Fusion 360 2.0.13162: Fastener Data/Models to be used in building a model

[Farzad_K]

Hello.

I am new to Fusion 360. I don't know where my projects are being saved, I am assuming the Cloud. Below is a screenshot of the item I am designing.

The upper ring will be holding a guide scope and the lower ring holds on to the neck of a 70-200mm Nikkor lens. The base will be eventually designed to be screwed onto something similar to a tripod head - it is a sky tracking mount, actually. The design of that attachment is more complicated and will eventually be done.

The two rings will use M5 bolts to tighten them down, and the main base will use 1/4-20 bolt. Given the connection there is critical I will be embedding a stainless steel nut for the 1/4-20 bolt into a hole that can host the nut and I will secure the nut using epoxy of some sorts once everything fits together.

The question that I have is about availability of standard faster graphical data that cab be ready used in Fusion 360 to build holes for. I can measure the geometry of the nut, and the M5 bolts myself, but if there were models of them that could simply be inserted in the component it would be great.

Are there such things? I am considering building my own library, but I feel like these should already exist. And when they are brought in, how can they be kept from becoming part of the model?

Thanks in advance.

Farzad

[wmhazzard · Accepted solution]

You can download fasteners from McMaster-Carr. Go to Insert/Insert from McMaster-Carr. 

Video tutorial. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4oak9He6Z8 

[Farzad_K]

Thank you very much. I brought in one bolt, and the bolt is placed at the Origin. I still haven't learned how to move and manipulate Bodies. I am sure I can place the bolt in the right location and then rotate it into the right orientation and then build a hole for it.

When printing, how will Fusion know not to include the inserted bolt?

Farzad

Farzad

[wmhazzard · Accepted solution]

The bolt will come in as a component which you can place with a joint to your other component. Once you are done with the bolt, you can right click on the bolt component and select remove, or you can keep it and just hide it when you save as mesh. 

[Farzad_K]

I am going to play with that. The video you referenced installs the bolts into existing holes. I am hoping to place the bolt where I am looking to make holes and then build holes around them although I know the bolt information is readily available.

Thanks again

[wmhazzard · Accepted solution]

If I were putting a bolt into a printed part, I would not use the bolt in the model. I would just use the hole command and place the hole where I needed it and then sketch a hexagon on the surface and extrude cut the hex out of the body. All of the dimensions could come from the real bolt with clearance added in. It would be a much simpler way of accomplishing your goal with less clutter in Fusion. 

If you need to place the bolt in order to "see" it in its place then your way is fine. 

See my attached model and follow the timeline. 

[Farzad_K]

Thanks for the note. The intent was to make sure the bolt actually fits the hole, and also use the bolt for aesthetics purposes. I am cutting the holes as you described, and am still adapting to the 3D printer that I have access to.

Farzad