We make quite a few sheet metal elbow segments here and I have done quite a few, however I would think that there got to be a quick and easy way to do this. I have my model setup in a 2D or if it's twisted a 3D sketch, then I make the segements depending on the requirements, (radius, length etc..). Is there someone out there that uses a macro or an excel file to do the parts and assembly?
Thank you in advance,
John Stoltzfus
Good morning Wayne,
As for the sizes you are close,
This forum has been very helpful and I thought there may be someone out there that does this on a regular basis and they may have a macro or something to make it easier. I don't have a problem doing it in SW, however most of the elbows etc that we make are developed by another guy using the Plasma program, which is directly downloaded to the Plasma and there are no individual parts or main assembly created. Not that this is a big problem, however there have been issues of replacement parts and mainly the search, if you know what I mean. That is out of my realm, so we will let it go. The biggest reason for me to do this quicker is so my drafting crew gets to do this and the documentation is where it needs to be.
I have tried to do this many different ways and what I found it takes me up to an hour where they can run it in minutes and it's downloaded and ready to go.
The attached picture is usually how the elbow development looks like, then what I do is insert the sketch in an assembly and then do a bottom up design. Some of the elbow get angle flanges attached to the end, so I place them and then develop the part segment and I do this by selecting the short center line and then adding a rectangular sketch on the outer sketch line then I revolve around the center maybe 359.5 degrees, then I select the side plane and cut out side the segment sketch. Then I use a center line to do a circular pattern. After that its flatten, dxf files, part drawings etc..
Thanks,
John
I find myself creating similar elbows and am also looking for an easier way without all the planes. I've tried sweeping a 90deg elbow but I cant get the ends perpendicular to each other.
Voila Flaten with thickness
Thanks Ruben,
Keeping the path sketch straight segments tangent to the curve instead of the line ends on the curve like I did, very nice.
I presume from your post that this is a product you make all the time. I can't tell by the pics what size this stuff is, but I'm guessing 2' diameter and 14 ga thickness - am I even in the ballpark?
I can't think of a better way to make it physically. My thoughts on the model are that you generally will have straight sections between curved sections. A master model 3D sketch for the bent ones and a 2D for the "flat" ones is, of course, what you have stated you have. How do you get from your master to the job specific one? I am thinking that maybe you could have the path sketch, and then each curve segment sketch also. Then add a surface to each segment, thicken it, add the parts back to an assy to be welded. This way you would have everything all built and it would update all the way through the parts and the wlmt just by changing the dims in the 3D sketch. This is the way I build chutes that are handling coal for power plants.
Or am I not understanding the situation? :-)
WT