Tubing flat pattern

Lavon

Is there a way to draw this piece in Onshape so that I can get a flat pattern? In Solid works I can draw it just like this and get a "flat pattern" which is the tube straightened out. I would need this straightened out version for the CNC tubing laser.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/3070f7c6b220eba34f22cb5d/w/1fa4cd3977282aa4f3595489/e/968883abff1eda9302d5700b

lana

@Lavon
You need to have a split some-where. Would this https://cad.onshape.com/documents/d9c5c8cfb5c67ff48deb4f8a/w/cbd4e6f89e8f7b1544b3bc0f/e/2606ad6366f0099fbfcca1f1  work for you?

Lavon

No, it would have to be closed. Guess Onshape just can't do that.

mlaflecheCAD

@Lavon I might be missing something here, you need a seam.  SolidWorks does too, and in real-life there needs to be a seam that is welded.  You can choose for the seam to be near the bend or in the middle.  Here is how to do it.  Simply move the top or bottom faces before the mirror back to a small gap.  https://cad.onshape.com/documents/401fd49f0830c92c6f088e3e/w/863944394d47754936022dae/e/81a107bb6dececfc1dd1fbfc

Lavon

@mlaflecheCAD thanks for the response.

Let me clarify that this part is actually not sheet metal, it is rectangular tubing. Drawing it up as a sheet metal part allows me to have a flat pattern.

Solidworks can in fact do this, by suppressing all the "flatten bends" features under the "Flat pattern" in the tree except the 2 that are too be unfolded.This flat pattern is needed for a CNC tubing laser or plasma.

 

Honestly though, this is not needed very often and it's not a big deal if it's not available.

mlaflecheCAD

@lavon got it.  Thank you.  Makes sense now.  Still might able able to be done. give me a few minutes,  I am thinking if we add a move face, with a rotation, we can flatten the tube.

mlaflecheCAD

@Lavon I think I got it pretty close. Made it easy to flap back and forth with configurable checkbox managing the transform feature:  https://cad.onshape.com/documents/401fd49f0830c92c6f088e3e/w/863944394d47754936022dae/e/a5300d2cdf3086ab66c12469

Lavon

@mlaflecheCAD that's really close! The problem is that in the flattened config it would need to be one part else the laser would cut it into 3 pieces, whereas the top side is still supposed to be connected.

wayne_sauder

I realize that this is probably not an acceptable workaround but I have done things like this to fool the system while having no noticeable effect on the finished part. Just an idea.
 https://cad.onshape.com/documents/414cfeb061b17ebe62a44490/w/7fb34d697b3f6b914887e458/e/c5cfe7539f087efb66ebad56

gabriel_grant

wayne_sauder said:

I realize that this is probably not an acceptable workaround but I have done things like this to fool the system while having no noticeable effect on the finished part. Just an idea.
 https://cad.onshape.com/documents/414cfeb061b17ebe62a44490/w/7fb34d697b3f6b914887e458/e/c5cfe7539f087efb66ebad56

@wayne_sauder , but I don't seem to be able to load that document. Is it public?

wayne_sauder

 @gabriel_grant
@Lavon   I'm sorry it was not, I just made it public so try again. 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/414cfeb061b17ebe62a44490/w/7fb34d697b3f6b914887e458/e/c5cfe7539f087efb66ebad56