how create a flat drawing from a curve part studio to water jet or laser cut?

lenin_hercules

I have some parts that are half round parts with a pipe going trough and some parts with lips that need to folded after cutting out. So in short simply flat curve parts and parts with angles to have it accurately water jet or laser cut to be folded and or curve after. Does anyone know how to do that? 

Dylan_Stewart

There is an app in the app store called ExactFlat. 

I believe that is what you have to use.

philip_thomas

Based on your brief description of the geometry, simple sheet metal functionality would do what you're looking for. 
This is an exceptionally important workflow that we would be remiss if we were not working on it!

So - that's a vote for sheet metal then?

chris_8

philip_thomas said:

Based on your brief description of the geometry, simple sheet metal functionality would do what you're looking for. 
This is an exceptionally important workflow that we would be remiss if we were not working on it!

So - that's a vote for sheet metal then?

What if we changed that term slightly to  Sheet Material?  I use OS for making DXFs to be exported to my laser cutter, so I may cut textile shapes.   It's not much different from sheet metal, so why limit the scope to flat sheet metal parts?

brucebartlett

I also think there is a need for a flattening tool. This could be useful for parts that are formed from any flat material including wood, glass, plastic's, metal or fabrics. The flat extract app tool sort of does this but I'd be keen to get this functionally as a feature in Onshape. Maybe even something somebody smarter than me could do with Feature Script.

To be clear though this is not sheetmetal bend's and roll's and form's to this specific industry but just flattening a selection of curved face's to a plane to establish the a flat profile which can be use in a multitude of different applications. 

3dcad

And while expanding cad to other sheets than metal you could think of behavior when thin veneer sheets are glued together to make thicker panel and when that bends the heads will be shorter on outside radius.. not exactly my concern today but might be someday when veneer processing machinery reaches the flexibility what we need.

paul_stephenson

sheet material would be even better than sheet metal, I need and use SW sheet metal ALL the time. But one thing SW can't do if flatten 3D forms (plastic deformation beyond a simple bend). This would be very useful addition for elastic materials like plastics and non-linear textiles, 3D formed sheet metal etc. Until sheet metal or sheet material is included, OnShape is just a novel toy/concept.