Designing for Assembly in Fusion 360 (Advanced CAD Tutorial)

How can you slice up parts for assembly after 3D Printing in Fusion 360? Well, turns out there's many approaches! In this video I'll walk you through how I design parts to join together after 3D Printing without requiring any additional glue or fasteners.
This video is aimed at those already comfortable with 3D Modelling basics in Fusion 360.
New to 3D Modelling? Check out my CAD for Newbies Series here! - • CAD For Newbies
TIMESTAMPS:
0:25 Why slice up models up for assembly later?
2:06 Plane Cut / Surface Cut
3:38 Adding Indexing Features to a Plane Cut
4:51 Dovetails
6:15 Snaps
8:09 Screw Threads
14:04 Sweep with Twist Angle
16:39 Twist Lock
20:40 Adding Clearances
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[@AustinVojta]

Personally this is the type of content I like most from you. Keep it up, Angus! :)

[@boleslawciesielski6199]

Agree 100%. This is one of your best videos. Thanks for sharing.

[@jameslaine2472]

If this is 'advanced', please continue to provide this level of content; I found it to be a nice refresher.

[@flymypg]

I did my first Fusion 360 project last Saturday, by following a step-by-step tutorial video by Kevin of Product Design Online (PDO) to make a customizable stamp designed to be 3D printed. Gave the result to my sister last Sunday as part of her birthday present. The most important thing about that video, for me, was getting a feel for the Fusion 360 workflow, particularly how to make use good of the timeline, which may be The Beginner's Favorite First Fusion Feature to understand. This video was my second Fusion 360 tutorial ever. I didn't even know this was something you did! It just showed up in my queue. I can't say I caught all that you shared, but I do know I'll be able to "git'er done" when trying it on my own. Kevin's video gave me a basic workflow "tree trunk", and your video added vital "limbs" to that tree. Next, I'll go through the rest of your Fusion 360 videos. Why yours, instead of continuing with the rest of Kevin's excellent series? I simply like how you avoid jargon, using precise language when needed, but otherwise staying informally conversational: You move your hands around as if "shaping" your explanation. Both you and Kevin get the job done, and done very well,, but your approach provides a more pleasant and enjoyable experience. Thanks! BTW: I've been an engineer for over 30 years, focused primarily on embedded real-time systems such as sensors, instrumentation, vision systems, control systems and robotics. I can write software, design circuits, layout PCBs, program FPGAs, and use every machine in the workshop like a boss. But 3D CAD has always kicked my ass. I've tried all the popular programs, having limited success with SketchUp, Tinkercad, 3D Builder, OpenSCAD and more. I kept finding that some operations were intuitive and easy in one tool while being almost impossible in another, leading me to move a model back and forth between tools over and over again so I could do things in ways that I could actually accomplish. Ugh. Turns out I needed the right tool with the right teachers!

[@MakersMuse]

Thanks for the kind words! I am largely self taught beyond solidworks at uni years ago, so not a big fan of jargon either. I learn through examples so that's the approach I prefer to use.

[@101rotarypower]

@@MakersMuse Learn something every time you do videos like this, Thank You! I particularly like these more advanced ones, and while I know they are not as accessible for everyone, thank you for diversity to include more advanced concepts! Exposure to these for those purposes I don't see typically, and they absolutely open new approaches and concepts how to use the avalible tools.

[@makermatrix9815]

This was super, thanks. Some of those I'd discovered on my own but some was new and to see it all together in one place is fantastic.

[@deltalima9640]

Thank you Angus! Since I am a complete layman when it comes to CAD modelling, I was struggling a little bit to wrap my mind around some of the problems that a design project presented to me. I kind of arrived at the concepts you described here, but the tools and methods how to implement them were not yet known to me. I learned something today.

[@michaellitzkow8123]

Thank you so much. I love this content. I especially like the part on clearances. First, thanks for using the word "clearance" instead of calling it "tolerance" which happens in so many Fusion tutorials. More importantly, the push-pull technique is brilliant. I've been creating a "clearance" parameter and then adding it to my sketch dimensions. It does work, but it's so much more effort. I can't wait to try it your way.

