Creating Conical Sheet Metal Components

Autodesk Fusion 360 does not provide a method for making conical sheet metal components but with the available tools and a little bit of surface work, the process can accomplished easily.  In this short video I first create a simple sheet metal cone with its flat pattern.  I then go back, in the timeline, and show you how to used the process to make a truncated cone that will produce a square edged flat pattern.

A special thanks to "TheCADWhisper", also known as "Top Daug" from the Fusion 360 forum for giving me inspiration into the methods outlined in this article.

UPDATE: Fusion 360 has added a new tool called Lofted Flange which makes the creation of a sheet metal cone very easy.  In this video I go over the process of using this tool.  If you desire to create an angled truncated cone, the process is also outlined in the video as it is a little different than the method outlined above.

Creating Component Structure in Autodesk Fusion 360

Components are the building blocks of Autodesk Fusion 360 assemblies and sub-assemblies.  Sooner of later you must create components from your sketches and bodies in order to use joints to create an effective assembly.   There are four methods of creating components which I cover in a short video, all but the final method will work effectively.  The ideal structure of a component is to have all bodies and their related sketches located under the component not split between the top level assembly and components.  Below is a good example of this proper structure.

Components and Their Applied Joints

I have heard many users of Autodesk Fusion 360 ask the question "How do I determine which components my assembly joints are applied to AFTER the assembly is finished?"  Face it, we are all a bit lazy and probably do not do a good job of identifying our assembly joints by name or description.  We find ourselves hunting around the joints folder trying to find the correct joint to edit or modify.

I have created a short video showing the process of determining what components are used by an assembly joint and vice versa determining the joint(s) applied to an assembly component.  I also talk about how to manipulate the graphic display to better show your results.