Objective

This exercise will introduce Autodesk Inventor, which is drafting software that is used by technical professionals, and basic technical design methods will be shown using this computer-aided design (CAD) software. This software will be used in your semester-long design project by constructing physical prototypes with 3D printing.

To practice this prototyping procedure, an NYU logo keychain will be created in Autodesk Inventor and exported to be 3D printed. The members of the winning team of “Lab 1C: Mousetrap Vehicle Competition” will each receive a 3D-printed keychain.

Overview

Computer-Aided Design

CAD programs, which include Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, SolidWorks, and SketchUp, allow engineers to make precisely scaled drawings. These drawings are used to manufacture equipment, build infrastructure, and allow designers to display their designs with complete specifications and detail. Orthographic views (top, bottom, side, front, back, etc.) can be used to document every aspect of the technical drawing needed for production while isometric views can be used to view the final 3D representation of a product.

This exercise will teach the basics of Autodesk Inventor, 3D file formats, and the basics of 3D printing. After this lab, you will be able to create simple 3D files and set them up to be 3D printed.

3D Printing

3D printing allows for rapid prototyping and onsite manufacturing of products. Initially done with plastic, 3D printing now uses new techniques with new materials, such as aluminum, bronze, and glass. Biomaterials are also being incorporated, such as 3D printing ear cartilage and liver tissue. As the 3D printing industry grows, 3D printing will become a big part of many engineering fields.

In this course, 3D printing can be used to produce SLDP course modifications, robot parts, and a team logo for extra credit.

Procedure

Setting up the file

Start AutoDesk Inventor and open a new file (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Inventor Toolbar
Select the measurement system to be used (for this lab English) and select a standard (in).ipt file (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Inventor new file options

Figure 2: Inventor new file options

Designing the NYU Keychain

Figure 3: Sketch 1 before trim

The first step to designing the keychain is to draw the base shape:
1. Start 2D Sketch
2. Select the XZ plane
3. Rotate the camera to orient the top correctly
4. Select the rectangle tool
  Draw a 2.6” x 0.7” rectangle starting at the origin
  
  These values can be typed in (switching which value is changed is done using the tab key)
5. Select the circle tool
  Figure 4: Sketch 1 after trim
  
  Draw a 0.7” diameter circle centered in the middle of one of the short sides of the rectangle (the cursor should snap to the center position and turn green when you get close)
  
  Draw another circle 0.45” in diameter in the same position
6. Fillet (round) sharp edges
  Select the fillet tool from the “Create” section of the toolbar
  
  Select one of the two intersecting lines that form the right angles on the base
  
  Use the default fillet size of 0.125” and repeat on the other corner
  
  The sketch should look like Figure 3
7. Remove the extra lines using the trim tool
  Select the trim tool from the “Modify” section of the toolbar
  
  Select all interior lines that divide the keychain (Figure 5)
  
  If error messages are indicated, remove the dimensions on the rest of the keychain
  
  The sketch should look like Figure 4
8. Exit the sketch using the finish sketch button
After creating a 2D sketch, the next step is to use that to create a 3D object. In this lab the extrude tool will be used to create a 3D block. In the future, the revolve or other tools can be used to create more advanced geometry.
Figure 5: Sketch 1 extruded
1. Select the “Extrude” tool from the “Create” section of the toolbar
  Select the profile of the object to be extruded, which is the object that was just created
  
  Change the extrusion thickness to 0.15” and press Enter.
  
  The model will look like Figure 5
The next step is to add the design to the key chain. For this lab, a vector graphics file will be used in the dxf format provided by NYU. In the future, a logo can be designed using the sketch tool
1. Download the NYU Tandon Vector Logo (This logo was converted from the file provided on NYU's identity page)
  * Tandon logo ACAD format
2. Select “Start 2D Sketch”
3. Select the top surface of the key chain
4. Rotate the camera again to orient the top correctly
5. Select the “ACAD” option from the “Insert” toolbar
  Figure 6: Drawing import settings
  
  Select “Files of Type” .dxf and open the downloaded design (this may take a moment)
  
  Select “Next” on the “Layers and Objects Import Options” window
  
  Check the “Constrain End Points” and “Apply Geometric Constraints” boxes
  
  Select “Finish”
  
  Settings are shown in Figure 6
  
  If the computer freezes use the alt+tab hotkey to check if DWG trueviewer is reporting an error
6. For this side of the key chain the “Tandon School of Engineering” portion of the logo is not needed
  Select the bar and everything to the right using click and drag
  