[@markcoren2842]

Perfect timing! I just pm'ed my printers and have been refreshing my F360 skills. You just made my week so much more interesting... Thanks Angus!

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

The day Angus has become a maestro of 3D design. Wholesome ❤❤❤

[@thingswelike]

Loved this! There are always different ways to achieve things in fusion and there were some new ones in this for me

[@KieranShort]

Thanks Angus! This was awesome! I've never used surfaces for cutting, but that made that dovetail look so easy! And thanks for the tip on clearances too. They're so many good ideas here. I often have prints that are to large for my prusa i3 mk3s print bed, so this will be very very handy.

[@MrVillanuevag]

That adding clearances trick is just what I need! Thanks, Angus!

[@TD3DMakes]

This is really good Angus. I first learned Fusion using your videos a couple years ago now and I learned something new yet today. I've been sketching my clearances since the beginning but I can see huge value in the press/pull on these complex shapes. This is going to save me a pile of time. Thanks for sharing!

[@ReeseTChamness]

I agree, these tutorials are super beneficial. There is not enough advanced content out there especially that is geared towards 3d printing as the final product. Thanks for all the tips!

[@alanw1994]

This is the perfect video! I just got my first 3D printer, and I have been trying to wrap my head around designing joinery to assemble pieces together. This is exactly what I needed! Thank you for the great content 😁

[@mznsoosy1878]

This is a quality content. Thanks dude for this huge sharing! I appreciate your design guides und tips.

[@jonathanramirez4183]

I love the Fusion 360 advanced videos! More of this please :)

[@trunk081]

As someone who has to change models to print on my prusa mini, this is incredibly valuable. The only one like it I could find in fact.

[@chicken_punk_pie]

One of the most helpful fusion 360 videos I've seen, thanks Angus!

[@fatmannmakesbreaks498]

Awesome video! So much good stuff in this one video. Can't wait for your Easter project it looks very cool.

[@nukelukas]

Again worth to watch, i love this tips how to solve some design challenges, definetly i would love to see more of this common tricks.

[@OzFaxFlyer]

As always, yet something more to learn! Double thanks, Angus - first for expanding our knowledge, and second for providing such a worthwhile distraction from sitting (working??) from home for the next "X" weeks....... Keep it Up, Young fella!

[@videoazur]

Great video. Very often love what you produce. Thank you for your good work !!!

[@gilshahar7]

i extremely enjoy this type of content, keep those vids up!

[@TheIceiYT]

I simply just love your videos. This one was awesome!! Thanks m8

[@TheAuxLux]

It's awesome seeing real life project with explain all its complexity.

[@magnetwhisperer]

Man, these tutorials are so well-made. You’re a phenomenal teacher, and you always come across as honest and genuine. This is definitely somewhat advanced for me, but I’m hoping after absorbing a few more of your videos I’ll feel confident enough to dive into Fusion. Until then, Microsoft 3D Builder is my tool of choice. It’s not a very good tool (perhaps it’s even the worst?), and the models always come out ridiculously rough. But I’m learning how to avoid these weird artifacting issues and the software is extremely intuitive, though it is a bit sluggish even on a high-end PC.

[@timwsac]

Great video Angus it's so inspirational that you take time to make videos to keep people like me entertained in these trying times so thank you Angus

[@WoLpH]

This video is fantastic! I love your regular content as well but this has been one of the most useful videos so far (for me at least). I'm adequate at using Fusion 360 but these techniques (i.e. how to implement snaps) finally give me a good solution to some of the designs I've been struggling with. I really hate supports so I always try to print without them, but that makes indexing very hard and this solves the issue completely.

[@lukerondeau8442]

I've been looking to split parts apart like this forever! Great vid!

[@miniman3112]

Very useful type of video! As someone who's just figuring stuff out over time by using the program, I've come across most of the ideas, but on some things I realize "oh sure, this is much better/easier than what I was doing!" :D

[@macswanton9622]

Top shelf content. Well done all round

[@sennabullet]

Another super useful instruction video. Thanks Angus. Love the sound effect at 14:31! :)

[@noamtsvi]

Great tips, loved the video, it's always fun to dive into your channel

[@SuperLin1985]

Amazing. Can't wait to try that myself. Please do more of that!!!

