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Converting to sheet metal

Question asked by Jim Mooney on Feb 16, 2012
Latest reply on Feb 21, 2012 by John Stoltzfus

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I am building a bracket that is basically a "U" shape but the bottom is angled, since I'm" not real good" at sheet metal I drew sheets(bracket sides) in contextin an assembly and then saved it as a seperate assembly. I then saved the assembly as a part and tried to convert the part to sheet metal. If the sides h=just touch at the corners, SW says this is not valid, If I overlap the edges, it will only let me offset the sides. Do I have to make the sides as one large solid? Seems there should be a way to convert seperate plates of metal to one with a bend...thanks a million....in advance....

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Bernie Daraz Feb 16, 2012 2:12 PM
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Jim,

I would have started with the base centered on the origin using the center rectangle and as sheet metal, ignoring the angle for the moment. Then added one flange, and yes it would be perpendicular and square. Then I would edit the sketch of the flange to match dimensionally with your requirements. Then add the top short flange.

Then mirror them to complete. Obviously if there were the same holes or patterns in each side I would create them before the mirror command and mirror all of them at once.

Let us know how this works out for you.

Bernie
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- Jim Mooney @ Bernie Daraz on Feb 16, 2012 3:21 PM
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  Finally just buckeld down and figured out to draw it in sheet metal...Angle was giving me problems..So what I did was start at the small upper flange as my base. Added long side as an edge flange. Cut of the angle, added half way across with an edge flange and mirrored it to finish....thanks for the help!
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  - Bernie Daraz @ Jim Mooney on Feb 16, 2012 4:21 PM
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    Jim,
    
    Of course that would work too!
    
    Bernie
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  - Erik Bilello @ Jim Mooney on Feb 16, 2012 5:53 PM
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    Jim,
    
    I'm reminded of this post. Maybe it will help.
    
    https://forum.solidworks.com/message/264862#264862
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Brian McEwen Feb 16, 2012 5:33 PM
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Jim, If you are still interested in other techniques, might want to check this out:
https://forum.solidworks.com/message/252537#252537 "Do Not Underestimate the Power of Shelling in Sheetmetal"

So some folks predominately use convert for sheetmetal. I'm not an expert, but I've had some good success with this technique. I suspect your method of starting with an assembly complicated it. But it would be easy to model up as a single solid (could shell out middle section) and then try convert to sheetmetal.
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- John Stoltzfus @ Brian McEwen on Feb 17, 2012 6:24 AM
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  Good morning Brian,
  
  The biggest reason for the "New" approach to doing sheet metal today is all based on the Marketing Team from SolidWorks, trying to increase sales of the product with the "New" features tag. Than couple that with the way they put together the "New" feature videos, to further push their point, this is all good for marketing, however, a lot of time is spent putting the right part through the setup and getting it exactly right before you "shoot" the video.
  
  Try designing a simple multi degree hopper, with out a development sketch and additional planes, using edge flanges and other sheet metal tools, it might work but than again it might not.
  
  I have designed sheet metal parts using SW since 1997 and I still do most of my stuff the old way, why? in most cases, (of course not all), it is more robust and solid. What I mean by that is just watch this forum and see where most of the error messages are and how many "throw up my hands" projects there are.
  
  With the old way there is a learning curve that is needed, you may need to add holes in the corners for bend relief, so nothing is easy.
  
  For me, I hardly ever start off with the Base Flange Sheet Metal Tool, but that's me.
  
  Later,
  
  John
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Howard Gibson Feb 17, 2012 6:29 PM
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Jim,

   I systematically do not use the sheet metal feature when I design sheet metal parts in SolidWorks.

   Your problem might be how your edges connect together. The joint ought to be solid. Having just the inside corners touch may be causing you problems. I have never tried this. I systematically link my panel thickness to the value "Thickness": The sheet metal feature will do this when you call it up, so this is inevitable. All the walls in your sheet metal part must be the same thickness.

   When I am done designing, assuming I have not changed the part to something machined, I rip the corners and and convert to sheet metal. Sometimes your ripping is a problem, although I can see nothing in your model.
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- Bernie Daraz @ Howard Gibson on Feb 17, 2012 9:18 PM
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  Howard,
  
  This is one of the great things about this forum. I agree with John even though I design my parts differently than he does. We all pick a style and then try to have that work as much of the time as possible. Sometimes we never run into whaty you have. I have been manufacturing precision sheet metal for almost 40 years and I design using the base flange method. That's the way I have always created my parts in the real world and if you think about it designing the other way is something like putting the cart before the horse.
  
  Now I must admit too that I have on many occasions also used the solid, shell and rip methods favored by many when the complexity (read many tapers, etc) have come into play. That said the end result does define the process sometimes.
  
  It's not my intent to be insulting or demeaning in any way but, how long have you been designing parts or do you do SW to create parts to be fabricated in your own shop? I was just wondering as for me it was a bit of time before I bit the bullet and did some solid, shell and rips.
  
  Bernie
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  - Howard Gibson @ Bernie Daraz on Feb 21, 2012 10:26 AM
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    Bernie,
    
    I have been on SolidWorks for ten years. I have been doing sheet metal since before we had the sheet metal features installed.
    
    The whole point of design is that you do not know what you are doing at the start. You analyze your problem. You try stuff out. You try other stuff out, then you make decisions. I suppose that if someone handed me a napkin with a sketch of a sheet metal part, I would immediately use the sheet metal features of SolidWorks, but what a dumb use of SolidWorks.
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  - John Stoltzfus @ Bernie Daraz on Feb 21, 2012 10:40 AM
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    Good morning Bernie,
    
    I had to think of you yesterday and still having nightmares
    
    One of the guys gave me a paper that had 5 different flat pattern layouts, so I thought I'll go with the sheet metal feature tools and I wish I wouldn't have. They were simple one or two bend parts, small flanges and simple.
    
    It could be me or the tools/option settings, but when I design a part using the SW Sheet Metal features it kicks me in the butt when I insert the part into a drawing. With the insert dialog it allows us to pick multiple views, front, top, right, flat pattern etc...so I did the insert and all was going great but now when I go back to the part file there are errors in the sheet metal process bends and all I need to do is suppress all the features and un-suppress the features and it works ok. Later I had to open up one of the drawings the changes that I had made before weren't stable and again I had to suppress and un-suppress the features.
    
    Assumably I have a short term memory, that happened before, so I got a similar part this morning, guess what it's solid modeling and then sheet metal bend insert
    
    Each to his own, features are great, the car still drives even if you don't use the seat warmer
    
    Later,
    
    John
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