How To Make Any Tapered Coil in Fusion 360 | Complete Step by Step

In this video we are going to share a trick you can use to create any complex coils in Fusion 360. Fusion doesn't have a tapered coil tool let alone conforming to a complex shape so in this video we will look at how to use surfacing tools, the Coil tool and some tricks to get you the end results.

[@slipstream53]

Thank you so much for this, I never realized how much you could do with the surface tool. Whenever you plan on patterning a custom profiled coil, patterning it as a surface before forming a solid body helps tremendously with performance. If you pattern it as a solid body Fusion will freeze horribly every time it has to recalculate when a parameter is changed.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You are welcome! Awesome to hear

[@popzct]

Very helpful, thank you! Greg

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@americorosales2085]

thanks for sharing your tutorial, this is exactly what I was looking for knowing any tapered coil. this is great!!!!!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks for watching!

[@kisssys5414]

Excellent, thanks.

[@kalicacao]

Great video and a very clever workaround. I was pretty sure that it's almost impossible to model such spring in F360 in reasonable amount of time. Thank you!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad you liked it!

[@user-dd2de2cr8h]

Me he suscrito al canal. Sos una joya! Barrilete cosmico! gracias infinitas

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Muchas gracias!

[@ratgreen]

Excellent tutorial this exactly what I needed. I got stumped at one point as I couldn't select just the inside path, I had to uncheck 'chain selection'

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad it helped and glad you figured out the issue!

[@Dsk001]

If you are going to be using a circle as the profile a way to skip a step (no need to make a sketch) is to use the pipe command

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Yup that is a great tip!

[@murrayedington]

One of the most common reasons for creating coils like this is to make a helical spring. Fusion's cousin (Inventor) does this natively and includes the option to define real world end spring ends, namely "ground and closed". I wonder if this is on the Fusion road map? This technique of yours would really benefit from being extended to flattening and trimming the ends to achieve that effect.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Very True. Inventor, Solidworks and many other CAD programs have easy methods to build variable pitch and diameter coils with end treatments. Building a 3d curve coil or using a coil generator. I don't imagine Fusion will ever get this, but could be wrong :) If i do an update i will add in doing the end treatments to it. Thanks!

[@julianandyvonne]

It was really helpful. I was trying to make an internal and external tapered thread.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

It certainly isn't a perfect solution for threads but can get the job done.

[@casade2831]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign Is there a way to make conical threads with this approach?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

@@casade2831 Yeah. you would just need to make sure your taper is correct for your sweep path and that your profile is as well. The thread and hole tools in Fusion do already support tapered tapped holes. One thing you will find using this sweep method though is the thread faces may be divided up for some reason. The faces will still be tangent but it likes to break them up which can be a pain.

[@casade2831]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign thank you 🙏

[@adamdport]

Do you know of a way to adjust the spring "stretch" using a similar approach? I want the space between layers to vary, so like super tight at the bottom and super stretched at the top, with a smooth transition between the two. Does that make sense? This is the first video I've seen from you, I'm sure it won't be the last!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks Adam! So what you are looking to do is basically a Variable Pitch coil. Sadly there is no easy way to do it in Fusion. What you have to do is make 2 coils and then join them together with a blend curve or spline or tangent arc. Other cad tools like Inventor and solidworks can do variable pitch coils in a single curve but not Fusion sadly....

[@adamdport]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign The YT algorithm eventually blessed me with this video which shows a way to do it using the emboss command! ...but I agree, it's not an "easy way". Thought I'd share with you. Thanks again. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZLbiWavr819icU

[@KapilDev-md5uq]

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[@c3dcnc43]

How could you make taper threads on a arc, for example on wood screw? To make threads down the point from a straight line to a arc and tapering down to nothing.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Sorry I didn't reply here. Let's keep this going over email.

[@jeremygorski7437]

Everything works out so far but when I sweep my profile, which is a symmetrical trapeze with the thinner side being outside, it doesn't follow the coil path how it should. The profile rotates around and the thicker side goes outside. Do you have a tip how to keep the orientation of my weep profile? It's hard to do when working on a plane that isn't parallel / perpendicular to the world axles.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hmm, I would try to use a guide surface even if its just a cylinder to keep the normal pointing outward.