[@spammyjenkins87]

what a great video. the rotary snap is one I've always to do but never tried - primarily because I always hard-model my clearances in which often make my timeline look horrendously complicated... your single push-pull method at the end looks so simple and obvious. cheers for sharing Angus, definitely using these techniques.

[@stargrooves9893]

Thank you. This was a nice, concise, simple, and helpful video.Thanks

[@kortt]

Awesome video Angus, Very interesting methods.

[@no-page]

This is the kind of stuff I come here for! You are unique on KZbin because of your design experience combined with a deep understanding of 3D printing (and a great teaching ability). I don't know anywhere outside of college (uni) to learn these practical design techniques.

[@PortalFPV]

Love this stuff. I need to play more in the surface section, didn't realize how useful it is. That's funny, the rotating nub is something I did a decade ago with a dremel and a steel bearing.

[@PiefacePete46]

Portal FPV : The man who invented the bayonet-fitting light bulb must have known a thing or two! :o)

[@frankhiebert492]

Great content Angus, you do amazing tutorials. Thanks

[@SmokeandLights]

Wait, how was I not already subscribed? Oh well, I am now. Thanks for a great tutorial. I learned more than I thought I would!

Thanks for the awesome content you create!

[@MakerBrain]

Nice video. This is just the video I needed for CAD designing. Thanks.

[@MrNursi]

Interesting couple of tips there, cheers Angus. I agree with the other commenters, I like your way of explaining Fusion and would like to see more.

[@ar_min_m]

Man this was brilliant! Thank you!!!

[@devilmaker28]

This was incredibly informative for me. Thank you!

[@hv1461]

Great info. Thank you. I value this more advanced info.

[@CrocsAreNice]

Thanks, this is super useful! I’m hoping to start creating figurines soon in Fusion 360 with inner working parts(like LEDS and speakers), so a video like this is exactly what I needed in my subscription box lol

[@franktaccetta784]

Very cool and thought out!

[@gearbear9441]

I always enjoy vids like these cos it helps enlighten me on what's possible with 3D printers and how to design for them, thanks a lot Angus! say hi to your bird lol

[@matthewkapala9243]

These are great tips, thanks for sharing!

[@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994]

Great stuff. Keeping all of us shut ins entertained :)

[@advanced-tinkering]

Thank you Angus! Keep up the great work!

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great tips and instructions! Mahalo for sharing! : )

[@ameliabuns4058]

I love your cad tutorials :3

[@zwurltech9047]

Great Content, Angus! Thank you!

[@spikekent]

Exactly the sort of 'nity grity' tutorials I enjoy. Thanks Angus.

[@GentleTaipan]

I saw all these reports of people 3D printing medical ventilators, which reminded me of you, which reminded me that I haven't seen your videos in a while... Then you posted!

[@EliasLabordus]

Very informative. Thank you very much!

[@gordiony]

great video! learnt alot!!!

[@yohanngallois3110]

What a really useful video, thnaks a lot. I learned lot :)

[@mysterybus4713]

Thanks Angus... Needed a bit of inspiration to do some drawing.

[@calebcurtis9686]

Fantastic video! (As usual)

[@Aaku13]

Thanks so much dude. Super helpful.

[@welbot]

Great vid :) I often use press/pull for my clearances too, but doesn't always work, ddpending on the geometry. In those cases, (and more often than not even if I use a single command these days) I setup a single parameter to hold my clearance value, that way people can adjust any and all of them at the same time, simply by changing a single value no matter which command I hapeen to use :)

[@jameslaine2472]

I use 3 main parameters for clearance: 0.1mm press-fit, 0.2mm tight-fit, 0.3mm clear fit. those 3 are easy to remember, and come very close to the ISO standards for fits and tolerances used in machining.

[@LonganLee]

Great video!

[@congoose100]

Terrific video!

[@ThePepenoso]

wow, that egg look soo sick!!!!!! Thanks for the good advice, you are a beast !!!

