Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
(OP)
I am helping a coworker and have a rolled sheetmetal part with cut holes in it. I can not dimension them in the flat pattern in a drawing. I can't select the holes in the flat view..."The selected entities could not be converted into a line or arc." is what I get. I've tried holding the "SHIFT" key down and no luck.
I understand that it is not making the hole axis perpendicular to the flat pattern plane so it is making the circle into segments. Is there a way around this?
On a side note: Solid Edge doesn't have a problem with this sort of thing because you are able to flatten sheetmetal by selecting either a face or "PLANE" for your flat and then blow holes in it and it forms the holes onto your bend when you suppress the flat. Am I missing something here? Please view the part model path below.
ht tp://www.m ooload.com /new/file. php?file=f ile01/1907 07/1184875 991/441-53 -9-13.SLDP RT&s=t
I understand that it is not making the hole axis perpendicular to the flat pattern plane so it is making the circle into segments. Is there a way around this?
On a side note: Solid Edge doesn't have a problem with this sort of thing because you are able to flatten sheetmetal by selecting either a face or "PLANE" for your flat and then blow holes in it and it forms the holes onto your bend when you suppress the flat. Am I missing something here? Please view the part model path below.
ht
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1






RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Insert holes
Fold
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
My only solution so far is to actually have to sketch a circle on top of the hole in the drawing and dimension to that. Kinda defeats the parametric advantage of this software because the sketches don't move with the holes when updating.
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Try selecting View > Temporary Axes and dimensioning to them.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
If you want them to be round holes in the flat pattern, you have to follow CBL's suggestion and add an unfold feature, then add the the holes, then add a fold feature. Or...you can add the holes in between the flatten bends and process bends features.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Unfortunately Temporary axis shows nothing in the flat view in the drawing.
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
If you absolutely need to have holes that look round in the formed and flat configs, you will have to add additional "round" hole features to the flat pattern based off of the locations of the features in the formed config.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
-Shaggy
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Is there a special way to dimesion a spline?
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
It sounds to me that you need circular holes in the flat but want circular holes in the formed. Is that the case?
If so, you will have to do one of 2 things:
1) As previously stated, create 2 configs of the part - one for detailing and one to use in your assembly.
2) Create the part with the circular holes in the flat, allow them to deform when the part is rolled, and add reference geometry to the formed part to facilitate mating in your assembly. Creating the reference geometry might be a real PITA, but this method will be more reflective of the physical world.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
We do large weldments with fairly broad tolerances (+/- 16th) so at the end of the day as long as the part fits in the weldment it works.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
For this reason we also have established as our standard operating procedure that we design the formed part then convert it to sheet metal, rather than start with a sheet metal feature and add bends or flanges. By starting with the formed part if we decide to change the gage or bend radius, but we have defined the formed part according to our design intent (such as controlling the outside width of opposing flanges that go inside another part where we are controlling the inside width of its flanges) then our flat pattern is automatically and appropriately updated. If we had started it as a sheet metal part it would be like redesigning the part to get everything to line up again. Design intent, baby!!
And since, like engAlright, we feed the flat pattern directly to our auto nesting software from SWX (no making of an intermediate DXF, thank you) we do not need to dimension the flat at all on the drawing. All we do with the flat on our drawings is show bending information. On occassion we will supply a few reference dimensions, but this is mostly to help distinguish between two parts that are similar.
- - -Updraft
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Jeff Mirisola, CSWP
CAD Administrator
SW '07 SP2.0, Dell M90, Intel 2 Duo Core, 2GB RAM, nVidia 2500M
http://designsmarter.typepad.com/jeffs_blog
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
SWX has the absolute best help file / tutorial of any software I have seen. Go to SWX Help, Index, and look for Sheet Metal Design Methods. It discusses designing a part starting from sheet metal as well as designing it then converting it to sheet metal.
The only real "trick" to designing it then converting it is keeping the material thickness the same from feature to feature and then making sure that thickness matches your standard for the particular gage of metal. We design using a lot of open sketches (thin feature) and thicken them upon making the feature (much faster than drawing every little edge!). Leave sharp corners where the part will be bent; the software adds the proper radius features and bend relief when you convert it to sheet metal.
Try it, you'll like it.
- - -Updraft
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Doesn't work how they have it written. I think there is something missing between steps 4 & 5. Any ideas?
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Step 5) Click the Sketch Bend icon, select face for sketch, sketch lines, exit sketch, select fixed face, Click the Tick.
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
What nesting software do you use?
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
See my reply in your post "Nesting software". I've been in Singapore for a bit and am just now recuperating from the trip.
Stugots, we you able to get it to work using CBL's reply or any other efforts?
- - -Updraft
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
Yes, CBL's reply filled in the missing info in the "absolute best help file / tutorial of any software I (you) have seen. Guess really sometimes the help files are great if you already know how to do it. Just out of curiousity, what other 3D modeling software have you used? Personally I think SW sheetmetal has a way to go still.
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
Missourian = "SHOW ME"
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
I'm from Missouri too - UMR '81 and '83.
I've used SWX since its inception and actually used its predecessor called DesignView from Premise. I've also used sheet metal in Pro/Excruciating, but SWX is much more intuitive.
Like anything, the training/exposure one has plays a big role in the success or ease of use one will have.
My advice to anyone that doesn't find what they are looking for in SWX help is to search again using a synonym or otherwise restating what it is you are looking. This is especially true when coming from another CAD system that uses different terminology for the same thing, i.e., Design Table in SWX = Family Table in Pro/E.
- - -Updraft
RE: Rolled Sheetmetal Part w/Holes
As we all know, each program has its strengths’ and weaknesses and personally I think Sheet metal is one of SW weaker points. Including SW this makes 7 different software programs I've used during my illustrious career. And personally, I prefer Pro/E simply for the fact that “I” (not the programmer) can control what the program does to my model. But Solid Edge still holds the #1 spot for me for intuitive sheet metal. But like any true Pro/E guys will tell you, “Everything else is a watered down housewives version of 3D!”…he he he
I guess I got a little defensive by your original statement of “The Best” and had visions and nightmares of the 100’s of times I’ve been given a similar speech by customer service or vendors.
Stugots
Mechanical Designer
SW '06 SP5.1
Missourian = "SHOW ME"