CAD design for flashlights is awesome ...

[wquiles]

I am using Alibre Design Expert to design a custom LED light for a customer, and a cool feature of all of these CAD packages is the ability to create an assembly - virtually "see" how the parts would fit together. After I designed the tailcap, I created the assembly, and it was a tad short on the section over the o-ring, but an easy enough fix on the computer. I am not completely done, but now I have proper engagement past the o-ring:

Will

 

[Obijuan Kenobe]

Solidworks and AutodeskInventor are both great.

For a while now I have been doing stuff in Autodesk.

It is fun nowadays, as many of these programs are available for 'free'. You can get them, and play with them. Buy them when you decide which one is best for you.

obi

 

[Toaster79]

DS Catia is the one I use. It's pretty easy to use, once you get used to it.

 

[Energie]

.
I use draftboard, a simple CAD software.

Old mod: brass light with some EX10 parts

Herbert

 

[Obijuan Kenobe]

Herbert, that is some seriously top stuff.

Did you machine the brass host yourself? It looks extremely well done (read I want one) indeed.

I love that tail. Reminds me of the old SF and also TB faucet e series tails.

obi

 

[Energie]

Hi obi,

thanks.

The light is homemade.
It is quite easy with CAD.

Another small brass light:

Herbert

 

[cyclesport]

.
I use draftboard, a simple CAD software.

Old mod: brass light with some EX10 parts

Herbert

Beautiful work Energie! Do you make these exclusively for yourself/friends or have you sold them?

 

[OCD]

I work with the full Autodesk package of Inventor and AutoCad every day for a living designing industrial equipment. Its so gratifying seeing something actually built after hours upon hours of design work. Designing stuff in the 3D world and actually getting to see the fit and function of parts and assemblies in motion is so valuable in reducing scrap and redesign time and eliminating potential issues on the shop floor. If I could only get the shop to fabricate something flashlight related if I were to design it....

I actually drew my HDS in Inventor so I could play around with some custom clip designs. I rendered the 3D model as images that make them look almost real. I'll try to post some of the pics if I get a chance.

 

[350xfire]

Hey what's up witht the magnetodrive???

 

[wquiles]

Wow - you guys really do some nice design work with CAD software :bow:

Hey what's up witht the magnetodrive???

It is being re-designed from the inside out. I had a 1.1" LED/controller pill in my prototype, but now that I am almost ready with my own 1.5A high efficiency buck LED driver, which is 20mm OD, I plan to re-design the MagnetoDrive into a smaller package in the future.

Will

 

[350xfire]

Cool, so the LEDs will be part of the driver board?

 

[wquiles]

Cool, so the LEDs will be part of the driver board?

No - the LED's will be a separate element (20mm single LED or 20mm triple LED). But I am thinking that the hall-effect sensors and the controller board will be separate boards in the future re-design.

 

[Codiak]

Emachineshop has a nice and easy cad app that costs nothing. It's limited to a single object but that doesn't change the value prop

 

[TexasLumens]

I couldn't resist... I'd be lost now without the "see through" ghosting feature. It just makes the parts easier to visualize in my hard head!! This is an old part but it shows the benefits! This one is in Rhino... not too user friendly but works great as long as you don't mind the missing hair! Not a flashlight but part of an LED worklamp.

 

[wquiles]

Very nice

 

[kuksul08]

CAD is totally awesome. If you can get a copy of a Solidworks trial or student edition, it's totally worth it. You can even render the images and have it look damn near the real thing.

 

[konig]

I have used SolidWorks 2012 to design a Surefire-head for the M-series. It is design to use a Lux-RC tripple engine. There is no rendering on the pictures.








Here you can see the battery-connector.



And with trit-slots.

And a section-view.

 

[wquiles]

That looks awesome!

 

[tino_ale]

CAD is really great in showing in a eye-catching and obvious way stuff that you wouldn't have realized until you make the parts otherwise.

I modeled a E-serie battery tube from carefull caliper measurements on an actual surefire part. When looking at the cross-section view, I striked me how thin the tube can be at the battery shoulder near the tailcap section (bottom of the main bore if you prefer). Only 0.5mm left IIRC. Would never have guessed it holding the part in real life.

 

[rtginc]

I'm a Solidworks newbie, but we've got a contract with them. We're running 2012 here in the office, and I hope to get going on some flashlight designs soon!