Piercing?
Piercing?
(OP)
I am trying to model a part which has a tab pierced (?) out of it and bent up. I'm not sure that pierced is the correct term. It is similar in process to the old sheet metal can- and bottle-openers, where the tab that catches under the can lip or bottle cap edge is cut from the body of the item and bent out.
At any rate, I have tried a number of things to cut the tab out of the flat part, all of which have given me SW errors. I've tried some of the sheet metal piercing tools, which also give me material thickness errors (I'm using 3/16" material).
It seems like I should be able to use the sheet metal features to come up with a blank, then use a line sketch to cut through the blank without removing any material. From there, use the flex tool to bend the tab into position. However, can't get the line sketch to work (SW error saying that my sketch doesn't intersect the part), and so haven't been able to proceed.
Any ideas, or do I need to post a photo? (I wasn't sure how to embed a photo in this text.)
At any rate, I have tried a number of things to cut the tab out of the flat part, all of which have given me SW errors. I've tried some of the sheet metal piercing tools, which also give me material thickness errors (I'm using 3/16" material).
It seems like I should be able to use the sheet metal features to come up with a blank, then use a line sketch to cut through the blank without removing any material. From there, use the flex tool to bend the tab into position. However, can't get the line sketch to work (SW error saying that my sketch doesn't intersect the part), and so haven't been able to proceed.
Any ideas, or do I need to post a photo? (I wasn't sure how to embed a photo in this text.)






RE: Piercing?
You should also be able to just just extrude a rectangular hole for the tab, and insert a Flange. It depends on how you are making your sheet metal part, meaning inserting a Base Flange first, or if you are Inserting Bends last.
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RE: Piercing?
Chris
Sr. Mechanical Designer, CAD
SolidWorks 05 SP2.0 / PDMWorks 05
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FAQ371-376
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FAQ559-716
RE: Piercing?
Note that it is simply a .sldprt file, and also notice the color scheme required for lances. When done modifying, go back to Design Library and hit the "refresh" button for your new lance to show up.
Flores
RE: Piercing?
Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.
RE: Piercing?
However, the downside to using any of the Forming Tools is that they do not get flattened in the Flat Layout.
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RE: Piercing?
Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.