Yes, electronic CAD and mechanical CAD have already merged some years ago. Even with free software. Take a look at the gadget I made in the link below. I designed a PCB in KiCAD and had the boards made in China then imported the 3D model of the PCB into Fusion and used that model as a pattern to shape the material into the shape of a case to hold the PCB. I could verify the case would fit before the PCBs arrived from China.
Use the "explode" control to see the KiCad generated model of the partially populated PCB. https://a360.co/3aERoY5 Here are a renders done by KiCAD with no help from fusion. But I import them to Fusion and design an enclosure around them They fit perfectly. PowerDistribution.png <https://github.com/chrisalbertson/WTmotorDistribution/blob/master/PowerDistribution.png> NeatoLidarInterface.png <https://github.com/chrisalbertson/NeatoLidarInterfacePCB/blob/master/NeatoLidarInterface.png> These models are great if you need to put the PCB inside some devices. These PCBs go inside small robots so I am VERY concerned about space and weight and like to have an integrated mechanical/electronic design. We can do this at the hobby level now. We must live in a golden age for hobby builders, we can have any machanical part we want in just hours for a buck or two and any PCB we want for about $2 in a week. Professionals need this even more. Just look at an iPhone. Autodesk bought Egle and has now integrated it with Fusion. But it is not free. But now the PCB and mechanics have a tighter link with no need to import data from one app to the other. On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 9:05 AM Nicklas SB Karlsson < [email protected]> wrote: > > I was about to post the same thing. OpenSCAD s not a general purpose CAD > > system that you can use for machine design. > > > > How to check for clearance: On a normal CAD system you can have commands > > like "move this enough so it contacts this other object." I do that, > then > > move it back by the required clearance distance. When working to > 0.001" > > using eyeballs and scales don't work. > > That's different, make sense then components are placed on circuit board > though only in two dimensions. On circuits boards it is common area not > used for traces/connections are filled with copper, this happens > automatically internally, growing trace/connection with clearance using > boolean operator is a method to clear the path thru copper areas. > > It is a little bit interesting CAD system for mechanics have quite much in > common with CAD system for circuit boards. Think it should be rather > straight forward although a lot of work to export the geometries on circuit > board to mechanical CAD software, manufacturers sometimes have 3D models > available for there components, quite commonly in .step format. > > > If boring a bearing I'd say to make the hole "shaft diameter + twice the > > clearance" With gears yu now the pitch diameter so you place the gear > > shafts at "pitch diameter A + pitch diameter B + required clearance" > > Almost all CAD system allow dimension to be expressed as formulas > > > > A good CAD system is very much like working on a mill, you would touch > the > > part then move from that reference. The only hard references I would use > > come from external requirements. Others are calculated. Never trust > your > > eyes or hands. > > Used mechanical CAD system very little. > > > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > -- Chris Albertson Redondo Beach, California _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
