# CAD Solid Model - Navigator Fountain Pen



## Denis McCarthy (Jan 19, 2013)

Good Afternoon Guys

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far! So a few days ago Chris Burton asked a question in regards to creating threads in Autocad, a CAD development program widely used in the engineering field. This made me start to think about how much fun it would be to create a CAD Solid Model of a popular fountain pen kit. So thats what I did! I decided to use the Woodcraft Titanium Navigator Fountain Pen Kit, part number 149911. This is one of the more expensive kits that are available from Woodcraft, with a list price of $31.89 here in Alabama. So, the first thing to do to create the model was to take the Nib Unit Assembly apart, in order to examine each part, and model them in my CAD program, Solidworks. This is a amazing program, and It's just wonderful to use. I used this program quite a bit during my time at Confederate Motor Company found here in Birmingham. So here we go. I will continue to model the rest of the parts for you guys this weekend, but since I had the Nib Unit Assembly finished, I thought I would share a few images with you guys. For this release, there are 13 images. I will also model a Ink Piston Unit, as well as a simple replacement Ink Cartridge. I have designed a custom Nib for this model so it will look just a little different than your Navigator Kit. So lets see what we have!  






























































I was pleasantly surprised at how complicated what at first seems to be a simple fountain pen kit! In particular the Nib Feed Comb which is what the Nib sits on, and is what transfers the ink from the ink piston unit or the ink cartridge. Very interesting! Hope you guys like the model. And stay tuned to this thread for more updates!


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## ashaw (Jan 19, 2013)

Nicely done  Denis.


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## thewishman (Jan 19, 2013)

Love it!


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## Denis McCarthy (Jan 20, 2013)

Here are two pictures of a simple ink cartridge installed to the Nib Feed Comb. This is the complicated part that transfers the ink from the ink cartridge or ink piston cartridge to the nib of the pen. 











Next up is the building of the Ink Piston Cartridge! (This comes with the Navigator Fountain Kit)


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## Tom_W (Jan 21, 2013)

Very nice - but before anybodies thinks this is easy ... tell them how much Solidworks is  and how long it takes to be proficient :wink:

T


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## healeydays (Jan 21, 2013)

Beautiful work and would make a nice wall hanging piece of art framed, but Denis, you need to find a hobby...


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## cnirenberg (Jan 21, 2013)

Pretty cool.


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## Dalecamino (Jan 21, 2013)

This is great. But, what is the purpose of it? Excuse my ignorance :redface:


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## Denis McCarthy (Jan 23, 2013)

Finally had a few minutes to draw a few more parts on the Navigator. The Nib Unit Assembly screws into the new parts, the Lower Tube Assembly. This is what holds the ink cartridge, and is what is installed into the lower wood turning. I haven't modeled the outer wood turning just yet, but its coming together nicely! Hope you guys like the new images.






And here are a few transparent images to explore.






Here the Nib and The Outer Nib Tube have been removed in order to view the underlying parts.






Take care!


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## 76winger (Jan 23, 2013)

This progression has been very interesting to watch. I love it!


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## bigevilgrape (Jan 23, 2013)

My analytical little brain loves seeing how all the parts fit together and function.  I already knew how things work, but this is awesome to see.


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## Denis McCarthy (Jan 31, 2013)

Hey Guys

Hope everyone is doing great. Tomorrow is FRIDAY! Woo Hoo! So I had a few minutes to draw a little bit on our Navigator Fountain Model. A few days ago, someone here was wondering what was the point of modeling a fountain pen or any pen kit for that matter in a CAD program. So I drew up a example of what a designer or engineer might do to examine a design concept within a CAD environment. Almost everything that you buy and use these days is designed and engineered on a computer using sophisticated computer assisted software. So here is my example. The first image is the Navigator Fountain, with the original Nib Housing, and the lower wood turning removed. Here is the image:






The second image shows our new Concept Nib Housing. As you can see, the new part has been re-designed, this time out of a aerospace grade titanium, 6al-4v. With the new design elements, and a different metal, the part takes on a completely new look. 






The overall profile has been modified, as well as other design elements added, such as the radial pattern that circles the model. Here are a few other angles:











In these views, the model has been cut in half, called a cut-away. The designer and/or engineer can review how all of the parts are meshing together, and will be able to see if there are any component interferences in the design that will need to be changed before going into production.











In these images, the Concept Titanium Nib Housing has been turned transparent, for the same reasons as the cut-away views. These views allow various design teams to study each others designs in hopes that they will all work together seamlessly.






In the last few images, I have changed the Concept Nib Housing's metal specification from titanium to aircraft grade 6061-t6 anodized aluminum. The designers decision to change from titanium to aluminum would greatly decrease the parts cost, and allow the design team to select hundreds of vibrant colors such as this bright red.
















As you can see, with just a few clicks of the mouse, our Navigator Fountain Kit can go from mild to wild! Of course with some rather expensive material and tooling changes too! Hope you guys enjoy the new images. More new images to come this weekend!


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## mikespenturningz (Feb 2, 2013)

Ok that is awesome but how does it write? ;>)  How is the balance? ;>) I know that Autocad can tell the balance! Very cool....


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## btboone (Feb 17, 2013)

I see a manufacturing issue; the small holes if drilled after the part is turned, that won't work well.  The thin drill would simply deflect and likely snap off as soon as it breaks through the tapered wall, if not chatter terribly.  It might be possible to drill the holes before the part is turned though, but long thin holes in titanium aren't for the feint of heart.

If the holes didn't extrend through, they could be done with a ball endmill from the side.


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## Twissy (Feb 18, 2013)

Very interesting. Now you need to hook it up to a 3D printer!


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## philipff (Feb 18, 2013)

This thread is just tooooooooooooo amazing@!   Philip


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## Constant Laubscher (Feb 18, 2013)

I do quite a bit of medical devices on the Swiss CNC and this part would not be a problem to make. Like Bruce said Titanium would be a beast but with Aluminum it would be very easy to drill and cut. There are a couple of ways to approach this part but at the end it is all about the time it will take to make. 
I use a programme Partmaker for the complex parts that has a lot surface milling or just complex turning work.

I like your designs.


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