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Curved boxes.

jcdammeyer

Senior Member
A friend managed to bring the STL file into Fusion360 and convert to a STEP file after Geomagic failed.
What I'd really like to be able to do is draw this box myself but I am really not sure how to go about making this. Straight front and back but curved sides. How do I extrude this sort of curve set?
 

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jcdammeyer

Senior Member
Looking at the original and doing some measuring this is what I've come up with. A drawing with a curved side mirrored to the other side. Then extruded to the thickness of the box. Then a shell created with 4mm thick walls. Fillet the inside and outside corners. That's pretty close to the above screen shot.

Is this about the right way to do this?
 

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HaroldL

Alibre Super User
John, looks like you have a solution. That's likely how I would create the part. The only thing I would change is to apply the outside corner fillets before the shell. The shell will create the inside fillets automagically. Also create it with a Mid Plane extrusion so you can use the default planes to mirror the rest of the boss and rib features.

1678091681436.png
 
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jcdammeyer

Senior Member
I didn't realize the outside fillets would create the inside ones but I guess that makes sense. Good idea. Thanks.

What's a mid plane extrusion and how would that help?
 

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
A Mid Plane extrusion will extrude in both directions from the working plane.

1678115078806.png


That will allow you to use the default planes to mirror the internal features.

1678115117057.png
 

jcdammeyer

Senior Member
Did you move the XZ and YZ planes on my drawing or start over? Or in other words, like in the assembly is it possible to move a part relative to an existing plane? I think that was a question a long time ago and at the time it wasn't possible.
However inserting a new plane relative to the existing ones is trivial. I often do that with an axis to mirror stuff.
 

jcdammeyer

Senior Member
Here's where I am now. Added a plane offset by half the original extrusion width as a parameter so if I make the box deeper it will move with it.
Then created the bosses for the lid mounting holes and added a filleted support to the middle hole. That was then mirrored across that new plane. Thanks for the suggestion to do it that way. Much easier.
1678124496158.png

As yet I haven't decided on all the connectors. I'm not going with the rectangular RJ45 panel pass through like the original so the support won't need to jog down. I may need to chamfer the bottom of the corner screw bosses so the connector nut fits but I'll wait until I have the connectors. They are on the way.
1678124574453.png
 

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
Adding a new plane and linking its position to half the width of the box will work too. Mid Plane just saves you that step. For an example, here's the file with a Mid Plane extrusion and a guess at the size of the bosses that are mirrored.
From the curved shape I'm guessing that this box will be 3D printed.
 

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jcdammeyer

Senior Member
Adding a new plane and linking its position to half the width of the box will work too. Mid Plane just saves you that step. For an example, here's the file with a Mid Plane extrusion and a guess at the size of the bosses that are mirrored.
From the curved shape I'm guessing that this box will be 3D printed.
Ah. I get it. You aren't moving my part. You're doing it mid plane from the first extrusion. For some reason I thought you'd moved it.
Thanks.

And yes. The original was and this one will be 3D printed.
You can see it behind the main axis. In my case I'm building the AR3 with external CUI encoders and using 6 pin 12mm aviation connectors instead of RJ connectors. The motors are also using the 12mm 4 pin connectors instead of the 16mm.

And I have thought about using this drawing to create a sand core and casting it in aluminum. Might do that at some point but I'm casting most of the pieces instead of buying expensive flat bar stock. Instead of $45 for a 1/2" chunk of plate I'll pay for $1.50 worth of Natural Gas and some scrap aluminum. Have to machine it in either case and if I screw up I can melt it and try again.
John
 
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