Convert a tube to sheet metal.

jurjen_vellinga

Hello, I would like to be able to convert a square tube to sheet metal.

This way I can see how the tube is actually laser cut, and prevent unnecessary extra processing time.

Is there a way to do this in Onshape at this moment?

I've added example pictures of a part I generated using Solidworks.

wayne_sauder

@jurjen_vellinga
Here is a sample of the approach I would use, but there are many different ways of doing it. 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/62ba33f82d66fb22d88416ae/w/a10f9c09f877a2b016a23669/e/978c87141c5820d5283c438d

 

wayne_sauder

@jurjen_vellinga
You will have to create a small slit running the length of the tube to convert it. 

jurjen_vellinga

wayne_sauder said:

@jurjen_vellinga
You will have to create a small slit running the length of the tube to convert it. 

Tried this by creating a open tube as a sheet metal part.

What I need Left, Onshape right.

The way I cut these parts in SW

Cutting it these ways did not work.

wayne_sauder

@jurjen_vellinga
Here is a sample of the approach I would use, but there are many different ways of doing it. 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/62ba33f82d66fb22d88416ae/w/a10f9c09f877a2b016a23669/e/978c87141c5820d5283c438d

 

jurjen_vellinga

Managed to get Onshape to do what I want how I want it.

I had to exclude a lot of faces making the process overly complicated. Because the part cant unfold (like tubes cant) I get a warning.

Left = Sketch(inner and outer region) + extrude/add + extrude/remove +sheetmetal/convert(exclude all upper, lower and inner faces + change direction)

Middle=[SW part] Sketch(outer region) + Extrude/Thin Feature + Cut + Convert(collect bends)

Right=Sketch(outer region) + Sheetmetal(change direction) + extrude/remove (result was failure not 45deg)

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/603eaf87409770bab1e61253/w/1e7ebe9a37597a01a90dfb50/e/2413e050bf830dcc5daada85?renderMode=0&uiState=618d0a1938915a3cb221cdad

jurjen_vellinga

wayne_sauder said:

@jurjen_vellinga
Here is a sample of the approach I would use, but there are many different ways of doing it. 
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/62ba33f82d66fb22d88416ae/w/a10f9c09f877a2b016a23669/e/978c87141c5820d5283c438d

 

Thanks this is by far the best method I have found.

emagdalenaC2i

Here you can see other way to do that

jurjen_vellinga

emagdalenaC2i said:

Here you can see other way to do that

Nice method because it preserves the original length. The downfall is it produces the perpendicular extra bit of steel I would like to prevent having. SolidWorks produces that bit as well.

Making the "Extrude_remove" sketch like this prevents this behavior. But is there another way?

Because of topological naming of surfaces this method is not usable for a highly configurable part because you would have to keep re-selecting surfaces in the sheet metal model.

I've made an example configurable rectangular tube with the method posted by @Wayne_Saunder.

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/a6edf49cb682477a85d671fd/w/7a45fc6abdc701e60cae30a5/e/3f56e8c549b398386c9a8a4b?configuration=List_6XZ8bsBAE16NIt%3DCopy_of_Default&renderMode=0&uiState=618faf85dba496770cadf0e2