Extrusion

The most common example of extrusion is when toothpaste is squeezed from a tube. The shape of the paste is determined by the shape of the hole in the tube.

All tubes with round holes produce paste which is round on the end.

Imagine a toothpaste tube with a square hole. It would produce paste which is square on the end.

In each case, the shape of the extrusion is determined by the profile of the hole.

In Pro Desktop, the process of extrusion is similar. A profile is created on a sketch and the shape is then extruded from the profile.

In creating an extrusion you will:

• create a valid profile

• extrude the profile

Add material

In 3D modeling, most models are created from extrusions.

To create an extruded model:

• draw a valid profile on a sketch

• from the Features menu, select Extrude OR select the extrude tool from the features toolbar

• make the settings on the Extrude dialog box

  • Add material

  • distance

  • select one of:

    • above

    • below or

    • symmetrical about workplane

  • taper angle = zero

• click the OK button to complete the operation

Hint

To quickly set the distance of extrusion, manually click and drag the yellow button.

Some Extrusion problems explained

Subtract material

Extrusions can be made to remove material from already existing models.

To create an extrusion to remove material:

• create the model that is to have material removed

• create a new sketch - this sketch may be

  • on the surface of the solid OR

  • on one of the principal workplanes OR

  • on a new workplane

• view directly onto the new sketch (Shift key + w)

• on the new sketch create a valid profile the shape of the material to be removed

  • be sure that the new sketch overlaps the solid which needs to be cut

• from the Features menu select Extrude or select the extrude tool from the features toolbar

• select the appropriate settings in the dialog box

  • Subtract material

  • above or below workplane as required

  • set the depth of the removal

• click OK to complete the extrusion

Hint

To quickly set the distance of extrusion, manually click and drag the yellow square.

Using this method can help avoid the problem of the extrusion missing the solid because it is going in the wrong direction.

Some Extrusion problems explained

Intersect material

The intersect feature is the opposite of the remove material feature in that it leaves only that material where the two models intersect.

To create an extrusion to leave intersecting material:

• create the model that is to have material removed

• create a new sketch - this sketch may be

  • on the surface of the solid OR

  • on one of the principal workplanes OR

  • on a new workplane

• view directly onto the new sketch (Shift key + w)

• on the new sketch create a valid profile the shape of the material to remain

  • be sure that the new sketch overlaps the solid which needs to be cut

• from the Features menu select Extrude or select the extrude tool from the features toolbar

• select the appropriate settings in the dialog box

  • select

  • select above or below workplane as required

  • set the depth of the material required

• click OK to complete the extrusion

Hint

To quickly set the distance of extrusion, manually click and drag the yellow square.

Taper

All extrusions can have a taper applied. A taper makes the sides of the model slope either inwards or outward.

To create a tapered extrusion:

• draw a valid profile on a sketch

• from the Features menu, select Extrude or select the extrude tool from the features toolbar

• make the settings on the Extrude dialog box

  • Add or Subtract material as appropriate

  • set the distance for the extrusion

  • select one of:

    • above

    • below or

    • symmetrical about workplane

  • set the taper angle

• click the OK button to complete the operation

Hint

To quickly set the distance of extrusion, manually click and drag the yellow square.

To quickly set the taper angle of the extrusion, manually click and drag the green square.

Hint

To create a pyramid, drag the green square to until a pyramid is formed

Thins

Thins are created from either:

• one or more valid closed profiles OR

• one valid open profile crated using lines, splines and/or arcs

A sketch may contain only one thin open profile

A sketch may contain many thin closed profile shapes

To create a thin

• draw a valid profile on a sketch

• from the Features menu, select Extrude or select the extrude tool from the features toolbar

• make the settings on the Extrude dialog box

  • tick the Thin box

  • enter a thickness for the thin

  • if the thin is to be created symmetrically about the line

    • leave Symmetric ticked

    • otherwise untick Symmetric and specify the other thickness

  • choose Add material or Subtract material as appropriate

  • specify a distance for the thin

  • select one of:

    • above

    • below or

    • symmetrical about workplane

  • set the taper angle if required

• click the OK button to complete the operation

Hint

To quickly set the distance of the thin, manually click and drag the yellow square.

To set the taper, manually click and drag the green square

To adjust the wall thickness, click and drag the brown square