As of August 8th, 2017, Fusion 360 has received (finally!) one of its most important updates yet. Not only does it include some much-needed improvements to existing design tools, but Autodesk has also introduced brand-new functionality and beta previews to shake things up. One new feature needs no introduction since it was the most highly sought community-driven feature for Fusion for several months now and has been at the top of the Idea Station.
We’re of course talking about Sheet Metal.
For those who are new to this functionality, Sheet Metal lets you design and manufacture parts by creating geometry that can be bent into a 3D part. Bend angles are dictated by a set of rules that you can edit, override, and store for future use. This functionality is critical to many of the products around us such as electronics, fixtures, and industrial machinery.
Once opened, the Sheet Metal environment looks quite similar to what you’re used to in Fusion 360. There is one tool in the ribbon that you are going to get very well acquainted with; the Flange tool (Prepare to read the word Flange numerous times).
So, the Flange tool, one tool, multiple uses.
HSM CAM
Previously in Turning operations, you had very little control over the front and back confinements since they were based on a fixed origin point that had been set for the part. It was suggested that whenever you’re turning apart, you should be able to specify the stock front, stock back, model front, model back, chuck front, and the new reference origin (if needed).
You can also use any of these areas to set your part Zero. Need a specific offset? You got it. Select a reference point and use the arrow manipulator to specify a new offset. Offset values can be positive or negative from the reference point.
Simulation
| When setting up a Shape Optimization study in the Simulation workspace, you’re able to preserve a region of your design so that the study leaves that region alone. You have the ability to suppress the preserved region so you can get a quick comparison of what the study would look like without that region preserved, without needing to physically modify the design itself |
| The pre-check functionality will now check the material type versus the study type. This is to make sure you are using the appropriate material type for your studies. If you are creating a Nonlinear study (Nonlinear Static or Event Simulation) and did not define a material with nonlinear properties, Fusion 360 will let you know with a brief message. |
Other stand-out features include:
For more information on the updates we outlined above or to get your free version of Fusion 360 contact us now by clicking here!
