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Inventor 2008 Sheet Metal Design

Student Guide

Revision 1.0

November 2007


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11

Chapter 1Introduction to Sheet Metal Modeling

Autodesk Inventors sheet metal environment enables you to create features that arespecific to the sheet metal modeling process. This chapter introduces you to some ofthe tools and terminology used to create these types of parts.

This chapter introduces:

Sheet Metal ConceptsSheet Metal TerminologySheet Metal EnvironmentViewing Sheet Metal Models

Sheet Metal Design Process


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Introduction to Sheet Metal Modeling

2007. Do not duplicate. 13

1.1 Sheet Metal Concepts

Uses for Sheet

Metal

Components

The sheet metal application in Autodesk Inventor enables you toeffectively capture design intent while creating sheet metal parts. Anexample is shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11

You can design components within the sheet metal environment.Keep the following in mind:

Create features specific to the sheet metal manufacturing process

Design a sheet metal model within the context of an assembly sothat all 3D information is present.

Create different instances of the model to use at different times orfor varied situations.

Extract information, and establish dimensional and geometriccontrols that are beneficial to the manufacturing process.

Generate views andinformation to document the design of sheetmetal parts.


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14 ASCENT - Center for Technical Knowledge

Similarities to

Solid Models

The creation of a sheet metal model is similar to the creation of a solidpart in the following ways:

Considering the order inwhich the part is bent orcut during fabrication is

equally important toconsidering the designintent in sheet metal.

Sheet metal models are feature-based.

Sheet metal parts can include sketched and placed features.

Individual sheet metal features (e.g., faces, flanges, bends, folds,hems, cuts, and holes) are created in sequence and reference oneanother, resulting in parent-child feature relationships.

Reference geometry can be created when adding certain types offeatures, such as flanges, or holes, just as extrusions and cuts canreference other features on solid parts.

Depth options can use named parameters and equations.

Differences from

Solid Models

The creation of a sheet metal model is different from the creation of asolid part in the following ways:

Sheet metal parts have a constant thickness.

Radii and bend relief sizes are generally consistent within a part.

Flat patterns can be created for manufacturing drawings.

Features can be added to a flat pattern but do not appear on themodel in the folded state.

Several simple sheet metal parts are shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12


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1.2 Sheet Metal Terminology

It is helpful to become familiar with some of the standard terminologyused in sheet metal design. Figure 13 shows a part with a few of thefeatures labelled.

Figure 13

Sheet Metal

Features

Various sheet metal features can be produced (such as a hems,flanges, cut-outs, holes, and punches).

Styles Sheet metal stylesinclude settings such as material thickness, defaultbend radius, and type of bend relief for a part. Much of the styleinformation is stored in standard parameters.

Face

Flange

Bend Hole

Cut


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Face A sheet metal Face feature is a flat area of the sheet metal model. It iscreated from a closed loopsketch profile with thickness added. Itsfinal shape is controlled by the shape of the closed sketch and otherfeatures that are attached to (or removed from) it.

Inventors Face command creates planar (flat) sheet metal features,which are often the building blocks for sheet metal parts. Faces can

have a simple rectangular profile, as shown on the left of Figure 14,or a more complex profile as shown on the right.

Figure 14

Flange A standard Flange feature is a type of secondary planar feature addedto a sheet metal part. When you create a flange, Inventor also createsa Bend feature between the flange and the face feature that the flangeis built on. A flange can be added to a single edge of a face, or to anedge loop on a face. Figure 15 shows a face with two flanges added.

Figure 15

Contour Flange AContour Flange feature is a feature created from an open loopsketch profile. Inventor extrudes the profile to create a surface and

then adds thickness to turn it into a sheet metal feature. Contourflanges can be used as either base features or secondary features.They are often used to create a rolled feature or multiple flanges on asheet metal part.


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Figure 16 shows a part made from an open loop sketch on the left,which is turned into a contour flange on the right.

Figure 16

Holes and Cuts Hole and Cut features remove material, similar to the methods used insolid models, as shown in Figure 17. Cuts require a closed loopsketch to define the profile of the cut.

Figure 17

Hem Adding a Hem feature creates a folded edge along sheet metal edgesto strengthen the part, and/or to eliminate sharp edges. Four standardhem styles are shown in Figure 18.

Figure 18

Open loopsketch

Single Double TeardropRolled


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Fold To create a Fold feature, sketch a straight folding line on an existingmetal face, as shown in Figure 19. The fold becomes a dependantfeature of the face.

Figure 19

Corner Seam Corner Seamfeatures create an overlap or a gap at the intersection oftwo or three faces. Examples with a gap and overlap are shown inFigure 110.

Figure 110

Bend You can add a Bend feature between two sheet metal faces that areparallel or at an angle to each other. A bend is a feature that isdependant on two existing faces. It alters the length of a face, ifnecessary, so that the two faces can meet at the bend, as shown inFigure 111.

Figure 111

Sketch line

for fold

Fold feature

Corner seam

with gap

between faces

Corner seam

with overlap

between faces

Face2

Face 1

Face 2 extended to

added bend feature


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Bend Relief Bend Relief features are defined to enable bends to be fabricated. Insome cases, they remove material to enable clearance betweenedges. Figure 112 shows straight, round, and tearstyle bend reliefsapplied on the three flanges from left to right.

Figure 112

Flat Pattern Flat Patternfeatures are used to provide information about a partbefore bending and other manufacturing processes as shown in

Figure 113.

