NPT pipe threads?

CGPM · ‎05-24-2015

I would like to program a 1/2" NPT female pipe thread but can't seem to find it in the thread box to model first. Is it still missing or am I missing something? Oh well, I guess it is back to NoteCam for this one.

inchul.lee · ‎05-24-2015

Hi CGPM,

Thanks for posting your question and also for your input in the IdeaStation item: NPT pipe threads.

The addition of NPT pipe thread is under future consideration and I'm afrad I do not have an update at the moment. I'll check with the engineering team and get back to you with an update. I'd appreciate your patience on this.

Thank you.

Inchul Lee

CGPM · ‎05-27-2015

Hi Inchul,

Thank you for your response. No rush but I would be currious to know what you hear about this. It seems NPT threads have been being requested for quite a while now. Manually programming a tapered thread for milling is a lot more involved than straight threads, especially when single pointing!

One question that has come up is are any of the 5 supported pipe threads in Fusion 360 tapered? I went through the standards on a few of them and they all covered both straight and tapered threads.

ADSKDJW4 · ‎05-28-2015

Hello CGPM,

We cannot say when this will be potentially added. The best possible sceanrio would be that the enhancement post is voted on frequently to be added. The best thing I can offer is to monitor the Fusion Roadmap to see what fixes / enhancements are made to the product when updates are released.

Best Regards,

Don Warner

Anonymous · ‎05-28-2015

NPT tapered threads, and user defined theads are a must. Especially with the future lathe support.

Todd

Anonymous · ‎08-25-2015

lonniecady came up with this. Maybe this will help.

Advocate

202 Posts

19 Kudos

4 Solutions

Thread Milling NPT - Work Around

65 Views, 2 Replies

03-20-2015 04:59 AM

Just wanted to share a work around for those with only access to fusion for thread milling NPT threads.

I just created a model of plug of a 1/4" npt thread and saved it. This could be done for how ever many different sizes you need. I then insert it into the model and then to do a combine cut to create the tapered hole. Nice thing is once you have them modeled you can just keep reusing them.

https://screencast.autodesk.com/main/details/75b3d009-799b-4bdd-827e-5e8b227edda6

CGPM · ‎08-26-2015

Thanks, just tried it and it looks like it works. I just need to work on the post since it is posting all segment moves instead of radial with a Z move. When I post a straight threaded hole it posts the code correctly. Should be a lot nicer than coding by hand.

CGPM · ‎08-26-2015

Just had to add "allowSpiralMoves = true;" to my post and all is well!!! Thanks Lonnie!!! Makes milling tapered threads easy.

Anonymous · ‎08-27-2015

This is what I came up with using that method

https://screencast.autodesk.com/main/details/0174150b-7666-4375-af3c-5ae30a648b07

davidpbest · ‎09-13-2015

NPT Pipe threads are a requirement for me to use Fusion360. This seems like such an obvious need. When can we expect to see that included in Fusion360?

David Best

Anonymous · ‎09-14-2015

Hello David,

It will do it. Requires a little bit of a work around, i.e. drawing up a tapered plug and then threading it, but it does generate good threads. Checked it with an NPT gauge and works fine. Just insert tapered plug into spot where you want threads and then thread it. The video in my above post shows how I made it go, which is just adding to what lonniecady had done in a few posts above that. I would be nicer if you could just click a box and make it go, but it's not too bad. I would imagine if enough people whined about it they would get after it.

Good luck!

tom

davidpbest · ‎09-14-2015

Thanks Tom, I did watch the video and while it may be helpful to a highly experienced Fusion360 user, It wasn't helpful to me without an audio track explaining the workflow steps in detail. I'm just getting into Fusion360 from the 2D drafting world, and need to be spoon fed these materials. I get what you're saying in general, but I still want a Fusion360 developed process for NPT threadding. I often get solid models from customers full of NPT threadding, and need a direct supported solution. I can't understand what this wasn't included in the beginning. I first tripped on this when I was doing the CAD part of a drawing and the "Thread" command list didn't supply an NPT pull down. Just getting the CAD complete turned into a frustrating chore since I didn't off the top of my head even know what the taper was or the thread geometry. Anyway, I'm going to stand on my previous statement, that to move from Solidworks to Fusion360 I'm going to need integrated support for NPT threads.

Anonymous · ‎09-14-2015

Yeah, I understand what you mean. I moved out of 2d bobcad 21 years ago into Alibre and then into Solidworks. It wasn't easy. Takes a horrific amount of time to learn new software seems like. I think that in the future that most things will work like fusion, or something like it, i.e., all online with computers functioning like terminals. That's why I'm trying to make a go of using fusion, just to get used to the mindset. Seems like whoever is is doing all the programming is coming at it from a programmers point of view and getting machinsts viewpoints second or third hand. Course it has to work that way doesn't it? If you are an awesome machinst, that's what you spend your time doing, machining. Not building code for a drawing and a cam program. Awesome programmers, well, they program. That's what they are good at. Probably close to impossible to find a genius programming machinist. It's a hard slow process to watch. I wish they did have a better setup for npt threads. It does seem like an obvious thing to me also, just seems like it ought to be in there. I don't know why the sound recording doesn't work on the video recorder I had a mike for it. Oh well maybe someone will clue me into how that part works sometime.

Don't give up on it. Fusion keeps getting better an better. I think it'll keep making progress and including stuff that seems more natural to the rest of us.

Have a great day,

tom

Anonymous · ‎12-23-2015

How has this not been added to the thread feature yet? Please please please implement this ASAP. leaving NPT threads out of this is just such a non-sensical decision.

mfchief · ‎02-28-2016

Hi, I realize this is a fairly old thread, but I'm just getting around to trying to thread mill NPT threads.

The two gentlemen who were kind enough to demonstrate their work-arounds talked about using a tapered plug to subract from their models to generate the tapered hole to be threaded. My question is, in their demo's the plugs looked stepped rather than tapered and I'm curious if that was delibrate or just an artifact of the drawings that don't show the plug shape accurately.

I have, in my attempts used the extrusion method to generate a tapered hole in my part, and it is drawn correctly. As an experiment I drew it the same way then flipped it to cut away all the stock except the tapered hole and got a plug, but that plug is drawn correctly tapered.

Really just curious why the stepped shape is shown.

Thanks

Terry May

thadthad · ‎06-21-2016

Great idea! One of those "why didn't I think about it" things. Thanks again.

O.Tan · ‎06-22-2016

Another idea is to use McMasterCarr to find the thread you want by selecting the Pipe & Fittings category and choose the Plug or Bushings that fit your needs.

Import it into your design, remove the unnecessary part. Combine the 2 Bodies (your modelled part + the plug/bushings) and done.

thadthad · ‎06-23-2016

Fantastic idea! Worked great and even faster than using a thread utility.

O.Tan · ‎07-23-2016

Glad it helped!

johnegrissom · ‎11-06-2017

So still very

limited thread options? I would also request that NPT and other common used threads be add please. Or addon support for this, I was unable to find any thread addon.

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NPT pipe threads?

NPT pipe threads?

NPT pipe threads?