×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

More tubing flattening questions

More tubing flattening questions

More tubing flattening questions

(OP)
I read another post on this forum regarding flattening tubing so that the profile can be found for a lasercutting machine.
I followed the instructions, but I have a problem.

I have made all the tubes as structural members, so that they can easily be inserted into a new part for flattening.
There you simply cut a thing strip out of the tube, click on an edge, insert a bend, and flatten. This works great as long as the member doesn't butt end-to-end with another piece. Here I am using the end miter corner type instead of the End Butt1 type. When I go to insert a bend, an error box pops up that says 'No bends found'. The flatten won't work then. I have tried about 8 different ways to cut the slit, including a .001 degree revolve cut.

Any suggestions?

RE: More tubing flattening questions

Firstly .. please reference the post/thread you read so that we know what has already been suggested.

To clarify, you are wanting to laser cut flat sheet metal, then roll it into a tube and seam weld ... correct?

It works fine for me using SW06-SP4.1 and a straight length of pipe. What version are you using?

Please explain, "I have tried about 8 different ways to cut the slit, including a .001 degree revolve cut."
How can you use a revolved cut to create a slit in a straight tube? The tube isn't curved is it? If it is, that's why you cannot flatten it.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: More tubing flattening questions

Also, try making the slit wider. Making it too small can give the error you mention.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: More tubing flattening questions

(OP)
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=160331&page=2

This is one you posted in, but it is not the one I found before. I can't seem to find it now.

No, basically the tube is mounted in a lasercutting lathe and the notch is cut on the end. You have to feed the lathe the flat profile of the tube, so it had to be flattened to get this.

RE: More tubing flattening questions

How do you (or the Laser Lathe) adjust the profile for the tubes wall thickness? If the laser cuts perpendicular to the outer surface, the wall thickness will create an interference at the "sharp" portions of the cut.

If you have one round tube butting against another, the end cut would create a simple V shape when viewed in one direction, and a semi-circle with no wall showing when viewed at 90°.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: More tubing flattening questions

(OP)
I'm not sure of all the specifics of it, I see what you are saying. It's a lasercutting company and they do it all the time for aircraft frames. He said he was going to scale it according to the tube thickness or something like that. All I know is I have to get him the profiles for the tube ends and a dxf file.

RE: More tubing flattening questions

When splitting your tube, did you try increasing the slit width?

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: More tubing flattening questions

(OP)
What do you know....it worked. Thanks for the advice!

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources