New FeatureScript: Thread Creator

dave_cowden

@Dschey glad you like it, thanks for the kind words. Please do let me know in the thread what improvements/features you'd like to see.  I dont have a lot if time, but i would like to generate another version that has user-requested improvements!

jerry_davis

hello Dave.

Looks like a great tool.

I'm new at this onshape cad tool.

What would be the parameter necessary to generate 3/8-24 threads?

Maurin

Hello,
I am having trouble producing the thread on multiple faces at once.
Is this a limitation of the script, or am I missing something?
I can do each hole individually, but cannot choose every hole face (7 total) to produce threads in one feature.
In the file attached below, I have only tried to choose 2 hole faces.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/911108ecaa69d07d4b4b8f82/w/d576cfcbafe12d865115be20/e/e736ca7b6a7a47fe9e7b3f8c

Cheers,
Matt

dave_cowden

@matt_maurin that's not a use case I considered, so currently it is a script limitation. I will add that to my list of feature requests. 

Maurin

@dave_cowden I appreciate it. Thanks for the response. It's a great tool!

Matteo_Gazzin

Hi Dave, thanks for your great work. It's really helpful!

I'm asking your advice on using it to generate an inner thread. Here's what I did:
I have an aluminum screw with a thread that has a 12 mm external diameter.
I created a cylinder with a hole of the same diameter as my thread(12mm) to match it.
When I try to apply your script, the generated inner thread is too tight and the screw doesn't fit. 
I tried to add an extra mm (increasing the starting cylinder hole diameter to 13mm) and it kinda works but it's not a reliable method. Do you have any suggestion on that? 
Sorry if it's something obvious that I should know but I'm coming from a different field and I'm just approaching this CAD world.

Thanks a bunch, 
Matteo

Cam_Mills

Dave you legend! I am pretty new to OnShape with about 3 months under the belt just doing basic projects helping high school kids with technical drawing (I'm no pro but do enjoy it). Anyway for the past week I've been printing a bunch of brackets from various found designs so that I my students can mount their phones above the desk to capture images as they make their stop motion films. My problem's been fastening the gantry to the desk, everything out there was too weak so I decided to design and make my own for 3D printing coupled to a GoPro mount. Tonight, to my enormous relief, I found your Thread Creator Feature Script. So easy to figure... Well, I think it works but am only just figuring cylindrical mates with screw setting in assemblies. A test piece of the screw and clamp is just about cooked as we speak, so excited! Anyway, you can have a sticky here if you like. Thank you again for sharing such a valuable tool, keep up the great work! Cam. I think this link allows you to edit, if not let me know, I plan to share on Onshape once I know if works... https://cad.onshape.com/documents/8b4ac04fcceb26685778dce3/w/768924ee597f0aba4ce4d22a/e/8c92658f9e208e48ae888331  
Edit 1: Oops, sorry to say it didn't work. Will reply if I figure it out.
Edit 2: Figured it out. Print Knurled Bolt part vertically but scale the X&Y axis to 95% (96% should also work) and it's perfect. I suppose there's a better way to scale in OnShape and will try to figure that in time. Still making minor adjustments, can't believe how strong it is using Prusa Slicer with 0.6mm nozzle with concentric faces & 40% cubic infill. Printing bolt in PLA and C Clamp in PET, but PLA tests also promising!

Aaen

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your great work!
I needed to make threads on a conical surface tonight, at as far as I can see, the featurescript does not support this. That would be a really great addition :-)

Thanks,
Rasmus

otaolafr

hello  @dave_cowden
I saw that you were planning to add the BSP threads from a post, is still in planning? (it was an old post...) best regards! franco

dave_cowden

@Otaola_Franco thanks for using Thread creator! That's the  plan whenever I do a new release, but I've been busy on other projects and haven't gotten back around to doing FS development. I'll certainly post back here when I do!

Edgar_Perez

Hello @dave_cowden, can the threadcreator make male NPT threads (National pipe taper as defined by ASME B1.20.1?

dave_cowden

Sadly, no it can't

ryan_schlotterback

@dave_cowden
Maybe I'm a dummy, but can you give a quick overview on how to use this thread creator?  I'm trying to make 7/16-24 threads, but not sure how to modify the prediction of the tool.  It keeps giving me a .4-8.  

otaolafr

matt_maurin said:

Hello,
I am having trouble producing the thread on multiple faces at once.
Is this a limitation of the script, or am I missing something?
I can do each hole individually, but cannot choose every hole face (7 total) to produce threads in one feature.
In the file attached below, I have only tried to choose 2 hole faces.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/911108ecaa69d07d4b4b8f82/w/d576cfcbafe12d865115be20/e/e736ca7b6a7a47fe9e7b3f8c

Cheers,
Matt

hello matt,
not perfect but a solution (if they are the same lenght, if not it is usable but a little bit more tedious...):
1.you create a cylinder with with a howl the size you want to do the thread.
2.you use the thread FS to create a thread in it.
3. you use another custom FS point pattern to pattern the cylinder in the center of the holes you want to thread https://cad.onshape.com/documents/9fca78cb66a0bc83e359eb3e
4. you fuse the cylinder with the objects.
4.bis if the holes are different lenghts you cut them respectly before fusing with the cutting tool + the face of the solid that you are going to fuse with it

otaolafr

hey @dave_cowden ,
could you consider adding an icon to the FS? @Evan_Reese have created already one for the Thread FS (see: https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/12771/i-want-to-help-make-custom-feature-icons)
would be great to be able to differentiate it quickly
thanks!

dave_cowden

@Otaola_Franco I definitely will thanks for the suggestion.

