Sheet Metal Design Rules
Sheet Metal Design Rules
(OP)
Hello,
My boss has asked me to put together an overview document on the do's and don't do's for designing sheet metal machines in Solidworks. I know that this is a huge task and everyones situation is different but I am posting here just to collect some points that I can use. I'd also love to hear from people who previously put a similar document together in the past.
Our biggest concern in design at the moment is that when new people come on board designing in Solidworks, that the design their machines in a manner that allows easy changing of variables in the future if something similar comes up.
Thanks,
Niall
My boss has asked me to put together an overview document on the do's and don't do's for designing sheet metal machines in Solidworks. I know that this is a huge task and everyones situation is different but I am posting here just to collect some points that I can use. I'd also love to hear from people who previously put a similar document together in the past.
Our biggest concern in design at the moment is that when new people come on board designing in Solidworks, that the design their machines in a manner that allows easy changing of variables in the future if something similar comes up.
Thanks,
Niall






RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
tom..
Tom Malinski
Sr Design Engineer
OKay Industries
New Britain CT
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
And when using the 'sheet metal' feature, simply draw a single line, the sheet metal properties adds the thickness and depth accordingly to how the user inputs the data.
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Here is a link to a general guide I downloaded from a website I can't remember. But it's a useful document.
http:
Best Regards,
Heckler
Sr. Mechanical Engineer
SW2005 SP 5.0 & Pro/E 2001
Dell Precision 370
P4 3.6 GHz, 1GB RAM
XP Pro SP2.0
NVIDIA Quadro FX 1400
o
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"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." - Henry Ford
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Good practice in many cases, but hardly a good "#1 rule". Some cases it is better to make geometry and then convert. I certainly wouldn't make a rule to force a person to do this. Many top-down design scenarios work better if parts are converted to shet metal after a certain point. I found this especially true in cases where Someone outside the organization is causing unforseeable design changes.
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
This is one of our rules, other than we state to use single profile instead of a single line. The important thing for following design intent is in how you dimension the profile. Always use your critical dims. Is it inside or outside? (we have 2-piece guards, one pieces slips inside the other). Then make sure the sheetmetal thickness is going the right way. That way if the material changes the critical dims are maintained.
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
http://www.sheetmetalguy.com/
Jason
UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP3.0 on WinXP SP2
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Did someone already post that link?
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Jason
UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2005 SP5.0 on WinXP SP2
SolidWorks 2006 SP3.0 on WinXP SP2
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
However, the book looks like it could be a useful reference/tutorial for someone just starting to use SW SM ... providing they have actual sheet metal knowledge.
Just my 2 cents.
Helpful SW websites FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions FAQ559-1091
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
http://www.sheetmetaldesign.com/
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Also, I have had problems using models that others have created that started out as a solid box, and was shelled and ripped, etc... I get a warning message under PROCESSED BENDS that tells me it is ok to delete a bend because it is no longer needed. Well, if that bend is active in another configuration of that part, Solidworks doesn't recognize it.
Forming tools are very handy in sheetmetal parts, as well as design tables (if you use configurations).
Equations are great. Make that inside bend radius equal to material thickness devided by 2. Very handy if all you want to change is the material thickness.
With hole patterns, if the spacing is equal, use LINEAR PATTERN, if not use SKETCH-DRIVEN PATTERN.
The list (and possibilities) is endless. Good luck and have fun.
Go Cav's,
Yanceman
RE: Sheet Metal Design Rules
Biggest problem always seems to be the bend reliefs when working with the Top-Down approach. You seem to always have to make a huge hole in the corners in the flat pattern, then fiddle around with an extrude that is exactly the right shape to fill in most of the huge hole. The space that remains must still provide enough room in the bend region for flare when the part is folded up again. There is definetely an art to it.