Sheet metal pattern along a curve

AnthonyKM

I'm trying to create a sheet metal part with a serrated bottom edge. 


Some things I've tried:
- Extrude cut the tooth shape and feature pattern along the bottom curve. This doesn't rebuild. 
- Linear pattern the tooth on each face as separate sketch (right, back, and left) and extrude cut each face. Sort of works but not exactly what I'm looking for since no tooth can exist along the bend. It only re-builds where sketch is normal to the face. 
- Extrude a tooth as a part, and make a part pattern along the bottom curve, boolean the parts into one. As can be seen above this wont work either, but does show what i'm trying to do. 

Here is what the current flat  pattern looks like:


This is what I'm trying to get (sketch is where the teeth would be cut). 

Some work around's I've thought of:

- Change the face that has the serrated teeth so that they are not a continuous plane but 3 separate flanges. 


- Export the flat pattern as DXF, import the DXF file, create a new sketch and add in the new tooth profile. 
Extrude that as flat, and export the new DXF path for manufacturing. 


I suppose a feature request out of this would be having the ability to edit in the flat pattern view of sheet metal. 
It would make this type of feature very simple to do. 

Interested in anyone's thoughts or comments here. 

lana

@anth0ny_marin0
Thank you for the use case. Ability to edit sheet metal flat pattern is on the list of improvements.
You can get the flat pattern you need now in a round-about way. Besides  the dxf export-import approach you've described, you could inset the flat pattern into an assembly, then create a in-context part studio, copy in place the flat pattern, edit it in that part studio. This way you have some associativity with the sheet metal model should you need to modify it.

lana

Thank you for great examples.

john_mcclary

Sounds like you need sketched bend.
Please add your vote to this improvement request
https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/6414/sketch-bend-line

lana

@anth0ny_marin0
Thank you for the use case. Ability to edit sheet metal flat pattern is on the list of improvements.
You can get the flat pattern you need now in a round-about way. Besides  the dxf export-import approach you've described, you could inset the flat pattern into an assembly, then create a in-context part studio, copy in place the flat pattern, edit it in that part studio. This way you have some associativity with the sheet metal model should you need to modify it.

brucebartlett

Hi @lana, just to keep you busy I have 3 requests around these kinds of problems. If you can solve these you will have some very happy users.

1. If we could sketch on the flat pattern, make a cut and have it roll back into the folded view, I think this would be the perfect solution. I look forward to this functionality and sure you're all over it. 

2. I would also love to be able to sketch fold lines on the flat view and add a bend that rolls into the normal view. This could also work on a part the already folded with flange feature, in SolidWorks I would quite often add a sketch bend on a flange.

3. I'd also love the thicken to be able to act to convert an existing part, flat or even with folds (import from elsewhere) into sheet metal consuming the original part and creating a sheet metal one. It would also be absolutely awesome if you could retain any face references and meta-data on the original part too. 

AnthonyKM

@lana

Thank you for the work around, that did the job.

Looking forward to seeing future sheet metal improvements. 

lana

@anth0ny_marin0

I'm glad it worked for you. It'll be  a little more effort to get the DXF from this flat. You could use drawings.


@brucebartlett , @john_mcclary and any-one interested in sketched bend functionality.
Could you please elaborate on your use cases for sketched bend? I understand the case of imported DXF files with bend centerlines and, presumably, some documentation (bend deductions/allowances, angles, etc.) which you are going to use to create the 3d sheet metal part. What are the use cases for sketched bend as modeling approach.  What is the line you expect to sketch? What are the parameters of this bend? What design intent does it document?

brucebartlett

lana said:

@brucebartlett , @john_mcclary and any-one interested in sketched bend functionality.
Could you please elaborate on your use cases for sketched bend? I understand the case of imported DXF files with bend centerlines and, presumably, some documentation (bend deductions/allowances, angles, etc.) which you are going to use to create the 3d sheet metal part. What are the use cases for sketched bend as modeling approach.  What is the line you expect to sketch? What are the parameters of this bend? What design intent does it document?

This would be my use here, I just want to bend the corner up on a part without changing the profile. 

john_mcclary

@lana

A prime example would be Anthony's problem. You know what your flat pattern "Must" be. But there are no tools "yet" that can solve this unique problem. Rather than trying to create many tools for each situation.

Sketch bend "Should" allow you to bend any flat sheet-metal surface. Regardless of what has been cut into the face. Any deformation caused in the "bent" part would be acceptable, as these deformations are natural in the real world. But what cannot be deformed at all is the flat pattern.

Sometimes it is easier to layout a flat pattern, and then bend it. especially if you have deformations from slots or text.
this is a crude example but:
Here the slot is thru a bend. But you would want the flat pattern to reflect a "normal to" cut extrude into the sheet-metal.
(I know it's crude example but bear with me)

lana

Thank you for great examples.