×
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

Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

(OP)
Does anyone know of a way to control the bend radius using the equations in SolidWorks.  For example, I would like to have something like Bend Radius = 2 * Material Thickness.  I have not found a way to do this and I have done a good amount of searching and experimenting, but I could have missed something obvious.

Thanks in advance for your help.

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

Double-click the bend feature in the feature manager to show dimensions.  Right-click a dimension and select "Properties".  You can get the dimension name to use in an equation.  Make sure the feature's bend radius is not set to default.

You may just want to control the default bend radius of your base sheet metal feature.

I always rename dimensions when they are used in equations.  I have a writeup in the FAQ about this.

batHonesty may be the best policy, but insanity is a better defense.bat
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com-SolidWorks API VB programming help

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

(OP)
Worked great, thanks TheTick.

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

While in the Add Equation mode, just clicking on the dimension will enter it into the equation.

cheers

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

retatton,

I've got ask, does your manufacturing process have the capability to achieve all these bend radii?  If you are using custom tooling then you should have no problem, otherwise you could have parts and designs that don't match or at least eat up all the tolerances.

I had an engineer here who's rule of thumb was Bend Radius (BR) = Thickness.  Funny thing is we bend our own parts here using press brakes and the nose radii on the tools only "matched" (within .003") the thickness in two instances.  No wonder his sheet metal parts were always a problem.

We only design within the capabilities of our manufacturing systems, yet we are always looking for ways to expand that envelope!

- - -Updraft

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

(OP)
In virtually all of the sheet metal parts that we design, we only care about the final dimensions of the part, not what bend radius, k-factor, etc. were used to get it there. With our in-house sheet metal shop we're lucky if they get within .125" of any dimension on the print.  With jobs that need more precision, we send them out to a sheet metal fabrication shop and let their engineers change the numbers until they like them.

My curiosity with using equations in SW had more to do with having a parametric sheet metal part that would always be the same height, width, etc. independent of the bend radius or thickness used.

That being said, I don't deal with sheet metal all that much. It only comes up once in a while. I know little to nothing about the art and science that is sheet metal bending.

RE: Using equations to control bend radius in sheet metal.

Quote (retatton):

With jobs that need more precision, we send them out to a sheet metal fabrication shop and let their engineers change the numbers until they like them.
Good for you.  Some don't agree, but I don't want to do business with any sheet metal shop that can't develop their own flats.

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