Fully parametric saddle/bracket for installing foamboard insulation in ceilings

thingiverse

Have you ever wanted to install foam board/foil board or other rigid polystyrene based insulation paneling into an exposed rafter/beam ceiling such as an uninsulated shed, workshop or garage?Ever HAD to install it all BETWEEN the various beams, and struggled to hold the panels in place?Don't like the idea of screwing through the polystyrene panels near the edge for fear of snapping or otherwise damaging them?Can't take the roof off to install those commercially available under floor saddles for that paneling?Have you found that you have some somewhat skewed dimensional truss work? Or several sizes of timber used?Do you use Fusion360, or could be convinced to sign up for a free account?Then try this FULLY parametric saddle/bracket that I've provided here.WHY USE THIS PARTICULAR MODEL?In-depth instructions, informative pictures, and near complete flexibility by simply adjusting a few numbers. (Well that's got to help, right?)Every parameter be adjusted in less than a minute if you have all the dimensions at hand. (Tips below, and parameters explained in the provided image)Can adjust to any sized timber beam dimensions, and I can say from experience, significantly sped up my insulation installation by holding the insulation panels in place as I added additional screws to hold it up. I have every intention of leaving my brackets in place, but you can use them as a temporary support if you wish.Simply measure the dimensions of your timber framework (beam width and height), the thickness of your insulation panels (this will be deducted from the overall beam height to create a suitably deep saddle/bracket. This is to allow room for the panel) Then decide how long you want the bracket to be, and how wide each flange/wing should be and change any fillets to taste. If you want the bracket to handle weight better, increase the bracket thickness. Have a play with the parameters, I've found no errors in my initial tests (and subsequent prints for my garage retrofit). That said, it took me a few goes to solve my bugs. WHY WOULDN'T YOU USE THIS MODEL:You need to be able to use Fusion360 or similar app (Instructions are included below)You won't be able to simply download, slice and print. You need to TWEAK it to your needs first.Depending on the dimensions of your desired model, printing it could need a LOT of support material. These WILL be more expensive than some commercial offerings if you can find them.Angled for flatness. Yes, these brackets/saddles are great for the flat sections of a roof, but not ideal for the angles found at roof corners. At present, all the angles on this bracket are 90 degrees for nice reliable printing. Unfortunately, this isn't great for the compound angles found where two sides of pitched roofs meet at a corner beam/truss. In the bracket's current design, if they're used at a roof corner, the heel of each flange/wing is the correct depth, but the outer edges push deeper into the foam insulation. (Remember this in on the INSIDE of a corner) This puts a lot of stress on the printed saddle. You can get away with this on a low angled roof... However, the correct angle will depend on the angle of the corner AND the pitch (slope) of the roof.This is NOT a joist hanger. So let me be VERY clear here...This is a plastic bracket. It's ONLY designed to press a light weight polystyrene based insulation panel against the roof, between the beams and trusses. It's NOT designed for heavier loads, it won't work with non-rigid insulation (such as fibreglass/rock wool batts) or as anything that is intended to be load bearing. It is also assumed that other fasteners will be involved in your installation too. It's more of a temporary support for installation, then left in place for "additional piece of mind".This style of insulation installation is VERY tedious because panels need to be cut to shape then wedged BETWEEN the trusses/beams and held into place. If you're looking to cover your beams with paneling ON TOP, then covered with drywall/Gyprock or other sheet stock, then this bracket won't help much. However, the between-beam approach does save a TON of roof space... if that's a priority.WHY MAKE THIS?Believe it or not, we had a Gyprock/drywall ceiling "collapse" in the garage. This was simply due to poorly conceived installation and extreme temperature fluctuations. We tried to save it by adding fasteners and adding glue.. but it was too far gone. So we had to remove it entirely before it was a safety hazard. Originally, we were going to put up a replacement ceiling, but we found the space in the rafters to be too useful for storage. :~)Now anyone who's ever retrofitted a place with additional rigid insulation (or the only insulation in our case) knows how many hands are needed to hold the panel in place and then attach it firmly to the frame. So I wanted a saddle to do this.. but couldn't find any locally, and if they were around... were completely unsuited to the dimensions of my framework. (No innuendos here I promise).Then I found out that there's not one size of timber used in our truss work, but THREE!So a parametric design was needed.HOW DO I USE THE F3D FILE?Open the f3d file in Fusion360. While in "Design mode" Hit the FX button > user parameters... if you're not using full-screen/maximised window (or just have a low-res screen) or alternative button layout... then the FX button may well be hidden from view. In that case:Click: solid > modify > parameters > user parameters....some important information to note:Now the "bracket depth" parameter is automatically calculated with the following formula:BeamHeight - BoardThickness (your insulation) = Bracket Depth. So you don't need to set the Bracket Depth, just set the "beam height" and "board thickness"I did this because like many DIYers, I have exhausting weeks then come to do this renovation stuff. Calculations in a tired state are a recipe for disaster. So it's one less point of potential error.Also, I highly recommend adding 1-2mm to the beam width parameter, this is to manage any swelling or errors in the dimension of the timber. Also, if the screws aren't exactly straight this can cause the bracket to drift closer to one side of the beam or the other.. and a little extra wiggle room won't hurt.... otherwise, just adjust/enter the values as needed. The parameter names are explained in my uploaded image. and once you're happy with the size... (and hopefully double checked things).. you're ready to export your file to a slicing app. To do this:Then I just right click on the body name (in the browser section on the left side of the screen... you may have to expand the browser using the triangle icons to drill down into the bodies > BodyName) then select export mesh > save that as an STL/3MF/whatever, and slice it up accordingly using your slicer software of choice. Please note: If you're a user of the original AnkerMake slicer instead of the beta AnkerMake Studio which is Prusa Slicer based, then please note you should export as STL because the AnkerMake slicer app doesn't handle 3MF files. PrusaSlicer and Cura based slicer users should be fine with 3MF files. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS/FEEDBACK/ETC?I'd love to hear from you... I can't guarantee I'll have the time/ability to modify things in a timely fashion but I'll do what I can if the opportunity arises.I hope this helps you.Ham.