[@backonlazer791]

I made a snapping ring following your tips from the "Designing Buckles, Clips, and Snaps" video =D It was kinda interesting trying to make a snapping function for something that is essentially a pipe with a 4 mm shell. It took a couple of tries but I finally got it working on the 3rd version.

[@ChannelHTS]

this was great mate thanks heaps

[@_Piers_]

I really like friction fits, taking advantage of the layer lines to lock peices into place.

[@FineClonier]

Great video. Banging my head on the wall with a simple design and this has me rethinking my part a bit. There maybe a better way.

[@buildersmark]

Great tutorial!

[@LazerLord10]

for adding clearance to the models where we used a surface cut, couldn't we do a symmetric two-sided extrusion on our cutting surface and then do a surface cut with either side of that newly created body? If that works, then we can adjust the clearance just by editing the extrusion length of that 'thick surface'.

[@hillfortherstudios2757]

I've done it that way before. In the surface menu, click "thicken" just make sure to do it symmetrically!

[@xraylover]

Thanks another great tutorial Angus. Although I use Solidworks and FeatureCam at work I have Fusion360 at home for all my 3D printing needs. Always good to learn a new software. Keep up the vidoes.

[@ktisistoukuriou]

Wow, I'll have to try that trick for clearances. Up until now I've been modelling them in from the beginning of a project.

[@PiefacePete46]

Thank's Angus, that one is a little treasure trove of goodies! I have been having some grief lately with a simple design. I must be doing something quite basic the wrong way! :o( Watching this, and studying the Browser as you go has given me a few ideas to try. Many thanks.

[@WPGinfo]

Nice video, thanks!

[@starsstripesjacket]

Im learning modeling using Fusion 360 during the lockdown, ill have to use some of these techniques :)

[@emersonwu]

very good tutorial 👍

[@DIYGarage_SoCal]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@msrt8]

great video... more like this please

[@HuFlungDung2]

Another technique to be aware of is cutting other models to use previously modelled features that you might otherwise have trouble making from scratch. For example, I wanted to model an internal tapered pipe thread. So I looked around on thingiverse and found a simple flange with the correct thread. Then imported it into Windows Builder because my real CAD software cannot do any Boolean operations on STL models. So I created some simple hollow cylinder in Builder and 'cut away' the part of the flange that I didn't need. Saved that as a new solid and imported it into Cura and placed it in a cavity hole in my real model. I had to make sure there was some overlap between the two models so that Cura would print it as one model. This means oversizing the cutout model because precision placement is/was impossible to do in Cura.

[@jungmin7117]

thanks! i really good tips :)

[@chrisharris1884]

Great job

[@170makes]

The one thing that this community has that nobody else has: OUR 3D PRINTERS! Great video Angus! Stay strong!

[@backonlazer791]

You mean the 3D printer community? No duh =P

[@ericcsuf]

You're a talented industrial designer. Do MORE like this. Fewer mylar wallets--seriously. Pulling that out would scream, "Dork!"

[@MakersMuse]

But... I am a dork? 😬

[@ericcsuf]

@@MakersMuse It was a compliment, Angus. Yea, that's it. A compliment.

[@gg48gg]

Awesome video. Check out the create coil command. It does what you want with regard to a thread that stops and starts where you want. It's also great in combination with create circular pattern to create knurling like in caps or thumb screws.

[@dibblethwaite]

If you are using surface geometry to split then you can use "thicken" to add clearance and then split using "combine".

[@MakersMuse]

Yep that's another approach! I do that sometimes if it's a simple part and I don't need to add offsets to multiple faces at once.

[@wfpelletier4348]

Often, you can even save the 'combine' step and just use the 'cut' option of the 'thicken' function. (I love your name, Dibbs. You could give Benedict Cumberbatch a run for his money.)

[@Andreas-gh6is]

I often just join flat surfaces, maybe with a little "registration", but it's basically very easy to weld the pieces with a soldering iron controlled to around 200°C

[@nunosousa7698]

Love these advanced tutorials. Can we get some more?

[@benevolentintelligence2677]

great video.

[@Flecoide]

Gracias! muy bueno! saludos desde Argentina!