I have a accumulated several great feature requests for thread creator that I've just not gotten around to as well.  I'm hoping to have some time to do some of those soon. 

I think for starters I'll probably post my list here to make sure I haven't missed any and to solicit user consensus on which are most valuable

jan_vrána

Hi Dave,

I try my first steps with Your Thread Creator but I must be doing something quite wrong. I try to create a screw freely passing throu the outer U part and screwed into the inner tube. I tried several combinations of types of holes and types of thread creator settings but with no luck. The screw can be created in the outer part but not in the inner one (even everything looks fine - no error). 

Could You please help me to define this part?

Thanks Jan

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/078a063da2900b5ec03fab8d/w/56199642fc0fbbc064eb8cee/e/64b372b7e123dc68cea4ab64

eric_pesty

@jan_vrána
I think it's actually working but I'm guessing it wasn't really meant to start with a non planar face. You just need to "clean it up" after the fact. Here's an example where I created a zero offset surface to trim the unwanted part of the thread and also added a revolved cut to chamfer the edge of the thread:

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/db82dcfdf777519f0eace791/w/e8bc858d1032775c96839dad/e/6da6f6b4d308a2abd3f1dfd6

kevin_kunst

I'm unable to create an M2.5 .45mm pitch threaded hole, though I AM able to create an external thread with those same dimensions.  Any idea why the threaded hole isn't working?  Here's a document exemplifying the issue:

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/9585230f2a44a7a2d86fd9e6/w/ca0cdb778780257237b61aca/e/5ac5ed36e89ba1de67feff47

I assume I'm doing something wrong

antlu65

@kevin_kunst
I looked at the example you linked. I was able to create M2.5-0.5 and M2.5-0.4 internal threads without issue, but am unable to create the M2.5-0.45 thread you are looking for. I suspect this is an issue that would need to be resolved in the FeatureScript code. Don't know how active the script author is these days.

Possible workaround here:
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/baab31c4f21a868cc8bd91ff/w/70fa55c6be2caf15e1d1a7c9/e/61c876c3c60cf7ffc7079ad3

kevin_kunst

@antlu65 your plugin worked great, thank you so much!

rashuge

First off, I love this script.  Nice work!  What I have found is that if I make two extruded holes and then try to apply the thread to those two holes, it will let me select them, it will not show an issue in the feature script dialog but one of the two holes does now show the thread.  I can work around it by doing two different thread creates but I cannot select multiple holes and apply the same configuration.

weston_thompson499

Quickly leaning newbie to CAD.  Thread Creator is great, but I'm having a slight problem.  Trying to make an internal NPT 1/4.  I used the hole tool to make the hole for the 1/4 NPT, which comes out dimensionally accurate to what the drill size should be.  However when I add the threads, it seems to do it backwards.  Instead of removing the threading from the original "drill size" hole as a tap would, it adds the threads to the hole surface, making the threading smaller than it should be.  I could probably make the hole the overall outside dimension of the NPT and then apply the Thread and it might work out.  However that seems a little more tedious and trial an error like.  I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong or missing a step to make the threads cut the correct direction?  Thanks to all!

Cedric_Eveleigh

Is it possible to make the Thread Creator tool use the same thread type setting as the last time it was used? Or to set the default thread type in settings somehow? I use almost exclusively the "ISO Standard" thread type and it's not ideal to have to switch from the default "ANSI Standard" to "ISO Standard" every time I use the Thread Creator tool.  

steven_mason718

Onshape won't let me install the tool. Is that because I'm using the free version?

Dschey

steven_mason718 said:

Onshape won't let me install the tool. Is that because I'm using the free version?

Hi Steven, no, shouldn't be a problem. You need to add it under "add custom feature" then  search for the tool PP_thread to add it to the menu. It then appears as "TH". Hope this helps.

dani_cian

Is it only me or this FeatureScript doesn't work if:

1. One selects multiple internal faces of the same diameter, or,
2. One creates the same threading in multiple internal faces?

I suspect that's because there is some sort of global constant with a similar value in the feature code, but the "library" doesn't seem to be accessible through the published FeatureScript so I can't quite tell...

brennon_williams270

Hello @dave_cowden - Thank you for sharing your amazing work. For the most part it works fantastic, though I am having a few issues with various thread sizes, particularly on internal threads.

Steps to reproduce
1: Create a new doc with a circle diameter of 3mm on front plane
2: Extrude 5mm
3: New sketch on right plane
4: Circle 1.55mm diameter, center 1mm to the right of the far left edge
5: Extrude remove through all
6: Select ThreadCreator - select internal extruded face
7: ISO Standard thread - 0.25 mm pitch (for an M1 thread) - fully threaded

No thread is created as shown in the image.

dave_cowden

Hi @brennon_williams270, 
thanks for reporting this!  I've not worked on this FS for a while, but I do have a list of things to fix.  I've been trying to get back to work on FS-- I may make an updated version on https:/fs.place before too long.

Unfortunately at the moment I don't have time to address, but I do watch the forums and i am noting all of the issues I see so that I can make the next version awesome-- so thanks for posting your experience!

dave_cowden

Cedric_Eveleigh said:

Is it possible to make the Thread Creator tool use the same thread type setting as the last time it was used? Or to set the default thread type in settings somehow? I use almost exclusively the "ISO Standard" thread type and it's not ideal to have to switch from the default "ANSI Standard" to "ISO Standard" every time I use the Thread Creator tool.  

This is a very good idea! I'll try to incorporate in the next version.