  Delete this portion with the “Delete” key on the keyboard (Not Backspace)
7. The logo needs to be scaled to fit the key chain. To keep the spacing of the design, select an appropriate base point. Use the midpoint of the line on the right side of the box
  Use the line tool to trace over the line on the right side of the box
  
  Select the point tool under the create section of the toolbar
  
  Place a point at the center point of the line that was just drawn
  
  Select the “Scale” tool from the “Modify” section of the toolbar
  
  Select the box and torch of the logo by clicking and dragging
  
  Figure 7: Sketch 2 final
  
  Select the midpoint that was just placed as the base point for scaling
  
  Enter a scaling factor of 0.75
8. The logo will be positioned on the keychain
  Select the entire logo and use the “Move” tool from the Modify section of the toolbar to move it off the base so there is space to draw the alignment line
  
  Select the line tool and draw a 0.7” line from the middle of the right side of the circle towards the center of the keychain
  
  Select the logo using the move tool again, this time making sure to use the midpoint created earlier as the basepoint.
  
  Place the basepoint at the end of the alignment line
  
  Exit the sketch
  
  The final sketch is shown in Figure 7
9. To finish this side of the keychain, the design must be cut into the base. To do this, the extrude tool will be used
  Figure 8: Extrusion 2
  
  To cut the design, select “cut” in the shape menu.
  
  Select the profile of the design to cut, in this case, the area around the torch and each of the letters
  
  Select a depth of 0.06”
  
  The final model is shown in Figure 8
To 3D print the design, export the file as an STL. This is the only format that can be opened by the 3d printing software
1. Before exporting, the units of the print has to be converted to milimeters from inches, since that is the more standard units for 3D printing softwares
  Click on the Tools tab > Options panel > Document Settings
  
  In the dialog box, click the Units tab
  
  Under length, select mm
  
  Click Apply to save changes
2. Click the Inventor Logo in the top left
3. Select “export” then “CAD format”
4. Select .stl from the dropdown menu and name the file
5. Before pressing save select options and select mm as the unit
  This ensures that the keychain remains to scale when imported into the printing software
Figure 9: Inner fill box
The last step of the keychain is to make the white insert that will fit in the center to make it two colors
1. Click “My Home” in the bottom file tabs
2. Start a new file
3. Create a rectangle with dimensions 2.2”x0.65”
4. Extrude the rectangle 0.12”
  This model is shown in Figure 9
5. Export this in the same way as before
  Make sure to reselect units again

Preparing to print

Now that the logo design is complete, the next step is to put it together in the 3D printing slicer software. We will be using Cura as the software for orienting parts on the printer and selecting the color of each object. It also generates toolpaths that the printer will follow to print the objects.
1. Open Cura. If a menu pops up prompting for the printer, select the “Ultimaker 3”
  If a menu does not pop up, make sure the printer currently selected is “Ultimaker 3” on the top right corner
  
  Otherwise, click the arrow, select the “Add Printer” option, and add “Ultimaker 3.”
2. To load your two files from above, select “Open File” on the top left corner and open the STL file containing the base of the keychain
3. Using the “Rotate” tool on among the options to the left, rotate the part so the torch is facing up
  Uncheck the “Snap Scaling” option to allow for a more precise rotation
4. Select “Open File” again and load the filler rectangle
5. Again, orient the part correctly using the “Rotate” tool
6. Cura, by default, drops the objects on to the build-plate and keeps objects apart. The following steps are needed to combine the filler rectangle within the keychain:
  Under “Preferences”, select “Configure Cura”
  
  Under “Viewport behavior,” make sure to deselect both “Ensure models are kept apart” and “Automatically drop models to the build plate” if they are not already deselected
  
  Save your preferences
  
  Return to the buildplate and make sure both objects are lying flat on the build-plate by using “Rotate” => “Lay Flat”
  If the “Lay Flat” tool does not lay the object flat, manually type in 0 mm in the “Move” tool for the Z axis
7. Select the filler rectangle, and using the “Move” tool on the left, enter 0.15mm as the Z value to raise it vertically
8. Select one object and choose a different extruder on the left. That piece will appear as a different color
9. Drag the filler piece and place it in the keychain base part
10. Save the file as a .gcode and upload it to the website

Figure 10: Cura with both parts loaded

Figure 11: Cura with the base and the infill of the logo

Assignment

A *.gcode file must be submitted to eg.poly.edu. It is required for a lab report grade.

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