[@Hemeralopie]

Hey just found your channel. Have subscribed to this gem straight away. I was wondering if you would have another "hack" to solve a problem I have with the chamfer tool. I want to model a pipe connection as a T (like a saddle cut). The two pipes are to be welded together. The incomming member should have a weld bevel with 45° tagent to the surface of the other pipe. Any help would be much appriciated ! Thanks for all the knowledge you share with us!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Thanks for the sub! I "think", if i am understanding the problem correctly, you might need to do a sweep cut. Take a look at this a360.co/3BYKflX and let me know if that seems about right.

[@Hemeralopie]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign wow yes that is exactly what i was trying to do. How do get the sweep cut to follow the surface of the pipe to get a consistant bevel?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I drew a line where i wanted the chamfer at 45 degrees from the T part of the pipe. Then i did a swept surface using a "guide surface" which was the outside of the straight pipe. It will keep the sweep at the same angle relative to that selected face. The result ends up with a lot of face divisions(fusion issue) but it still maintains a tangency.

[@Hemeralopie]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign many thanks. I couldn't get it to work myself but I must have done something wrong. Bless you and merry christmas.

[@87troyr]

This is a great tutorial, but I have a question I'm hoping you can solve: I have created 2 coils both with the same dimensions in the same position (one positive and one negative). The negative coil differs as it tapers inward 5 degrees. I have joined them at the same connecting face when creating the 2nd coil (as the option to join bodies), how do you create a sweep along both of them? When trying to sweep, an error occurs stating that the path surface is not smooth, but I don't know how to smooth the path. Have you tried this before? Thanks

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

hmm, can't say i have tried that, but when using a sweep path, the path must have tangency(be smooth). Likely the start/end where the 2 coils meet is your issue. You could hack out a small bit and do a 3d blended curve between them. In the same sketch use "include 3d geometry" and then use the sketch as your sweep path.

[@87troyr]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign that has worked perfectly. thank you!

[@rayge]

Hmm i can do it with just a line it has to be an enclosed sketch for the profile. IS there some kind of a setting I am missing?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

if you are doing a solid sweep it will need to be a close profile. If you want to sweep a surface you just have to go to the surface tab and use that sweep tool. I hope i understood the question.

[@devvlogs6469]

Hello sir.. It's a Nice video. But some queries m having. How to make coil on the face of any disc of a reactor. Plz guide

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hey Dev, I am not exactly sure what you mean. Using sweep and selecting your disc as a guide surface should be the same no?

[@devvlogs6469]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign sir, I have complete the work. Thank you. One more query. I want to know, from where I can learn Autodesk FEA easily??

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Hey Dev, there isn't a ton online at the moment. I have some content on the Autodesk site www.autodesk.com/certification/learning-pathways/simulation-static-stress-analysis

[@bobbyshoe8621]

When I go to create a sketch on the "plane along path", it takes me to one of the origin planes, not the plane I created. Can't figure out why....

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

hm. If any sketch is selected it might be taking you to that one. If you click in the canvas(screen) somewhere to make sure nothing is selected, then select your new plane and then hit Sketch, what happens?

[@TOjoe1strow]

what if im trying to make a coil with a changing pitch that blends between them

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Sadly Fusion doesn't have a coil definition that will let you alter the pitch/diameter on the fly. You can make multiple coils and make tangent arcs in a 3d sketch to connect them, but not the most ideal workflow.

[@TOjoe1strow]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign hmmmm i was considering also projecting a wave onto the cylinder but not sure i could be precise enough

[@sashavolesky2149]

can you share the file of the finished product?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Sasha, I just looked and I don't think I saved it after the video. Sorry!

[@lindsay5985]

Hmm, at 5:00 you're explaining the goal, but not explaining what you're clicking or how you get the "ok" button to appear when trimming.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

The part where I say "we are going to get rid of the coil on the inside" I am clicking on the surface on the inside of the tapered coil. So what we are doing is making a tapered coil edge path.

[@lindsay5985]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign I figured it out eventually. After selecting the object that will serve as the tool, it appears you have completed the dialog as its sole text box has been populated, but the OK button remains greyed -until you exit the dialog and click a second object that will be trimmed -then and only then the okay button is enabled.