Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front Panel
Embedding a vintage component, creating a professional looking home for a circuit board, or even designing a complex apparatus complete with a chassis – these and many other challenges turn into a stimulating pleasure with FreeCAD. Once you have internalized the basic processes, there are virtually no limits to your imagination.
Starting to use a new software is never straightforward – especially with a tool as versatile as FreeCAD. Manageable, but at the same time easily usable individual components provide the starting point in this book. Putting these components together later results in assemblies.
In the FreeCAD universe, a workable trajectory is demonstrated. The described procedure is illustrative so the examples are easily applied to custom tasks. The devices were made by the author and illustrated with photos.
Creating a 3D design is requiring some effort but the initial investment pays off soon. Besides the impressive spatial representation of the projects, the extracted drawings yield a solid base for documentation and production. Extended FreeCAD capabilities like the unfolding of sheet metal parts enormously add to efficiency and pushes models forward into practical assembly.
Soon you will definitely not want to do without FreeCAD!

lgli/FreeCAD for Electronics Applications_ Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front Panel.pdf

lgrsnf/FreeCAD for Electronics Applications_ Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front Panel.pdf

zlib/Engineering/Electrical & Electronic Engineering/Thomas Duden/FreeCAD for Electronics Applications: Practical Introduction to 3D Modeling from Enclosure to Front Panel_26514518.pdf

Duden, Thomas;

Elektor International Media

Elektor Verlag GmbH

Germany, Germany

2023

producers:
iLovePDF

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FreeCAD for Electronics Applications 1
All rights reserved 4
Contents 5
1 ● Introduction 9
2 ● Starting Out With FreeCAD 11
2.1 Extending the Functionality of FreeCAD 11
2.1.1 AddOns 12
2.1.2 Workbenches 12
2.1.3 Macros 12
2.1.4. Starting the new Extensions 13
2.2 Workbenches and Context Menus 13
2.3 Automatic Workbench Switchover 13
2.4 The Tree View 14
2.5 The Output Window 15
3 ● Project Organization 16
3.1 Std-Part-Container versus Body 16
3.1.1. Placement versus Attachment 17
3.1.2 Assembly or Std-Part-Container? 18
3.2 The Topological Naming Problem 18
3.3 Sketches and Datum Objects 18
3.4 Other Strategies to Avoid the Topological Naming Problem 19
3.5 Avoidance of Repetitive Work by Project Structure 19
3.6 Always Start with the Std-Part-Container 19
3.7 Shape Binder and SubShapeBinder 20
3.7.1 The Shape Binder (blue) 21
3.7.2 The SubShapeBinder (green) 22
3.7.3 How to Reference Cut-and-Pasted Std-Part-Containers 22
3.7.4 Redefining the References after Paste 24
4 ● Creating Parts — First Steps 28
4.1 How Much Fidelity is Needed? 28
4.2 Simple Parts 28
4.2.1 The Simple Spacer, Step by Step 28
4.3 Color versus Appearance 35
4.4 Compound Parts 36
4.4.1 Fasteners for the Simple Spacer 36
4.5 Parts Packaged with Fasteners Save Time 53
4.6 Displaying and Hiding Elements 53
4.7 More Examples of Compound Parts 53
5 ● Working with Sheet Metal 54
5.1 Example: 9 V 6LR61 Battery Holder 54
5.2 Creating the Unfold 69
5.3 Exporting the Unfold 71
5.4 Creating a Drawing of the Battery Holder 74
5.5 Create a Plan for the Bending Machine 83
5.6 Example Photos of the Battery Holder 86
6 ● Assemblies 88
6.1 “Assembly” Workbenches or Std-Part Container? 88
7 ● An Assembly Example: The Elektor ESR Meter as a Front Panel Project 89
7.1 Project Organization 89
7.2 Preparation – Starting the New Project Tree 89
7.3 Modeling the Front panel 90
7.4 Insertion of the Rotary Switch 93
7.5 Generate an Associative Footprint with the SubShapeBinder 96
7.6 The Knob and its Place in the Tree View 101
7.7 Testing the Associativity 102
7.8 The Binding Posts 105
7.9 Placement of the Panel Meter 119
7.10 Placing Components to the Rear Surface: The Anchor Plates 123
7.11 Inserting the Battery Holder 129
7.12 Inserting the Circuit Board 134
8 ● Finalizing the Front Panel with Graphic Elements 148
8.1 Drawing Guide Lines 148
8.1.1 Sketch versus Path 148
8.1.2 Guide Lines for the Rotary Switch 148
8.2 A Guide Line for the Potentiometer 159
8.3 The Engravings 165
8.4 The 'TechDraw' Workbench and the DXF Export 170
9 ● A More Complex Design: The Lab Transformer 174
9.1 The Front Panel 174
9.1.1 Setting up File and Std-Part-Container 174
9.1.2 Creating the Panel Sheet 175
9.1.3 Placement of the Components 183
9.1.4 Punching the Holes 193
9.1.5 Adding the Engraving 199
9.2 The Rear Panel 203
9.2.1 Prepare File and Std-Part-Containers 203
9.2.2 Placing the Components 204
9.2.3 Punching the Holes 207
9.2.4 Adding the Engraving 210
9.3 The Chassis 211
9.3.1 Preparation of File and Std-Part-Container 211
9.3.2 Bolts for the Chassis Sheet 224
9.4 Assembling the Chassis, Front and Rear Panel 231
9.5 Placing the Transformer 239
9.6 Placing the Anchor Plates 243
9.7 Associative Generation of the Sheet Metal Cover 252
9.7.1 Where to Pick the References 252
9.7.2 Creating the Cover 253
9.8 Where do the Fasteners Belong? 278
9.8.1 Fasteners for the Cover 278
9.8.2 Fasteners for the Chassis 282
9.8.3 Fasteners for Front and Rear Panel 285
9.9 Creating the Unfold of the Cover 294
9.10 Example Photos – Meeting the Reality 294
9.11 What to do Next 294
9.12 Component Libraries – Design Recycling 295
9.13 Importing STEP Model Files 295
10 ● FreeCAD and KiCad 296
10.1 Importing Data from KiCad to FreeCAD 296
10.2 Creating 3D Models for KiCad 296
11 ● Community Resources 302
Sources 303
Appendix 304
A ● The Rotary Switch 304
B ● The Potentiometer 327
C ● The Banana Jack 340
D ● The Pilot Lamp 362
E ● The Toggle Switch 400
F ● The IEC Power Inlet 433
G ● The 9 V Block (6F22) Battery 458
Index 474

2023-10-17