Sheet Metal functionality

bryan_lagrange

I know this has been discussed but I want to let Onshape designers know I can hear the chant from manufacturers.......WE WANT SHEET METAL! (insert clap clap clap clap clap sound) WE WANT SHEET METAL! (insert clap clap clap clap clap sound)...............Any time frame of this?????

brucebartlett

Sheetmetal is an absolute must, huge gains for manufactures can be made from a good sheetmetal package, not easy to work around with current Onshape setup. Even a simple k-factor unfold of suitably modelled geometry would be a great start. 

Onshape knows the need for this but can't hurt to keep the pressure on. 
It is also the Highest Voted Improvement Request: https://onshape.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/202922330-Sheet-Metal-Features

andy_morris

We hear you! We understand that sheet metal is important functionality.

So how can we make sheet metal awesome in Onshape?
Or, alternatively, what sucks about the sheet metal tools that you use now?
The more we understand about your workflows and challenges the better Onshape will be.

Feel free to post examples here or drop me a mail and we can discuss your requirements.

bryan_lagrange

Basic functionality first (tab, flange, contour flange)

Sketch a bend and have a jog command.

Ability to bend and unbend in design mode to add specific features.

Set material thickness, bend radii, and K factor.

Normal to thickness cutout and hole command.

One button click to create a flat pattern and ability to create a .dxf directly from the flat pattern.

Different types of hem bends.

Add deformation features such as bend gusset, dimple, and louver.

2 corner and 3 corner close options to make water tight seals and the ability to add reliefs, offsets, and cutouts if necessary.

These features would be a good start.

StanislavSpektor

Some of a mechanical engineers like convert to sheet metal from extruded files by options shell thickness.

bryan_lagrange

With convert to sheet metal option  add a rip corner feature.

Having the ability to add a cross break would be nice as well.

bryan_lagrange

When creating a flange the following options would be nice.

Ability to designate bend to the inside, outside, or with an offset.

Ability to set the dimension as either an ID or OD flange length.

Option to select the bend to go:

1) Full width of the edge selected

2) Start from the center of the edge selected and symmetrically place a width

3) Start the flange from either end point of the edge and then set a specific width.

4) Select the edge and then set the width of the edge from both sides that will not contain the flange.

bryan_lagrange

andy_morris pm me and I can get you more feedback if you need. I work at a job shop and we heavily use sheet metal. We use Solid Edge. I have been designing in Edge (mainly sheet metal module) since V7 (not ST7) and about to update to ST8.

shashank_aarya

Sheet metal should have predefined templates based on factors such as thickness, bending radius, bending allowances etc.for respective materials before starting any new sheet metal part. e.g. templates could be (t=2, R=2), (t=3, R=3), (t=2, R=5) etc. where t and R indicates thickness and bend radius. So depending on industrial needs, predefined standard templates should be available. Also user should allow to define the templates as per requirement. This will set default parameters while designing sheet metal part which can be changed during any point of design.
Additionally I would like to suggest options as given in below picture from Creo

viru

• Export flat patterns out as DXF.
• Sheet metal Property managers which help user to create and modify sheet metal parts.
• Sheet-metal options like creating a base flange,Insert bends,Edge flanges, miter flanges, swept flange, Hems, Sketch bends, closed corners should also required.
• Sheet-metal features like converting a shelled solid body to a sheet-metal part, design a sheet-metal part from the flattened state, Combining the different sheet-metal design method also useful to user.
• Forming tools like punch and die creation for sheet-metal
  
• Intelligent sheet metal features like cross brake, dimple, lover, drawn cutout, bead and gusset.
• User defined template to set thickness and bend radius
• Simulation provides scalable finite element capabilities that can be seamlessly upgraded as user requirements grow like Solid Edge.
  

Logan_5

Some of my sheet metal designs start from a finished plate with a finite set of dimensions.  I am struggling to work backwards from a flat plate in OnShape.  Coming from SolidWorks, I can use the bend feature with a sketch on a surface to bend the plate up or down.  Is there a good way to utilize this approach in OS?

brucebartlett

@Logan_5 this is an important improvement I hope it will be added to Onshape soon.  I also would like to create a folded sheet metal model from an existing flat pattern. Vote here https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/6414/sketch-bend-line