SHEET METAL

Sheet Metal Work Flow

 SHEET METAL WORKFLOW
Content : ESTABLISH BASIC PARTCHARACTERISTICS
DEFINE THE BASIC SHAPE OF THE PART
CONSTRUCTING BASE FEATURES
SHEET METAL CORNERS
SHEET METAL CUTOUTS
SHEET METAL DEFORM FEATURES
FLAT SOLID AND FLAT PATTERN
ADVANCED SHEET METAL COMMANDS
ANALYZE FORMABILITY – ONE STEP
AEROSPACE SHEET METAL
WORKING WITH NON-SHEETMETAL DATA
SHEET METAL WORKFLOW

1. Establish the basic characteristics of the parts you intend to create.

2. Choose the basic shape for a given part and build it.

3. Add sheet metal-specific features, such as flanges, jogs, and bends to further define the shape and
function of the formed sheet metal part.

4. Unbend the part to flatten the bend areas where needed, and place holes, cutouts, embosses, or
louver-type features on the part.

5. Rebend flattened bend areas to complete the part.

6. Flatten the part for drafting and later manufacturing.

Establish the basic characteristics of the part
Depending on the industry and the types of parts to be created, you specify
parameters such material thickness, bend radius, and neutral factor. You do this
through Sheet Metal preferences, Sheet Metal customer defaults, and options in
command dialog boxes.

Choose the basic shape and build it

You decide what basic shape you need and select a base feature most suited to that
shape. For example, the Tab command allows you to construct a flat feature of any
shape using a closed profile.
Add features
After you construct the basic shape, you complete the part by
adding flanges, jogs, bends, cutouts, holes, and so on.

Flatten the part

You create a flattened version of the solid body in the part file. You use the
Flat Solid command to do this.
You then create a sheet metal flat pattern for export to a machine tool for
manufacturing, using the Flat Pattern command. In this step, you add
attributes such as bend centerlines and tangent lines to the flat solid body, in
order to provide special machine instructions.
Sheet Metal application

There are three ways to start the Sheet Metal application:

• Choose File tab→ Applications→ Sheet Metal.

• Click Sheet Metal on the Application tab.

• Open a new part using the Sheet Metal template.

Once the application starts, the Sheet Metal commands become available
on the Home tab.
The following tables list the standard commands. If you do not see a command
on the tab, use the small down arrow next to a button to view the list.