Creating a custom Physical Material in Fusion

Introduction

As a designer or engineer, you know the importance of having accurate material information in your CAD models and drawings. But what happens when the default material library doesn't include the specific material you need? In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of creating a custom physical material in Fusion, ensuring your designs and documentation accurately reflect the real-world materials you're using.

The Challenge of Mismatched Materials

One of the customers I was working with encountered this exact problem. They manufacture parts using T7 tool steel, but Fusion's default material library didn't include this specific material. As a result, the parts list in their drawings was showing the material as simply "steel," which didn't accurately reflect the actual material being used on the shop floor.

This mismatch between the digital model and the physical reality can lead to a number of issues, including:

• Inaccurate weight and mass properties, which can impact simulation results and assembly planning

• Incorrect thermal and mechanical properties, affecting heat transfer and stress analysis

• Discrepancies between the parts list and the actual materials used, causing confusion and potential errors

To address this challenge, we'll walk through the process of creating a custom physical material in Fusion, ensuring your designs and documentation accurately reflect the real-world materials you're using.

Understanding Physical vs. Appearance Materials

Before we dive into the step-by-step process, it's important to understand the difference between physical and appearance materials in Fusion.

Physical materials are used to define the actual properties of a part, such as its weight, density, thermal conductivity, and mechanical properties. These properties are critical for accurate simulation, analysis, and manufacturing planning.

Appearance materials, on the other hand, are used to define the visual characteristics of a part, such as its color, texture, and reflectivity. While appearance materials can be important for visualization and presentation, they don't impact the underlying physical properties of the part.

For the purposes of this tutorial, we'll be focusing on creating a custom physical material, as this will ensure that your parts list, simulation results, and other important design considerations accurately reflect the real-world materials you're using.

Creating a Custom Physical Material

Step 1: Access the Material Browser

To create a custom physical material in Fusion, start by right-clicking on the part you want to modify and selecting "Properties." In the Properties panel, you'll see the current material assigned to the part, which in our example is simply "Steel."

Next, go to the "Modify" tab in the toolbar and select "Manage Materials." This will open the Material Browser, which is where we'll create our custom material.

Step 2: Locate a Similar Material

In the Material Browser, you'll see a list of the default materials available in Fusion. Since we're creating a custom material, we want to find a material that's as close as possible to the one we're trying to create (in this case, T7 tool steel).

In the search bar, type "steel" to filter the list of materials. Scroll through the results until you find a steel material that's similar to what you're looking for. In our example, we'll select the "Steel" material from the list.

Step 3: Add the Material to Your Favorites

Once you've selected the similar material, click the "Add to Favorites" icon (the star-shaped button) to add it to your personal list of favorite materials. This will make it easier to find and modify the material later.

With the material added to your favorites, you can now right-click on it and select "Rename" to change the name to "T7 Tool Steel." This will help you easily identify the custom material you're creating.

Step 4: Customize the Material Properties

Now that you've added the material to your favorites and renamed it, it's time to start customizing the physical properties to match the T7 tool steel you're using.

In the Material Browser, click on the "T7 Tool Steel" material to open the material editor. Here, you'll see three main sections: Thermal, Mechanical, and Strength.

To populate the material properties, you'll need to gather the relevant information about T7 tool steel. This can be done by searching online for technical data sheets or other resources that provide the specific material properties you need.

As an example, let's assume we found the following information about T7 tool steel:

• Thermal Expansion Coefficient: 10 x 10^-6 /°C

• Thermal Conductivity: 25 W/m·K

• Specific Heat: 48 J/kg·°C

• Young's Modulus: 200 GPa

• Poisson's Ratio: 0.30

• Yield Strength: 425 MPa

• Tensile Strength: 750 MPa

• Density: 7.7 g/cm³

With this information, we can start filling in the material properties in the Fusion material editor:

• Thermal Expansion Coefficient: 10

• Thermal Conductivity: 25

• Specific Heat: 48

• Young's Modulus: 200

• Poisson's Ratio: 0.30

• Yield Strength: 425

• Tensile Strength: 750

• Density: 7.7

Be sure to pay attention to the units used in the material editor, as they may differ from the units used in your reference materials. In our example, we've converted the values to match the metric units used in Fusion.

Once you've entered all the relevant material properties, you can also add additional information, such as a description, keywords, or a URL to the original data source.

Step 5: Adjust the Material Appearance (Optional)

While the physical properties are the most important aspect of creating a custom material, you may also want to adjust the visual appearance of the material to better match the real-world material you're using.

In the material editor, switch to the "Appearance" tab and explore the various options for color, texture, and reflectivity. You can experiment with different settings until you achieve the desired look for your T7 tool steel material.

Step 6: Apply the Custom Material

With the custom material fully defined, it's time to apply it to your part. In the Fusion model, right-click on the part and select "Physical Material." In the material browser, you should now see your "T7 Tool Steel" material listed under the "Favorites" section.

Select the custom material and click "Apply." You'll now see the part update with the new material properties and appearance.

Updating the Drawing and Parts List

Now that you've created the custom T7 tool steel material and applied it to your part, the next step is to ensure that this information is accurately reflected in your Fusion drawing and parts list.

To update the drawing, simply regenerate the drawing by clicking the "Update" button. You should now see the "T7 Tool Steel" material listed in the parts table, ensuring that your documentation accurately reflects the real-world materials used in your design.

Leveraging Custom Materials for Simulation and Analysis

Creating custom physical materials in Fusion isn't just about improving the accuracy of your parts list and drawings. It also plays a crucial role in ensuring the reliability and accuracy of your simulation and analysis results.

By defining the precise thermal, mechanical, and strength properties of the materials you're using, you can ensure that your simulation models accurately reflect the real-world behavior of your parts. This is especially important for applications where material properties have a significant impact on the performance and safety of your designs, such as:

• Structural analysis and stress testing

• Thermal management and heat transfer simulations

• Fluid dynamics and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses

• Additive manufacturing process simulations

By taking the time to create custom physical materials in Fusion, you're not only improving the accuracy of your documentation, but you're also laying the foundation for more reliable and insightful simulation and analysis results. This can ultimately lead to better-performing, safer, and more cost-effective designs.

Conclusion

In this comprehensive guide, we've walked you through the process of creating a custom physical material in Fusion, using the example of T7 tool steel. By following these steps, you can ensure that your CAD models, drawings, and simulation results accurately reflect the real-world materials you're using, leading to better-informed design decisions and more successful projects.

Remember, the key to creating effective custom materials is to gather the necessary technical data and carefully input the relevant physical properties. With a little time and effort, you can take control of your material definitions and elevate the quality and accuracy of your Fusion designs.

If you found this tutorial helpful, be sure to subscribe to my channel for more Fusion tips and tricks. Happy designing!