In this video, we are going to assemble the Fan Housing and the Heat Sink.
Open the PCB Exercise file you saved before.
Then, go to the File menu and select Insert Geometry to bring this model into the Fan Housing.
Select the Fan in the Model Tree and then click Copy and Paste from the toolbar.
This creates a duplicate of the component.
With one of the fans selected use the Move tool to reposition it away from the other fan.
In the Assemble menu use the Align constraint to place the fans in their appropriate positions.
Remember that to be fully constrained a component typically requires 3 assembly constraints.
For the Fan, you should be able to align the large center hole to the cutout in the enclosure housing wall
and then align one of the small 5 millimeters holes to its counterpart on the housing.
The last constraint should be to make the front face of the fan coincident
with the inside face of the enclosure housing wall. Repeat this process for the second fan.
Move all the new components inside the PCB Housing assembly for convenience.
Now that we have finished creating and placing most of the PCB components,
we have one final item to add. The processors in this enclosure are going to require additional
cooling because they generate a lot of heat. Click the File menu and select Insert Geometry.
Locate the Heat Sink file and open it. Move the Heat Sink in the Z-direction to get a better view of it.
Hide the PCB housing from the Model Tree and rotate the model.
The Heat Sink that has been provided for us can be thought of as a generic design.
If we look at the underside of the Heat Sink, we can see that it is just a flat surface.
There are no existing cutouts for the CPU components that are already assembled.
We will need to make some modifications in order for it to fit on this particular circuit board.
Fortunately, we have some very useful tools at our disposal. Our approach in this scenario
will be to assemble the Heat Sink in its final location, then use the Combine tool to remove
the material that overlaps with the CPUs. Let’s get started to see how this is done!
Display the PCB housing again and go back to the home view. Select the Align
condition from the Assemble group and zoom in to select one of the holes on the Heat Sink.
Select the corresponding hole on the circuit board and repeat this process
for the hole in the opposite corner.
Now, align the bottom face of the Heat Sink
with the top face of the circuit board. This should move the Heat Sink into its final location.
We are now ready to create the cutouts for the CPUs. From the Design tab start the Combine tool.
Select the Heat Sink as the target object, and then click on the select Cutter tool.
In the Model Tree expand the PCB Housing assembly and locate the component labeled CPUs and expand it.
Click on each CPU solid.
Hide the PCB housing from the Model Tree again and rotate the model to the bottom.
With the Combine tool still active select remove regions, then, click on the three cutouts in
the bottom of the Heat Sink. This will remove the excess material, click select to exit the Combine
tool then unhide the PCB enclosure and press H to return to the home view. Then save the file.
Congratulations! You have just completed the design of the PCB enclosure.