Tips & Tricks # 38 Creating a Knurled Shaft

This month were going to tackle an unusual modeling problem that sometimes stumps novice users. How can you easily create a pattern like the grooves shown on the cylinder to the right? There are eight grooves twisting ninety degrees counterclockwise over a length of 1.5 inches and an equal number twisting ninety degrees clockwise. The solution is actually quite easy if you use two neat modeling tricks. Lets start with a new file in the Right View. (View 5.) (Note: This exercise works better if you start in the right view instead of the wrong view-just kidding!) Click on the CYLINDER Icon and using the KeyIn Option create a cylinder that is 0.25 Radius by 1.5 long. Using the KeyIn Option, hit the ENTER key three times to center the cylinder on the origin.

Now, switch to the Isometric View. (View 7.)

Click on the SPECIFIED NUMBER OF POINTS Icon. Type 8 for the number and click on the right circular edge of the cylinder.

Next, establish a Construction Plane on the right circular face of the cylinder.

Using the CREATE CIRCLE BY DIAMETER Function, create 0.050 circles at each of the eight points. Also create a 0.5 circle centered on the right circular end of the cylinder and a 0.75 circle centered on the same end.

Your screen should now look like this:

Move the cylinder to level 3 in your file and remove that level from the display.

Now, click on the EXTRUDE Icon. Extrude the eight circles to the left 1.5 inches. Then, select the 0.5 and 0.75 circles and extrude them to the left 1.5 inches.

Your screen should look like this: (Ive used a different color for the eight thin cylinders for contrast.)

Use the BOOLEAN UNION Function to join all of the solids together into one solid.

Then, click on the GENERIC BURST Icon and select the solid.

Now, click on the DELETE Icon and using the Window/Part In Option, select the left end profile of the former solid and all of the tiebars. Do not let the window select any of the right end profile. (This is a neat way to create a complex profile like the one that remains without doing a lot of trimming!) The current profile is on level 1. Click on the TOGGLE SPLITTER Icon and create a level 2 in your file. Make sure that this is the active level.

Now, click on the XFORM DELTA COPY Icon. Type 1 for the Number of Copies. Hit the ENTER Key three times. This creates a copy of the original complex profile on top of the original. Switch the active level back to level 1. Remove level 2 from the display. You are left with the first complex profile.

Click on the EXTRUDE Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Type 1.5 for the Length and use 90 for the Twist Angle. Select the entire complex profile and hit the ENTER Key. Click on the vector that points to the left.

Your screen should look like this: Now, remove level 1 (The new solid.) from the display. Turn on the display for level 2. (The copy of the complex solid.) Make level 2 active.

Click on the XFORM ROTATE MOVE Icon. Select the entire complex profile. (Do NOT select the circular end of the cylinder.) Type 22.5 for the Angle. Using the KeyIn Option, hit the ENTER Key three times for the first point on the rotation axis and then hit the ENTER Key twice, type 1 for the Z value, and hit the ENTER Key again. This rotates the profile 22.5 degrees around the cylinders axis. Click on the EXTRUDE Icon. A Dialog Box appears. Type 1.5 for the Length and use -90 for the Twist Angle. Select the entire complex profile.

Your screen should look like this:

Now, click on the BOOLEAN DIFFERENCE Icon. Click on the cylinder and then on one of the complex solids. (If you have a wussy computer this operation may take a bit of time.) When the Boolean operation is done, use the BOOLEAN DIFFERENCE Function again to subtract the second complex solid from the cylinder. (This will take even longer than the first operation.)

Your completed knurled cylinder should look like this. (Ive used the Face Color Function to highlight the grooves.) Note that creating the tubular solid with internal ribs twisted along the length gives you a powerful tool that you can use to create the groves in the cylinder. Just as a toolmaker will often create a special tool or fixture to use in making a finished part, we can take advantage of CAD Fixtures like this to simplify or modeling tasks!