Figure 113


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1.3 Sheet Metal Environment

Autodesk Inventor includes tools specifically used for creating sheetmetal parts. Figure 114 shows Inventors user interface with thesheet metal application active. After creating a sketch for your base

feature, you can add faces, contour flanges, cuts, folds, and otherfeatures.

Figure 114


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Sheet Metal

Tools

After you create a sketch for your base feature, the sheet metalfeature tools are available in the Sheet Metal Features panel bar andin the Sheet Metal toolbar, as shown in Figure 115.

Figure 115

The sheet metal application includes several tools that should befamiliar from working with features in solid parts (such as Hole, WorkPlane, and Pattern). Also included are tools specific to sheet metalfabrication (such as Face, Flange, Fold, and Corner Seam).


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1.4 Viewing Sheet Metal Models

As with solid models, you can view sheet metal models in shaded,hidden edges displayed, or wireframe display, as shown inFigure 116. Use the display icons in the Inventor Standard toolbar.

Figure 116

Redefining the

Default

Isometric View

If the Isometric view already established in the model file is not theview you prefer, it can become tedious to constantly rotate the modelto different positions. You can use the Redefine Isometric option toset a different Isometric view position as the default.

Use the following steps to redefine the default Isometric view:

1. Select the (Free Rotate) icon to spin the model to the viewyou want to use as the new default.

2. While still in Free Rotate, right-click and select Common View.

3. Select the green arrow closest to the center of the CommonView box. The model rotates to an Isometric view.

4. Right-click and select Redefine Isometric. (The option is grayedout if the current view is already the defined Isometric view.)

5. Exit the Rotate/Common View command and save the model.

Shaded Hidden Edges Displayed Wireframe


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Figure 117 shows the process of redefining the Isometric view.

Figure 117

1. Default Isometric

view3. Right-click and select

Common View.

4. Select green arrow closest to

center of common view.

2. Rotate closer to

a view you

prefer.

5. Right-click and select

Redefine Isometric.


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1.5 Sheet Metal Design Process

The process of creating sheet metal models is similar to the processof creating solid part models. Individual features are created insequence and reference one another, resulting in parent-child

relationships.

When modeling a sheetmetal part, remember thatthe part always has aconsistent wall thickness.

To start a new sheet metal part, select the icon in the InventorStandard toolbar, or click File>New in the pull-down menu. Select the

Sheet Metal.ipt template ( ). Several sheet metal templatesare available in the Default, English, and Metrictabs of the New Filedialog box.

Use the following steps to create a new sheet metal part:

1. Start a new part using the sheet metal template (IPT) file.

You can also convert asolid part into a sheetmetal part by clickingConvert > Sheet Metal.

2. Define the sheet metal style parameters as needed.

3. Create the base feature.

4. Add secondary features (such as flanges, hems, and cut-outs).

5. Create the flat pattern if needed.

6. Create the deliverables (drawings).


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Exercise 1a Opening a Sheet Metal Model I

In this exercise, you use the Inventor sheet metal environment andtools to identify sheet metal features.

Goal After you complete this exercise, you will be able to:

Open a sheet metal modelIdentify sheet metal features in the browserIdentify parent-child feature relationshipsView the model in alternate visual styles

Task 1: Open a sheet metal model.

1. Open sm_door_bell_base.ipt. The part appears as shown inFigure 118.

Figure 118

The End of Folded icon is placed just below Flange1 andBend1.

Task 2: Identify sheet metal features in the browser.

1. Drag the End of Folded icon through the individual features inthe browser, stopping in the browser under each feature to seehow the sheet metal part was created (you might need to rotatethe model to see the features).


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2. When the End of Folded icon is at the bottom of all the features,the part displays a variety of bends, folds, cuts, and faces, asshown in Figure 119 .

Figure 119

3. Expand Face1 in the browser, and click on the sketch to see itssketch dimensions.

4. Expand each of the four Flange features to see that each onehas a Bend feature as a dependent (child) feature.

5. Hover the mouse over Face5 in the browser and notice that thecorresponding feature highlights in the model.

Task 3: Identify parent-child feature relationships.

1. Right-click on Flange2 in the browser and suppress the feature.

Select in the Warning dialog box. Inventorautomatically suppresses Bend2 because it is a child feature ofFlange2.

2. Unsuppress Flange2.


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3. Suppress Bend9 in the browser. A Warning dialog box appears,as shown in Figure 120.

Figure 120

4. Select . The part is still displayed but the bend featurebetween Face4 and Cut2 is suppressed.

5. Unsuppress Bend9.

Task 4: View the model in alternate visual styles.

1. Use the viewing tools to spin the model to the approximateposition shown in Figure 121.

Figure 121

2. Change the display to hidden edges displayed and towireframe. The model appears as shown in Figure 122.

Figure 122


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Task 5: Save the file.

1. Save and close the file.

Task 6: Review a second simple model.

1. Open sm_endplate.ipt, shown in Figure 123. Review thefeatures in the sheet metal browser.

Figure 123

2. Rotate the part.

3. Change the view to wireframe.

4. Close the part without saving.


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Review Questions

Question 1 Describe two basic methods of creating a sheet metal part.

Question 2 Describe two typical characteristics of a sheet metal part.

Question 3 Sheet metal parts are feature-based. True or False?

Question 4 Describe a Face feature.

Question 5 What are Flat Pattern features used for?

Question 6 List four types of sheet metal features.

Question 7 In what way is a Fold feature different from a Bend feature, regardinghow many faces it is dependant on?


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