How to fill a shape with a pattern

mogplus8

I've been struggling with this for hours. I know there must be an easy way but I can't find it.

I have a shape (a plane wing rib) that I would like to fill with a hexagon pattern (or any other pattern) so I can 3D print the rib.

I've come close. I managed to create a hexagon pattern with the linear pattern tool after much trial and error, as I could find no way of ensuring the edges snapped together at the correct points, so had to do it manually eventually. Then I did a boolean operation to combine the outline of the rib with the hexagon pattern, and that worked but didn't really do what I wanted it to do. I want to end up with a rib shape that is 1.5mm thick, and the inside of the rib filled with hexagons (or squares, or triangles...) with edges also 1.5mm thick.

This is what I've got so far: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/29c655d11cb003cba0fd2f28/w/3802e5378df7487b6ad95e93/e/7337ceefe00adb4d9a316762

All advice gratefully received,

;-)

NeilCooke

You need the hex infill feature from here: https://www.onshape.com/en/features/custom-features

NeilCooke

Or maybe the Fill Pattern feature might work better (from same location)

mogplus8

Hi Neil, and thanks for the reply.

I tried both of these functions, and met with limited success. The Hex Infill function didn't do what I was expecting it to do, but maybe that's the way it is supposed to work. When I tried it it created a sketch of hex cells with the specified dimensions behind the part I am trying to fill, but it didn't do the the extrude to subtract the hex shapes from the part. I could do it manually but it was a lot of manual effort trying to select only hex cells to extrude. I selected them with a click and drag box, but that selected the part too, and I had to go through the list to find the references to the part (and the sketch it was extruded from) and remove them from the extrude. It took me quite a few goes to get it right. Is this how it's supposed to work?

I also noticed it doesn't work at all if the "hex preview" box is not checked.

The Fill Pattern feature I could not get to work at all. I created a part (a cylinder) and selected the end of it as the "face to pattern", then  I selected the part that I wanted to apply the pattern to. Nothing happened. So I tried specifying a direction, but anything I selected on the part make the "face to pattern" turn red. So no joy there at all. Have I done something wrong? Is there an example of its use I could have a look at?

Thanks,

Ian