems that the lines that wont allow the web command are the ones intersecting the 2 center holes. Coincidence ?

[Anonymous]

Yes.... no highlighted triangles when I hover over it, at least not all of them. Im sure this is where my mistake lies. It is his design, with a few more holes in it and 2 cutouts on the sides. How can I post the information so you can see it? Thx

[davebYYPCU]

No panic, I have the file, and have found the sketch area that may be giving grief, 

This blue area is one profile, cause the hexagon has missed the alignment at the top.  Ed has spent a lot of video time, fixing it.

Might help.....

[Anonymous]

****..... youre right. Didnt see that. I zoomed WAY in to have to see that. All of the lines I used to connect the polygons were snapped to the line, but maybe the polygons werent. I resnapped them but I can still only get a couple of ribs. Thanks for the help

[etfrench]

Using hexagons instead of a rectangular pattern introduces more opportunities for errors and makes it hard to change the design.

Here's how to do it with one sketch (Note using dimensions):

When you get to this point, open the Change Parameters dialog and play with the settings.

[Anonymous]

Etfrench,

 Thanks, these video screen shots are awesome, there were a lot of little mistakes that I caught using your method. I am trying to figure out how to download these because there are a lot of good techniques that I want to drum into my head. I can also see why you say that the hexagons are not the best way to do it, and that the lines are better parametrically, it seems cleaner and it seems that the software would have less confusion about where the lines start and end this way, thereby better defining the shapes that you want to press pull.

 I had the web drawn from your example and my PC shutdown so I lost it, but its actually better because I need a little repitition, so I will do it again over the weekend.

 The 2 holes in the center are actually ovals or short slots about .28" x .33". I was able to drop another hole next to the existing ones, but I am having a little trouble extending the boss. I was messing with fillets to do it and I think thats the answer, I just have to mess with it a little more.

 Thanks again for the help, Im waaaaay further now because of your explanation and vids.

[etfrench]

To create the oval slots, I would use a new sketch. 

Project the points at the midpoints of the web lines (or just one of the web lines).

Draw the slots dimensioning/constraining them to the projected points.

Draw the bosses using Offset command.

Extrude each.

[Anonymous]

Etfrench,

 Man thanks again for these videos, they have really helped me figure out some of this. I am starting to recognize some of the commands and I can even use some of them on my own. I changed the hardware on this project for a couple of reasons, but I no longer need slots on the center 2 holes. Instead, I will use a 1/4" or 5/16" u - bolt inserted through with fasteners on bottom. I changed the X's that you draw and started with them centered on the 2 center holes and tweaked the web design until I got it. I was also able to see that some of the commands follow certain protocols and was able to figure out how to surround the 2 outer holes with circular bosses.

I still have 2 questions if you might indulge me:

I put all of the edge chamfers on in CAD.... Right?

and

I have the 2 center holes designated where I want them, but for the life of me I can't figure out how to give it more concave webbing extended radially out from the holes. I am able to highlight the individual corner sections, but It wont let me extend them out radially with either extrude or offset. I dont want to just create a circular boss around it because that would make it hard for the mill to cut it, but instead, I want to leave the shape intact, just enlarge it until I have at least .125" or .1" of meat all the way around. Im sure Im doing something wrong or dont have the curve selected correctly. I tried to use your suggestion, but I could not make it work here. Thanks again for all the help.

Here is current file.

https://a360.co/2TESVVM

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

I would chamfer in CAM.

Normally, you could use Press/Pull to enlarge the area around the hold, but this would change all of the fillets. 

Screencast is taking a long time to create so here it is.

p.s. Use the mirror command to do the second hole.

[Anonymous]

Yes..... I can see that I should have waited to do the fillets at the end. I was looking at it before I saw your video and saw that there was something else I could do to it.

 Thanks again for the video screen cast tutorials, they made all the difference. I still have not been able to save them, I am trying to use something like savefromnet, but the ones Ive tried wont do it. I will try them all as I want to put this in my library. Im pretty proud of this thing and like just looking at it. Im going to watch the CAM programming video from Titan on the 10M and hopefully be able to adapt his techniques to mine as they are not that different.

Mobius2