Lesson video

Hi there, everybody.

Welcome to your Design and Technology lesson for today.

My name is Mr. Booth.

Thank you for joining me today.

We've got a great lesson coming up all about assembly modeling in Fusion, connecting your components together in the correct way.

This lesson is part of the Systems Approach to Design Sustainable Futures unit.

The outcome for today's lesson: I can assemble components in Fusion, simple as that.

We've got three keywords for you today.

They're all interrelated: component, a container for bodies, sketches, and other design elements with its own timeline.

We then have assembly, a group of components, and to make sure those components are connected together correctly, we use a joint; these position components relative to each other.

We have two learning cycles today.

The first is all about assembly fundamentals, and then we're gonna assemble some components in Fusion.

So let's get going.

A component is a container for bodies, sketches, and other design elements with its own timeline.

So let's have a look at our greenhouse assembly.

So there we go, we've got a component.

In this case, it is the base.

We have a body, which is of course the main body of that component.

And we have a couple of sketches as well there that were made that we use to make that body.

It also has its own timeline.

If the base component is activated, all the things you can see down at the bottom there are related to the base.

And you can see we've got lots of sketches in there, we've got lots of extrudes, and we've even got some fillets as well.

Check for understanding.

I want you to identify the component.

Is it A, B, C, or D? Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is of course B.

It's there.

It's the base.

That is the component.

Well done.

An assembly is a group of components that are positioned using joints.

A joint positions components relative to each other.

Components and assemblies are essential for motion simulation, technical drawings, and creating a bill of materials for the manufacturer of prototypes.

If we just put our components anywhere just using the Move tool, then they simply won't function as expected if we go into a simulation.

Here, we have an orthographic technical drawing with an isometric view, and you can see it's got a parts list in there.

So it's really important that we think about our assemblies when we are producing technical drawings.

Assemblies need to use components.

The greenhouse model has three components which can be seen in the browser.

We have the base, the punnet, and of course the micro:bit.

And all of these can be joined together in the right way.

When assembling in Fusion, it's beneficial to imagine how the components will be assembled in the real world.

A point on each component will need to be selected.

And that's really important because when joined, these points will be connected.

So what you need to imagine is that you've got all the components in front of you; how would you attach them together in the real world? Decide on that before you decide in the digital world.

So let's have a look at two of our components.

So here we have the micro:bit and we have the base and the part of the base that the micro:bit is gonna connect to.

Now, which points on these two components would you select to make sure that they connect together correctly? What I want you to do is just have a think about that, pause the video, maybe have a discussion with the person next to you, and come back to me when you've got an answer.

So what would I select? Well, there is a hole on the micro:bit component, and that hole will have a bottom of it, which is there, which is the circle you can see I've selected.

And on the base component, we've got another hole.

So we could select the top of that hole.

Now Fusion will automatically center those holes together 'cause they will have a center line running through them.

So what we could do is we could select those two holes at those two points.

And what Fusion will do is use those points to connect these together as an assembly joint.

Now components are positioned using joints.

To use a joint, one component is positioned relative to the other.

So you can see here we have our micro:bit component and then we of course have our base component.

And what we've also done is we snapped them to that center of those two holes that I talked about on the previous slide.

And what we've got is we've got a nice joint there.

Quick check for understanding: what is used to position components? Is it A pins, B joints, C faces, or D bars? Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is of course joints.

Well done.

Assemble components.

So let's have a look at now the process of actually doing this.

So first of all, we can do this all in the Design workspace.

That is one of the brilliant aspects of Fusion.

We're gonna select Joint from the Assemble toolbar, you can see it there.

And then what we're gonna do is we're gonna zoom right in on the micro:bit component so we don't make any errors.

We need to look at what we are selecting, and we're gonna click one of the points of the micro:bit that we talked about previously, which is the bottom of that hole.

And you can see Fusion will automatically realize there's a center of that hole and it will identify that.

What we're then gonna do is we're then gonna click a corresponding point on the base.

Now once you click the micro:bit point, Fusion is great 'cause it'll then hide the micro:bit.

You can still see it there but it kind of makes it ghosted.

And what that means is we can then select the corresponding point on the base, which you can see is that top hole.

And again, Fusion realizes there is a center of that hole.

And what it'll do is it will locate those two together, and you can see that's the point right there.

Once we've done that, the Joint dialog box, we need to edit the position.

We're gonna leave that as simple.

And that's that kind of first icon you can see selected there.

So we're gonna leave that as it is.

What we are gonna do is we're gonna look at the Motion tab.

So if you click on the Motion tab, you just wanna make sure it's set to Rigid.

We don't want the micro:bit to rotate or move.

So we're just gonna check it; it should be defaulted to Rigid, but just check that it's there.

If we're happy with our joint, and we can check that by looking at Fusion.

So maybe zoom out and just check that it's in the right position.

Then what we can do is we can click OK, and you should see that joint then appear on your timeline.

The great thing is if you've made a mistake and it doesn't work, you can either right-click on the joint in the timeline and edit it, or if it's a complete mess, don't worry about that.

That's absolutely fine.

You can delete the joint and start again.

Now we're gonna repeat for the punnet and the base.

