Smaller electronics that rely on special plastic clasps or hinges, think ITX computer cases or something like a game console or laptop. 3D printers are nice because then you don’t have to play Ebay part roulette or hope someone manufactures the particular part that snapped in half.
I have a semi related question to this: how do you create the CAD files for these things? It seems to me that to build highly accurate replacement parts, you need a highly accurate model of what broke. Do you just take a bunch of measurements, then do your best to guess and check? Is there a process to this, or what does this look like?
I ask because I make stuff with leather and am getting into making my own designs and patterns, but figuring out corners and curves with Fusion 360 is not intuitive for me. I have a project to make a Birkenstock sandal coming up, but the idea of making a piece of leather that will fit a person’s foot seems challenging and will involve lots of measurements, and a bit of guess and check unless a kind stranger on the Fediverse has insights into such things.
you need a highly accurate model of what broke. Do you just take a bunch of measurements, then do your best to guess and check? Is there a process to this, or what does this look like?
There’s a couple different strategies. Taking measurements is often the most straightforward. And it’s generally not too bad because often times the thing you measure will be in round units, so you can confidently guess the true measurement intended.
For example, if I measure the diameter of a shaft that broke off, and it’s 10.1mm, then I can pretty confidently say I should make the CAD model 10mm.
An alternative method is to take a picture of the object from multiple directions, zoomed in and far away to make the view as orthographic as possible. Include a known distance like a ruler, and then you can past the image in the background of your CAD software and model off of that. Generally I find this more helpful for organic shapes that wouldn’t make much sense to measure.
Smaller electronics that rely on special plastic clasps or hinges, think ITX computer cases or something like a game console or laptop. 3D printers are nice because then you don’t have to play Ebay part roulette or hope someone manufactures the particular part that snapped in half.
or small stuff like remote battery covers
I have a semi related question to this: how do you create the CAD files for these things? It seems to me that to build highly accurate replacement parts, you need a highly accurate model of what broke. Do you just take a bunch of measurements, then do your best to guess and check? Is there a process to this, or what does this look like?
I ask because I make stuff with leather and am getting into making my own designs and patterns, but figuring out corners and curves with Fusion 360 is not intuitive for me. I have a project to make a Birkenstock sandal coming up, but the idea of making a piece of leather that will fit a person’s foot seems challenging and will involve lots of measurements, and a bit of guess and check unless a kind stranger on the Fediverse has insights into such things.
There’s a couple different strategies. Taking measurements is often the most straightforward. And it’s generally not too bad because often times the thing you measure will be in round units, so you can confidently guess the true measurement intended.
For example, if I measure the diameter of a shaft that broke off, and it’s 10.1mm, then I can pretty confidently say I should make the CAD model 10mm.
An alternative method is to take a picture of the object from multiple directions, zoomed in and far away to make the view as orthographic as possible. Include a known distance like a ruler, and then you can past the image in the background of your CAD software and model off of that. Generally I find this more helpful for organic shapes that wouldn’t make much sense to measure.
Makes sense. Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!