Custom Threads with Fusion 360 w/ Tolerances

thingiverse

Threads that work are a bear to print, especially when using Fusion 360 with only the ISO standard metric sizes available and no ability to customize. Usually, we resort to threading our model and then scaling it or some equally imprecise hack. You can however create your own thread profiles if you know where and how to do it. Fusion 360 stores thread data in an XML file located at C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\Local\Autodesk\webdeploy\production\%Hash of Version%\Fusion\Server\Fusion\Configuration\ThreadData. Any valid XML file placed in that directory will be usable by Fusion. By deconstructing their XML file, I wrote an Excel macro workbook that takes ISO Metric Standard thread data and allows you to add a tolerance to them and output a new valid XML document. Using this Excel macro workbook, I generated XML files for tolerances ranging from 0.1mm to 1.0mm. These are attached. Drop the desired ones into your Fusion 360 thread folder, and they should populate in your thread dropdown on the next threads you make. I also took the time to create nine test nuts and bolts. These are attached as an STL and a F3D file. They use Metric M14-2 threads and have tolerances ranging from 0.0 (Standard) to 0.8mm in 0.1mm steps (Each is marked with the corresponding number of dots/cutouts, one for 0.1mm - eight for 0.8mm). I printed this set of nuts and bolts to test what tolerance I needed to use with my Ender 3. Using PETG, I found 0.5mm to be perfect. 0.4mm also worked but because of zits and other stringing, I still had to dial it in, and it was not as smooth. More discussion on the process of creating this set can be found at http://replicantfx.com/custom-threads-with-fusion-360/. Good luck, and please consider buying me a coffee if this saves you a lot of time.