FreeCAD: Tutorial Smartphone Cover (2/3)

Creating a retainer

Smartphone Cover

1. Creating a sketch plane

   Select a top face of the cover and create a new sketch plane.

   

   

2. Extracting construction lines

   Construction lines can be extract from existing solid with external geometry tool. Select the tool and click edges of a solid. After extracting all edges, right-click to finish the operation.

   

   Select the solid "Thickness" in model tree and push Spcae key to hide the solid.

   

   

3. Outer profile line

   Create a rectangle and round corners of the rectangle.

   

   Select points on the rectangle and construction lines. Constrain them with coincident constraint. Then select the corner centers of the rectangle and construction lines. Constrain them with coincident constraint (Select and constrain each center of 4 corners).

   During an operation, you may encounter redundant constraints that make your sketch orange and uneditable. If so, click the redundant constraint number displayed in the solver message of the dialog to select it and press the Delete key to remove it.

   

   The 5 points have been constrained, the sketch and construction lines will be overlapped.

4. Inner profile line

   In the same way, create a rectangle and round corners of the rectangle.

   

   Select a center of the upper-left corner and constrain it with coincident constraint. Then constrain them with horizontal distance constraint. Set distance to 2.2 mm.

   After that, constarin other centers of the corner (upper-right, lower-right and lower-left corners) with coincident constraint.

   

   

5. Exiting sketch edit

   Click Close on Tasks tab to exit sketch edit.

   

   

6. Extruding

   Select the created sketch in model tree and pad the sketch with 1.0 mm in reverse direction.

   

   

Creating cutouts

We create cutouts so that the cover does not block connectors or buttons on the side.

1. Creating a sketch plane

   Select the top face of the cover and create a new sketch plane.

   

   

2. Extracting construction lines

   Select the external geometry tool and click edges of a solid to extract the edges into sketch plane.

   

   After extracting the edges, select the solid "Pad001" in model tree and push Space key to set the solid invisible.

   

   

3. Rough sketch

   Create rectangles at rough position of the cutouts.

   

4. Setting sizes

   Constrain sizes and position of the rectangles with horizontal distance constraint and vertical distance constraint.

   

   • Upper side sketch

     

   • Left side sketch

     

   • Lower side sketch

     

5. Creating shape

   Select the sketch in model tree and execute pocket to cut the cover with length 7.5 mm.