Hex Bolt Design (CAD Tutorial)

[@smartmarketers2584]

Forgive me if my terminology is off; I have been doing CAD type design for a few months now, but I had to drop some Kudos here. I looked at MANY KZbin videos. None of them put the finishing touches to the bolt. They used the Front plane stuck with simply sweeping on a Helix and patching the ends. You addressed the plane on the Helix to avoid slop in the threads for the nut. You correctly addressed both ends of the bolt along with polishing the threads. Nobody squared off the tip of the threads to make it more professional (matches metal bolts closer). I took your design and included elements of it to create an adaptor that needs about a 15mm bolt end. The bolt part of the adaptor (shortened to 15mm) allows parts to be removed from my assembly for modifications and upgrades. Although I could have changed the pitch and shank diameter, it turns out your sample worked great for my needs as is. Thanks for putting out this and other videos!

[@TooTallToby]

Awww yeah that is AWESOME!! Thanks so much for the Kudos and I'm so glad this helpful - but most of all I'm glad you were able to Engineer a physical part and make it work! that is so cooool!!!!

[@chrisdetano]

Toby, Outstanding tutorial! Thanks. Can’t wait to see the nut vid.

[@TooTallToby]

thanks Chris! Glad this helps!

[@shaddecker391]

When do you think the nut vid will be published?

[@TooTallToby]

probably this week or next week @@shaddecker391

[@BucketheadsBucket]

I also can’t wait so see the nut 💦 vid 🥵 😩

[@Iammathee]

10:00 Layout sketch for LEAD IN to threads I'd like you to explain it to me, please. At this point, I can't do that at all.

[@Iammathee]

How to use diameter tools with the construction line measure ?

[@Iammathee]

10:02

[@Iammathee]

i cann't do that guy

[@FerKijel]

First select the construction line, then the point you want to be the diameter, and when you place the dimension on the opposite side of the construction line., the diameter option will show up.

[@dennisdecoene]

I just import it from the standard library. But of course that's not the point of this great video. Well done. Learned some new things!

[@TooTallToby]

Nice thanks! Yeah same here- just use a featurescript or import it from library - but lots of good lessons here for students! (especially pierce and sweep profile on a plane normal to the path)

[@dennisdecoene]

@@TooTallToby the pierce command is something that, after a year in onshape, I still don't fully understand. When to use it VS the use command and such.

[@HansMeiser-z8g]

@@TooTallToby Hi, can you please explain how to import this?

[@TooTallToby]

What do you mean?@@HansMeiser-z8g If you are an onshape user, you can just search the public space for a document called: "3D Printed HEX BBOLT and NUT" then you can open the model.

[@RichPenn]

Nice explanation when constructing the thread profile normal to helix with the pierce constraint.

[@TooTallToby]

Awww yeah thanks RichPenn! Glad this helps!

[@SumoBr]

Thanks Toby, Always learn a ton from you. I was wondering about using .stl also. You might direct people to .3mf or at least .step.

[@SumoBr]

I would also love to see you do a CAM for CNC. I don't know if OnShape would care but it would be cool to see a CAM to Kiri:Moto also. good chance to talk about free 3rd party apps.

[@TooTallToby]

Yeah you're correct - 3MF is the modern format for 3D Printing and definitely more appropriate for most modern 3D printing applications. Prusa has a nice video on this topic, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHKllYVvmZ12ppY Good Call! thanks

[@bepo1247]

It would be helpful if you mirror the keyboard, so we can see what shortcut you used. Yes, you tell some of the shortcuts but not all of them. I really appreciate your kind help. Thanks, a lot.

[@aspectratio703]

I managed to keep up with you - ok, well, had to pause a lot - even though I’m working on the iPad version of Onshape and don’t know if I have access to those keyboard shortcuts (I should try). It printed great! Waiting impatiently for the nut!

[@TooTallToby]

yeah try the shortcuts and see how they work on iPad. I'd love to know. Yeah - NUT video coming soon!!

[@jc84com]

Oh snap it's TTT on official onshape channel! It's crazy how good onshape is for a web CAD. And Toby tutorials are just as crazy. Smart techniques. For simple yet hyper complex bolts.

[@TooTallToby]

Awww yeah! Thanks for the kind words JC! And yes indeed onshape is pretty darn amazing!

[@drleewhite]

Most bolts are defined by outside diameter and thread pitch. If you start with a cylinder with the desired final dimensions then you can cut the threads with remove instead adding them to the cylinder. This produces a final product that is more useful to make arbitrary bolt sizes.

[@TooTallToby]

that's true and fair - the technique shown here is more for "custom 3D printed" threads but you're right, if you're designing something to fit an existing thread you might be better off creating the OD then using a sweep with the REMOVE (cut) option. Good point - thanks!

