Designing a Parametric "Print in Place" Hinged Container Using Autodesk Fusion 360

thingiverse

The eight different size and color 3D printed "print in place" hinged containers shown in the cover photograph of this tutorial have one thing in common; they were all created from a single Autodesk Fusion 360 model using "parametric modeling". In a CAD environment, parametric models are defined by changing dimensional values. I specified these values for the Length, Depth, Height, Thickness and Tolerance dimensions of a simple "print in place" hinged container in the Autodesk Fusion 360 "Change Parameters" menu. I then designed sketches for the base, lid and ball and socket hinges, and extruded the various components using these dimensional values. To change the length of the container, I simply changed the Length dimension; to change the depth, I changed the Depth dimension; and to change the height, I changed the Height dimension. When any of the dimensional values on the Change Parameters menu were altered, Autodesk Fusion 360 rebuilt the container to the new dimensions, creating a new model ready for 3D printing thanks to parametric modeling. When friends questioned why I didn't scale the model using Cura (the slicer we use) prior to printing, they pointed out that scaling everything, including tolerances (or "clearance") between parts, would cause problems. When scaled up, the hinge becomes loose; and when scaled down, the hinge becomes tight or even "welded". Parametric modeling ensures the user-specified Tolerance (clearance) dimensions are maintained as model dimensions are changed. The model is not without flaws. For example, no limits have been imposed on the dimension values so entering "reasonable" values is up to the user. I suggest using values greater than or equal to those I initially placed in the Change Parameters menu. Negative values are a definite no-no; and excessive Height values in relation to the Length and Width values will cause interesting and problematic side effects. If "non-reasonable" values are entered, errors may (or may not) appear in the timeline of the model to warn that the model with specified dimensions is not printable, so examine both base and lid components prior to printing. I've included the Autodesk Fusion 360 file "Print In Place Parametric Hinged Container v1.f3d" which includes model details. Familiarity with the Autodesk Fusion 360 environment is highly recommended; I'm always open to questions, suggestions, comments and criticisms (friendly please), so please feel free to ask. To create this design, follow these steps: Step 1: Create a new sketch for the base and define its outside perimeter as a series of lines using dimensions Width and Depth. Note that a rectangle was not used in this step since when the outside 4mm corner fillets are added, the rectangle constraints are removed causing the model to fail. Step 2: Define the inside perimeter of the lid as a series of lines using dimensions Width, Depth and Tolerance. The lid wall thickness is defined towards the lid exterior using the Thickness dimension. Finally, extrude the lid. Step 3: Create a sketch for the base hinge and define its center line as (Height / 2) above the X axis. Extrude the base hinge. Step 4: Create a sketch for the base hinge ball joints and revolve them to create the balls. Step 5: Define the inside perimeter of the lid as a series of lines using dimensions Width, Depth and Tolerance. The lid wall thickness is defined towards the lid exterior using the Thickness dimension. Finally, extrude the lid. Step 6: Create a sketch for the lid hinge sockets and revolve them to create the sockets. Step 7: Create sketches for the lid to lid hinge sockets and extrude them. Step 8: In this final step, color, joint, joint limits and animation of the lid are created. And that is how I created Designing a Parametric "Print in Place" Hinged Container Using Autodesk Fusion 360. Hope you enjoyed it!