Now this is a bit more complicated 'cause we haven't got any really useful holes to be able to line up.

So this is how I did it, but you can of course find your own way.

So what I did is I selected the center top of the punnet, and again it found a place for me; Fusion found that.

So I clicked on that.

Then what I did is I tried to find a point on the base which was also aligned with that.

Now the base is obviously a lot lower than the punnet, so I'm gonna have to have a little mess around with the settings on this.

So what I did is I selected a corresponding point in the center of the base, but then it flipped my punnet round 'cause it thought I wanted to join those two together.

Well, I don't, I just want to really align them.

So in the Joint dialog box, I had to click Flip, which is the little button on there which you can see.

And then what I did is I entered the Z offset to 86 millimeters, and that raised my punnet up again so it sat on top of the base.

I'm then happy with all the other defaults, so I clicked OK, and the base and the punnet are also now assembled.

Now onto your first task.

First of all, I want you to explain why assemblies are used in Fusion.

I then want you to practice using joints with the greenhouse model.

Any unwanted joints can be either edited or deleted in the timeline.

Don't worry if you make mistakes, that's part of this.

Assembling can be complex.

Once you've had a little play around and you've had a good go at this, I want you to then assemble the micro:bit and base components, and then assemble the punnet and base components.

Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you've completed it.

So how did you get on? Well, let's have a look at a sample answer.

For the first one, explain why assemblies are used in Fusion.

Assemblies are essential for motion simulation.

They're used for technical drawings such as assembly diagrams, orthographic drawings, and also creating a bill of materials for the manufacturer of prototypes.

And then finally, I wanted you to get used to using joints and assemblies, and hopefully your model will look something like this.

Your assembly will look something like this.

And you can see I've got my joints.

So I've got my joint for my base and my punnet.

I've got my joint for my micro:bit and my base, and I can see those joints in the timeline as well.

Well done.

So we're now onto our second learning cycle: assemble components in Fusion.

Now additional components can be inserted into an assembly such as fixings.

It would take us a significant amount of time to model fixings.

So Fusion has a search feature which allows users to insert ready-made components.

Now that's really useful and it will save us a lot of time.

For the greenhouse prototype, Izzy would like to secure the micro:bit using M3 by 6 millimeter socket head screws because that's what they've got in stock.

These can be inserted into the assembly.

We don't need to model these ourselves.

So here we have an example of what they will look like in the end.

So you can see they are securing the micro:bit, and this is how we're gonna do it in the real world.

So actually we might as well do it in our digital world as well.

So let's have a look how we can insert some fixings.

Well first of all, in the Design workspace, we're gonna go to Insert Fastener, which you will find under the Insert toolbar.

What we're then gonna do is select all standards, metric and fasteners from the dropdowns.

We also want to select bolts and screws, socket head.

And then I'm gonna type in M3 into the search bar at the top and press Enter.

So it just shows me the ones which will have an M3.

Quick check for understanding: which toolbar is used to add fasteners? Is it A Insert, B Add, C Place, or D Fasteners? Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you completed it.

It is of course Insert, A.

Well done.

So let's continue with inserting our fasteners.

So the first thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna use the hex socket head ISO fastener 'cause that seems like a sensible one.

Once I've done that, we can then amend the dropdown to the correct screw size that we want for our model.

In this case, we're using M3 by 6 millimeters.

I'm then gonna click OK, and what will happen is the screw will appear in my design.

Now you've gotta be a little bit careful 'cause it will appear at the origin, which is right in the center of our model.

But what will also happen is you will be able to move it straight away.

So I'm just gonna use the blue arrows and just move it close to where I want to use it, next to my micro:bit.

Once I'm happy with that, I'm then gonna click OK.

What you then need to do is assemble it just as you assembled your other components.

So you need to think carefully about which points you are gonna select.

And in this case, I selected the bottom of the shoulder of the socket of the screw and the top hole of the micro:bit.

It aligned the two center of the holes up and it chose those two.

I made it a rigid joint.

And there we go.

We've got our correct assembly, and you can see I've got two in there.

You don't need to go back through the full process of finding that screw.

You can actually copy and paste it using the browser.

So we're now onto your final task, task B.

First of all, I want you to create a new component and create a simple battery holder using Sketch and Extrude.

Assign ABS as a physical material.

I then want you to assemble the battery holder and the base component into the place where you've designed for your battery holder to be placed.

I then want you to Insert Fastener, add the appropriate components to secure the micro:bit, and assemble them correctly.

Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you have completed it.

So how did you get on? Well, hopefully your assembly looks like this, and you can see we have our battery holder there, and that has been assembled to the battery holder on the base.

And you can see there's a joint there.

We have our two fixings for our micro:bit and they are assembled correctly, and also our punnet is assembled to the base, and you will also be able to see all those joints in your timeline.

Well done with that activity.

So that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

Let's have a quick summary.

Creating assemblies ensures that prototypes work as expected.

A Fusion assembly is a collection of components that are connected by relationships.

Assembled components are connected together as they would be in the real world using joints.

Additional components can be inserted into an assembly such as fixings.

You've been absolutely fantastic today.

I hope you've enjoyed today's lesson.

I look forward to seeing you all next time.

Goodbye.