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How to make surfaces flat for work in sheet metal mode?

Question asked by Ream Shamsn on Jun 18, 2018
Latest reply on Sep 11, 2018 by Scott Leacox

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Kind time of the day, colleagues!

How to make surfaces flat for work in sheet metal mode? The model was imported from third-party software and cleaned from triangulation.

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The edges on polygons (3+) are not on the plane (it's not noticeable by eye, but SW does not miss), so the options for converting to sheet metal do not work. Is there a way around this? Option to modeling over in SW - does not fit, need a faster way to straighten all surfaces at once, because there are models with a very large number of faces.

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Robert Marsillo Jun 18, 2018 1:27 PM
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Hi Ream,

Don't want to be pessimistic, but I don't believe your model is suitable for sheet metal work, in the strictest sense of the word. Even if all surfaces were flat, at some point when trying to generate a flat-development you will inevitably run into surface overlap. More importantly, even if you were to successfully obtain a flat-development, standard break-form machinery would not be able bend your part without running into machine or tooling interference.

If you are solely looking to extract faces off the model to blank individually, say for a welding assembly then that is a different story. It is definitely feasible, however from looking at the model somewhat tedious and complicated to assemble I would imagine.

Rob
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- Ream Shamsn @ Robert Marsillo on Jun 19, 2018 7:05 AM
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  Yes, this is what i want to do, only in Solid. Anyway, thank you!
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Ruben Balderrama Jun 18, 2018 1:37 PM
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Maybe you need a little help from Paul Salvador
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- Paul Salvador @ Ruben Balderrama on Jun 18, 2018 1:51 PM
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  LOL!... me?... no... but maybe Dennis Bacon ?
  I was just trying to find something for this fun problem, .... and honestly SW is not the tool to use, imho.. there are programs out there for this type of folding/unfolding.. here are some ideas/links..
  https://alternativeto.net/software/ultimate-papercraft-3d/
  https://www.google.com/search?q=paper+craft+3D+software+unfold+fold&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS790US790&oq=paper+craft+3D+software+…
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  - Ruben Balderrama @ Paul Salvador on Jun 18, 2018 1:59 PM
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    Yes you buddy!......LoL but now I will to follow to Dennis Bacon too I don't have too many know how on this kind of challenges. I must to read and read and practice from.....Now
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  - Ream Shamsn @ Paul Salvador on Jun 19, 2018 7:05 AM
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    Thank You for response, Paul! Yes, ussually i using Pepakura for this (for paper unfold), but now i have to do unwrap for sheet metal with all deformation offsets.
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Andrew Schutte Jun 19, 2018 3:27 PM
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This isn't impossible from a design standpoint, but very difficult from a manufacturing standpoint.
If you are OK having single pieces of sheet-metal all welded together, that's a lot easier. If you want some (or heaven forbid all) of the faces bent from a single sheet-metal part, that's going to be an issue.
If you are willing to upload the model I'll do some proof of concept work for you, but basically I would start with:
1. Figuring out what's flat and what's not
2. Making what's not flat flat
  Probably with surfacing and/or:
  A combination of solid modeling with delete face (using the patch option)
  Maybe REing the entire model in surfacing (when/where needed) and then re-create the solid
3. From there pick and choose what face(s) you want converted into sheet metal
4. Run the convert to sheet metal command multiple times or pick a spot to start and sketch in/convert entities and use the base flange/tab and/or edge flange as needed
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- Ream Shamsn @ Andrew Schutte on Jun 23, 2018 8:01 AM
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  @Andrew Schutte, Thank you for response!
  This isn't impossible from a design standpoint, but very difficult from a manufacturing standpoint.
  If you are OK having single pieces of sheet-metal all welded together, that's a lot easier. If you want some (or heaven forbid all) of the faces bent from a single sheet-metal part, that's going to be an issue.
  Yes, i need single pieces of unwrap for welding!
  
  If you are willing to upload the model I'll do some proof of concept work for you, but basically I would start with:
  Figuring out what's flat and what's not
  In a screenshot above (in topic start), i showing that. Flat surface — is surface that giving possibility to making a 2D sketch on her (right picture).
  The fact is that the solid shows flat exclusively triangles, although all surfaces were planared (in another software).
  
  I admit the probability that there can be a difference of a hundredth degree between the vertices of a single polygon, then the question arises, is there a similar function for solidworks like here? (i specially captured this video for showing what i mean)
  
  For Solidworks Forum - YouTube
  
       2. Making what's not flat flat
  Probably with surfacing and/or:
  A combination of solid modeling with delete face (using the patch option)
  Maybe REing the entire model in surfacing (when/where needed) and then re-create the solid
  Yes, i did this when model was imported to SW (removing triangulation from imported geometry by Delete face/Patch function). After that, i seen that only triangles having a flat surfaces. I think, if i simply start to build surfaces with existing model, i does not save the same numbers of verticles (if surfaces really micro-curved).
  
       3. From there pick and choose what face(s) you want converted into sheet metal
       4. Run the convert to sheet metal command multiple times or pick a spot to start and sketch in/convert entities and use the base flange/tab and/or edge flange as needed
  This is next stage! I hope, i start do this, when i find a key for my current problem. Thank you, Andrew!
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  - Toft Bill @ Ream Shamsn on Jun 23, 2018 8:36 AM
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    My experience with working on imported STL files is that it is often faster to NOT try to fix up the file. Especially in a case like this where you want to use native sheet metal features.
    Instead, I use the imported body as a reference only. Because there is symmetry, cut the part in half and do just one side. Set up a 3D sketch to get an outline of the imported part. Then create a set of planes by picking sets of 3 points on that 3D sketch.
    
    NOW you can use those planes to create your sheet metal features.
    Rather than trying to unfold a solid model, try building up a sheet metal part by starting with a base flange (on one of those planes) and adding edge flanges (to match the 3D reference sketch).
    Once you have gone as far as you can with the first sheet metal part, start another one.
    When done, mirror everything.
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  - Andrew Schutte @ Ream Shamsn on Jun 24, 2018 9:39 PM
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    Ream,
    If you are willing to provide the file I'll gladly review the model and concept out the steps I have listed above. If you don't want it public feel free to PM me or email me at aschutte@smoothlogics.com
    Thanks!
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Ream Shamsn Sep 10, 2018 4:25 AM
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Ok, i solve my problem — just redraw every 3+ angle polygon. Now, i found a new one — after making sheetmetal, small interference was appear between differents parts in many places. How to promptly solve this, without in detail editing every part?
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- Andrew Schutte @ Ream Shamsn on Sep 11, 2018 1:11 PM
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  I think you are stuck editing every part that's necessary to close the gaps.
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Scott Leacox Sep 11, 2018 3:38 PM
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It can be done, but it's gonna take you a while. No one step solutions. Pick a flat as a tab, then make the flange, and work your way around in parts that can be made with your tooling. If you know your bend radius, thickness, and neutral factor before you start life will be much easier.

Welding corner to corner, or with backed flanges is the first huge choice.
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How to make surfaces flat for work in sheet metal mode?

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