Lip/Groove
Where a case's base and lid meet, a lip round the edge of one and a matching groove in the other, so the lid locates and the seam is closed.
- Lip/Groove AdvancedPart Studio toolbar
| SchoolCAD | Onshape | Fusion | SOLIDWORKS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lip/Groove | – | Lip | Lip/Groove |
A lip and groove make the lid of a case locate on its base and close the seam between them. A thin lip stands up round the edge of one part where the two parts meet, and a groove, a little wider and deeper, is cut round the other, so the lip fits into it. It works like Lip/Groove in SOLIDWORKS and Lip in Fusion.
Lip/Groove is in the Advanced tool set. In Standard, find it with Search tools (` or Alt+C), or switch to Advanced at the end of the toolbar.
How to use it#
- Model the case as one closed box, and hollow it out with Shell (tick Hollow, so it stays closed).
- Split it with a plane where the lid should come off: now there are two parts, the base and the lid.
- Click Lip/Groove (in the Boss ▾ menu on the toolbar, with the other fastening features). SchoolCAD finds the two parts that meet and gives the lower one the lip.
- Check the Lip side, Lip width, Lip height and Gap, then click ✓.
Options#
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Groove part | The part the groove is cut in, such as the lid. |
| Lip part | The part the lip stands up on, such as the base. ⇅ swaps them. |
| Lip side | Inside: the lip is on the inner half of the wall, and fits into a groove inside the other part's wall. Outside: the lip is on the outer half of the wall, round the outside of the other part, like a rebate. |
| Lip width | How thick the lip is. Unless you set it, the lip and the gap take half the wall. |
| Lip height | How far the lip stands up. |
| Gap | The space all round the lip in its groove, so they fit. For 3D printing, 0.2 mm is a good start; 0 makes them exactly the same size. |
Tips#
- The groove is the gap wider than the lip on each side, and the gap deeper, so the lid sits right down on the base.
- Walls of 2 mm or more leave room for the lip and the groove. With thinner walls, make the lip narrower: the groove leaves the rest of the wall standing beside it.
- Add Boss screw posts to hold the lid on, or a snap fit.
If it does not work#
- They do not meet on a flat face. Split the case with a plane, so the base and the lid meet on a flat face.
- The face where they meet is solid. Shell the case first, so the face is a rim, or choose Outside.
- The lip and its gap are as wide as the wall. Make the lip narrower, or the walls thicker.