Autodesk Fusion Tutorial: Create an Industrial Design Pen Holder for 3D Printing
How to Design a 3D Printed Pen Holder with Autodesk Fusion (formerly known as Fusion 360)
For a complete walkthrough, be sure to watch the full video tutorial at the bottom of this blog post.
If you've ever checked out the best-selling pen holders and desk organizers on Etsy, you've probably noticed a lot of them are 3D prints following this industrial design trend. In this tutorial, we'll guide you through designing your own pen holder using Autodesk Fusion. Let's get started!
Step 1: Start Your Project
First things first, remember the first rule of Fusion: always start your project by creating a new component. This helps keep your design organized and manageable.
Step 2: Sketch Your Pen Holder
When sketching your pen holder in Fusion, make sure it's oriented exactly how you'll 3D print and use it in real life. A handy tip for this design: start with a center rectangle centered right over the origo. This will keep everything aligned and make your design process smoother.
Step 3: Adjust Fillet Radius
Here's a time-saving trick for you: don't fuss over setting each fillet radius individually. They'll all automatically adjust when you tweak the last one. This sketch is the blueprint for our 3D design, and the best part? If you need to change dimensions later, you can easily revisit this sketch via the timeline.
Step 4: Set the Height
For the first design iteration of this pen holder concept, setting the height at 100 mm is just right.
Step 5: Use the Shell Option
Remember to choose the shell option specifically for solid modeling before setting your thickness. A thicker model will give you that high-quality feel and works great with the pattern we're planning next.
Step 6: Apply Chamfers
The chamfer tool looks good and is easy to 3D print. Need to reuse the last tool? Just right-click for quick access. If Fusion throws an error due to a large chamfer distance, simply reduce it a bit. Fun fact: chamfers not only look good but also reduce stress concentrations, making your prints stronger!
Step 7: Place Your Next Sketch
Place your next sketch at the bottom of the chamfer edge. For this tutorial, I'll quickly place the sketch here. However, for a more robust design, consider using dimensions, parameters, and constraints. This approach ensures your entire model behaves predictably and can be easily modified. But for now, this simpler method will suffice for our purposes.
Step 8: Use the Pipe Command
Remember, you can use the pipe command to both add and subtract geometry. Explore the different section types, like triangular, circular, or square, and adjust them as needed. Once you've set up your cut operation, confirm it and perform a quick quality check from all angles before moving forward.
Step 9: Set Your Pattern on Path
Set your pattern on path to the feature object type, then select your object. Use the sketch line that wraps around the pen holder as your path. Adjust the quantity until you’re happy with the result, and don’t forget to set the orientation to 'path direction' to ensure the pattern aligns correctly around the corners.
Step 10: Final Adjustments
If you’ve mastered this workflow, drop a comment below and share your tips—I’m still refining my approach. I noticed I missed one spot, but it’s an easy fix. Your design features are all accessible through the Fusion timeline. Fun fact: when working with multiple components, each one has its own timeline for easier management!
Step 11: Add a Chamfer at the Bottom
I noticed there’s room for a chamfer at the bottom of the pen holder, so I added it. To keep things organized, I placed this chamfer action next to the others in the timeline for easy access. Once you’re done with your edits, jumping to the latest action in the timeline is just a click away.
Step 12: Customize Appearances
Pro tip for appearances: right-click on your added appearance and adjust the RGB color code directly in the pop-up menu. The pen holder looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to 3D print it!
Final Reminders
Before we wrap up, here are three quick reminders:
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Thank you for reading, and happy designing!