[@steair]

Great summary Angus, thank you! I suggest you a thing 'cause I don't see it in your contruction histories. After you use surfaces (or bodies) as cutting tools you can remove them from the Bodies tree by right-clicking on them and select "Remove". Of course if you're sure you don't need them later in the modeling process. By doing so you can keep your Bodies tree clean and have your main bodies displayed without any auxiliary geometry. It's expecially handy also when you split a body and you don't need to keep all the resulting splitted parts. Keep up the great work!

[@Ashnek34]

Great video and demonstration. It would have been great to see printed examples of those parts.

[@scotta1725]

Thanks Angus great video. For the screw version you could cut the flat off set face with a 45 degree cone. This would have removed the need for any supports.

[@Aissur91]

A bit of a constructive criticism at the 13:25 mark... Fusion 360 DOES allow you to EASILY align two halves PERFECTLY - when using threads to attach two halves. There are two simple tricks that you can use - I will use your, @Maker's Muse, two football halves, as an example: "the hardest of the two"... >skip the 'extrusion' of the upper half till later - upper half must "bottom-out" at the lower half, at least for now >create matching threads on both halves >make each half a 'component' - basically create two "components" >select the bottom & top halves/components - right click - select 'rigid group' - so the upper & lower halves/components will never go through each other >select, and right click on the bottom half/component, select 'ground' - so the bottom half will never move >select the upper half/component - go to 'assemble' subtab, and select 'joint' - 'snap' points, on both halves/components, should be at the lowest points where the two halves touch - HENCE, why I earlier mentioned to leave the extrusion, of the upper part, to the very end - make sure, while creating the joint, you select for the upper half/component to 'revolve' >go to the 'assemble' subtab again - select 'drive joints' - click on the joint you just created - and in the options, make sure that the joint is at the zero position/rotation >if the upper part is not snuggly fits inside the lower part, and keeps on popping out, then you can try another 'joint' for the upper part, but this time, specify for the 'snap' point to be a 'slider' - the lowest point, where the two parts/components touch, should be the start point of the 'slider' - the end point of the slider, can be anywhere above the starting point - just make sure that your path is centered, and is going straight up, from the bottom half/component >again, "zero-out" the joint in the 'drive joints' option >NOW, Fusion 360 will "automatically" snap the two halves/components together, and will align the threads perfectly >do your 'extrusion', if need to >continue creating your designs, on both halves - 3D print - and you will see your designs match up at the final "screw-in"... "the easiest of the two"... >keep your 'extrusion' on the upper part >create desired thread ONLY on the BOTTOM part >create a 'copy' of the BOTTOM part - in same exact position - and 'hide' the original "copy" of the bottom part >having your upper part in its final, "inserted"(like in 13:25 of the video) position - inside the lower part (copied lower part) - go to 'create' subtab, select 'boundary fill' - for 'select tools' select the "copied lower part" - for 'select cells', select all the cells of the "copied lower part" - for 'operation', choose an option to 'CUT' - click 'OK' >NOW, the thread from the "copied lower part"(an invisible part now) is "cut" into the upper part >"UNHIDE" the original lower part, and you will see how threads, on both parts, are aligned perfectly to each other >proceed with your designs, and 3D print without worrying about misalignment!!!;) @Maker's Muse, if you, or anyone else watching your video, were not aware about these techniques/applications, then I hope I helped. In the end, I'm just trying to return a favor for all the help/education you have provided me - with all your awesome, and very informative videos. Great video - keep it up mate. Cheers!

[@jenspetersen5865]

Amazing video - I thought from the presentation that you were going to show the Fusion 360 Additive manufacturing as well. I think it would be very interesting to play with multi method manufacturing in Fusion 360. We have machine components produced on an Anycubic Photon Mono X that needs to be CNC finished on one or two surfaces afterwards. Fusion should be the perfect system for such hybrid manufacturing,

[@chaimlukasmaier335]

Nice video

[@bmotik]

As always, very informative and interesting! Keep up the good work! Just a quick tip - the model with the thread could be easily modelled by making a thread on one of the parts and then just use the same part as the tool body do cut the needed clearance in the second part using the combine function.

[@MakersMuse]

Huh, good point! A boolean difference would definitely work.