Using Boolean to union parts is not working

josh_mccullough080

Document: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/8a96b7586b7d184eb900a413/w/0a9e7d617806bd2bef2c4ee3/e/60d1dccc1a9f2d16215e7168?renderMode=0&uiState=651dae4c270c522a28d7db62

I'm trying to union parts 2-4 into a single part because I want to them create 3 copies of that part and rotate each 90 from the previous (so there's a copy on each edge of the center square).

When I create the Boolean, the parts are not combined. Is this because they do not actually touch each other? The end goal here is that I will have a single STL exported for 3D printing. So the separate "parts" are not really ... separate parts. But I wasn't sure how else to copy/rotate parts 2-4 if I had them all be added to part 1 instead.

Thanks!

glen_dewsbury

@josh_mccullough080
The answer is yes. The final part must be contiguous for the Boolean to work. When I selected the base as well the Boolean works fine.
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/2105b62997584e0448fcadd4/w/384d01ce61f10e8764050913/e/e1ffd1a1902b808304b54d20

josh_mccullough080

Thank you. I'll have to join them with a "base part" and then transform it down into the other part to hide it, then. I'm surprised Boolean didn't give an error in this case, though.

David_YL_Nguyen

Hey @josh_mccullough080,

You can use the composite part tool create to treat the as one single part and then pattern them. 
But you could also just pattern all the individual parts and then create a boolean in the end.

I have created an example of both here: 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/8bb6454e15fa8ced6d7507aa/w/1f261111f21d9a43bd16f8ca/e/a45b3bf5ad9c9e8f3ba738c2

Hope this helps.

PS: I would suggest to always reference my sketches to the origion or other reference geometry. Check sketch VESA holes

josh_mccullough080

Thank you. I like the composite method better -- much cleaner, will use that! And yes, I've updated my sketch to reference origin.