[@martonnagy5613]

"New 2D Printer" LOL 🙂 Great video btw! Cheers

[@TooTallToby]

lol - it's an upgrade! 😁

[@ulirossenbeck5824]

couldn´t be explained any better! thanks 😊

[@TooTallToby]

awww yeah! Glad this helped!!

[@victorc.l2786]

excelent explanation with good mechanical concepts to model it , tks a lot

[@TooTallToby]

Awesome thanks very much and glad this helped!

[@hudstonians3766]

ENJOYING THE LESSONS . THANK YOU !

[@TooTallToby]

Awesome! Glad these help!

[@stevenog]

It's great that you know all the shortcut keys. Some of us do not. Every time you use them I lose you and have to go back to figure it out

[@mdebart8678]

Agree, most difficult to follow. Key points are also jumped across much too quickly. gave up several times just getting through one f the lessons.

[@electronicswithzee2565]

Hi TTT. I would like if you could make an tutorial about designing a work piece that will be able to screw on a existing piece with threads. For example...... I have a vacuum machine with an existing pipe with threads, that normally fits to the machine, via a coupler that screws on to the hose. The coupler has unfortunately perished, and no parts are commercially available, hence the request. How easy would it be to model a new coupler that will be able to screw on to the existing pipe? Would be nice to have a tutorial to see how this would be done.

[@commonwombat-h6r]

it's a very nice tutorial

[@TooTallToby]

Awww yeah THANKS!

[@michondr1]

Nice tutorial. However at the end when you notice exporting the part, you'd do it in STL. I'm quite new to 3dprinting, but I'm always exporting in 3MF as I thought that is todays standard

[@TooTallToby]

Yeah you're correct - SumoBr pointed this out too! 3MF is the modern format for 3D Printing and definitely more appropriate for most modern 3D printing applications. Prusa has a nice video on this topic, here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHKllYVvmZ12ppY I wasn't really thinking about it because I didn't have any slicer info built into the file - and I'm pre processing in the FLASHFORGE slicer, so STL works fine. But I could also import 3MF into this slicer, so I should have just used 3MF export from Onshape. Good call Mich! Thanks!

[@sideways_supra]

Hey Toby! is there any way you could do a tutorial on how to knurl the bead of a bolt. Or knurl any cylindrical object for that matter. There are only a small handful youtube shorts with no verbal audio, and they are sped up. Nothing is explained and theres no real valuable information to get from them. I think it would be really helpful to a lot of users! Cheers!

[@ec92009y]

Super duper video. THX. I wonder if you actually tried to 3D print this model. I'm concerned it would need a lot of support because of the steep angles on the head and the threads. I would love for you to discuss how to make that model more 3D printing friendly. Again thanks for an excellent video.

[@TooTallToby]

Thanks EC9 - Yup I printed it - the bolt and nut I show at the start of the video came off my flashforge printer. I have a flashforge and a prusa, but I mainly use the prusa for TPU. The threads don't need support. I think because the overhang is very small, the threads have a natural "drafted angle", and the additional angle of the HELIX, threads tend to print without support, and without issues. At least for me. The Part was oriented on the printer with he hex head sitting on the bed, the threaded section vertical (sticking up, as though the bold was sitting strait up on a table). hope this helps!

[@aguilao28]

Thank you for the video

[@TooTallToby]

Awww yeah!!

[@bibliotek42]

Loved that!

[@TooTallToby]

Thanks!

[@Jeonyoungjune]

Awesome voice, your lecture is very very clear and informative. Thanks teacher.

[@TooTallToby]

awww yeah! So glad that this is helpful!!

[@skaiindustry254]

What is the difference between creating a plane in the middle over creating a plane on helix and a point?

[@TooTallToby]

You want the plane of your PROFILE SKETCH to be perpendicular to your PATH, at an end point of the PATH. This is a general guide for creating sweep geometry (in any 3D CAD package) and following this guide will help to ensure that the cross section of the sweep does not become distorted.

[@skaiindustry254]

@@TooTallToby this applies only for thread isn't ?

[@TooTallToby]

@@skaiindustry254 No this "best practice" is suggested for any sweep

[@skaiindustry254]

@@TooTallToby thank you for that

[@bryanzandler9060]

may be great for some but for a newb it was a bit too fast had a really hard time keeping up and wore out my space bar haha

[@InsaneTreefrog]

Why did you round the edges of the bolt head? I let my wrench do that for me

[@TooTallToby]

lol - nice

[@bridget_clinch]

You created a sinful fillet on the underside of an object intended for 3D printing, why not a nice to print 45 degree chamfer? The tutorial as always was great though.

[@bridget_clinch]

Will definitely be using that plane normal to the end of the helix though, no wonder I have had a few dramas making threads before.

