In this tutorial, we will learn how to create a fan in SolidWorks. A fan is a common mechanical component used for cooling purposes in various applications. SolidWorks provides powerful tools and features to design and model complex objects like fans with ease.
Creating the Fan Blades
The first step in creating a fan is to model the blades. To do this, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Create a New Part
To begin, open SolidWorks and create a new part document. This will serve as the base for our fan assembly.
Step 2: Sketch the Blade Profile
Next, click on the “Sketch” tab and select “Sketch Plane” to choose a plane to sketch on. Typically, you would select the Front Plane or Top Plane for this purpose.
Once you have selected the sketch plane, use the available sketching tools such as lines, arcs, and circles to create the profile of your fan blade. Remember to incorporate any specific design requirements or dimensions that your fan blade needs to meet.
Step 3: Revolve Feature
After sketching the blade profile, it’s time to use the Revolve feature to create the 3D shape of your blade. Click on “Features” from the top toolbar and select “Revolve.” Choose your sketch profile as the region and specify an axis of rotation around which your blade will revolve.
Note: It’s important to ensure that your blade profile is closed and free from any gaps or self-intersections before using the Revolve feature.
Modeling the Fan Housing
Now that we have modeled our fan blades, let’s move on to creating the housing for our fan. Follow the steps below:
Similar to the previous part creation process, start by creating a new part document in SolidWorks.
Step 2: Sketch the Housing Profile
Select an appropriate sketching plane, such as the Front Plane or Top Plane, and sketch the profile of your fan housing. This can be done using lines, arcs, rectangles, or any other available sketching tools.
Step 3: Extrude Feature
With the housing profile sketched, click on “Features” and select “Extrude.” Choose your sketch profile as the region and specify the desired extrusion depth to create the 3D shape of your fan housing.
Assembling the Fan Components
Now that we have modeled both our fan blades and housing separately, we can proceed to assemble them to create a complete fan assembly. Follow these steps:
Step 1: Create a New Assembly
In SolidWorks, create a new assembly document by selecting “File” from the top toolbar and choosing “New Assembly.”
Step 2: Insert Components
To assemble our fan components, click on “Insert” from the top toolbar and select “Component.” Browse for your previously created blade and housing parts and insert them into your assembly document.
- Note: Ensure that you align the components correctly using available positioning tools like mates or coincident constraints.
- Tips:
- Mates: Use mates to define relationships between different components, such as concentric, coincident, or distance constraints.
- Smart Mates: Alternatively, you can use the “Smart Mates” tool to automatically position and align components based on their geometric features.
Step 3: Finalize the Assembly
Once you have inserted and aligned all the components correctly, save your assembly document and verify that your fan assembly is complete. You can rotate or manipulate the assembly to ensure that the fan blades are positioned correctly within the housing.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have learned how to create a fan in SolidWorks. We started by modeling the fan blades using the Revolve feature and then created the housing using the Extrude feature. Finally, we assembled both components to create a complete fan assembly.
By following these steps, you should now be able to design and model your own fans in SolidWorks for various applications.