[@TooTallToby]

Lol - yeah in the case of this model I think we can get away with it without needing supports - but I agree - definitely AVOID fillets on the underside of a 3D printed overhang! Glad you liked the NORMAL TO lesson too 😁

[@the_runofff]

Great video! its still so weird that making a hex bolt is so many steps and there isn't just an easy modeled thread tool like in fusion

[@TooTallToby]

There's a thread creation tool in featurescript - I just did it manually because it serves for a lot of great "mini-lessons". 🙂

[@katon2459]

this is so helpful i learned a lot

[@TooTallToby]

Awesome so glad that this was helpful!

[@TAH1712]

I think there is an important error here in this video. Referring to Wikipedia and the ISO thread form but also in general, the correct form of a thread, angle of thread flank and pitch spacing are defined relative i.e square to the AXIS of the turn, such as on a Lathe and not perpendicular to the helix end curve. You correctly note and show the plane difference but ignore the thread true definition applicable to all thread designations. I think there is some confusion here - please consider this TTT.

[@TooTallToby]

Thanks and thats a fair point - this is more for 3D Printing threads and not so much for ISO thread creation during the machining process. But I'll be more aware of this for future videos. Thanks!!

[@hysteriagaming6294]

Another way i found that at least in model (i havent printed yet) is to create the bolt and the nut and then boolean subtract the bolt from the nut and then just go back and adjust the sketch for the thread geometry on the bolt its self. Update: Better yet, there is now a thread creator feature script!

[@TooTallToby]

yeah you can boolean subtract for sure - the only thing is that makes you scale the entire body (instead of specific faces) and something this can cause a hiccup. Just something to look out for - but great suggestion!

[@dontwobble]

i got stuck at using the pierce command on sketch 2, i couldnt get it to attach to the circle in sketch 1... i suck at this :(

[@TooTallToby]

Sorry- The Pierce command can be really confusing at first! Keep practicing and I'm sure it will start to make more sense. One thing I always remind my students about is that the PIERCE constraint always take place between a POINT in the current 2D sketch, and a LINE or CURVE outside of the current sketch. Maybe that will help 🙂 Also - I created this Onshape tutorial, which has a free PDF training manual that goes with it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYrOi6B7lJuAprssi=uyujZB5LygMj0aoI It may be helpful to have some of the steps in print to make it a little easier to follow along. Hope this helps! Toby

[@dontwobble]

@@TooTallToby thanks for the reply mate, really appreciate it. I'm absolutely determined to learn so I won't give up, just when I was trying to follow you along the circle inside the hexagon wouldn't show up, only the origin. I'll have another go this week on my work break.

[@PedePedersen]

Thanks a lot for the video. I learned a lot. Any date for when the nut video will be up? I am ready for the next lesson. 😊 🔩💨

[@TooTallToby]

Awesome so glad this was helpful! Hoping the nut comes out later next week. :-)

[@MWTTAMIL]

its seems like cousin for solid works

[@TooTallToby]

Yeah it's very easy to jump from SW to Onshape!

[@MisterPibbRMX]

You just say "this" and "that" constantly and use shortcuts without saying what the shortcut is or putting it on screen. Had to replay every 10 secs because you move so fast it's impossible to follow along. Slow down and articulate what you're doing, you spend twice as long discussing "the intuitive way" to do something and then go 10x talking speed when showing what to actually do.

[@animation9649]

lock in bud

[@TooTallToby]

@@animation9649 😁

[@AricGardnerMontreal]

You can slow the KZbin video down

[@rayxfinkle8328]

Could always adjust the play back speed. You want it slower, I watch them in 1.5x speed

[@cbayardelle]

Making threads on Onshape is horrible

[@kencroft7933]

They are NOT rounded corners on a bolt head, they are in fact 30 degree chamfers. If you were an engineer you would know that!

[@TooTallToby]

Lol - FACE PALM - Thanks Ken! I think my brain sometimes glitches out! Thanks for the email too. I've made a bunch of these for 3D printing and I always used the "rounded head" method cause it looks good and feels good on the 3D print - but I never machined one! But yeah that makes sense that it would be a simple 30 degree chamfer. WAY EASIER to cut IRL!!

[@aliabraham6362]

"promo sm" 😃

[@TooTallToby]

Thanks!

[@adammontgomery7980]

I can't really see anything on mobile with your banner and things taking up a lot of room.

[@RajinderYadav]

dam this is 2024 and we have AI and this guy created a bolt with threads like a caveman, you think someone by now would have automate this process.

[@airwick5083]

Always good to understand the "way of the caveman"! It can help for days when automation/AI fails... Look for the "Threadlab" FS of you want to do it the "automated" way though...

[@TooTallToby]

lol - yeah me use stick and stone - make wheel - go vroom

[@angrygreek1985]

Surely there's an easier way of doing this? Isn't there just a threading tool so we don't have to do all this bullshit?