

I’ll create a new plane perpendicular to the front plane and coincident with the angled line. I am going to create a centre line at an angle of 9 degrees to the horizontal, which is half the segment angle. The lobster back will form the arc in 18-degree segments. I’ll place down a horizontal line, this represents the start point of my lobster back. I need a circle, this represents the centreline of the arc the lobster back will run through. Knowing the K-factor will also allow you to create a tighter sheet metal bend.įollow this step-by-step tutorial to learn how to convert to sheet metal in SOLIDWORKS.We’ll begin by creating some reference geometry on the front plane. The K-factor is essential because it shows the base value you’ll need to calculate the amount of elongation and the bend deduction. The type of material and the bend radius to the thickness of the material will give unique K-factors. The K-factor in sheet metal is a ratio determined by the sheet’s thickness divided by the neutral axis. You can also easily create custom SOLIDWORKS bend tables to control bend allowance, bend deduction, and K-factor.

This chart provides bend radii and sizes for different materials and tool combinations. At a minimum, keep the SOLIDWORKS bend radius equal to the sheet metal thickness to prevent fracturing the sheet.įinding the real minimum SOLIDWORKS sheet metal bend usually requires a comprehensive understanding of the metal being shaped. The two most significant factors that affect how tight you can make a sheet metal bend are:įor the most part, the harder and thicker the sheet metal is, the more room you will have to bend without snapping the metal.

To do this, you’ll need to take into account how tight you can make a SOLIDWORKS sheet metal bend.

As a result, engineers must account for their design’s dimensions and shape and carefully review their final product. How to find the minimum bend radius of sheet metalĬreating a design using sheet metal is an unexpectedly fragile process. Or, in either the FeatureManager or the cut list, right click the Flat-Pattern feature and click Unsuppress.Or, in the cut list, right click the body and click Flatten.In the FeatureManager design tree, select the part and click Flatten in the Sheet Metal toolbar.There are three ways to flatten sheet metal in SOLIDWORKS: Or, click on a bend face to manually select individual bends in the graphics area. Select the Collect All Bends button to unfold all the bends.Set a Fixed Face by selecting the face you want to keep in place in the graphics area.From the Sheet Metal toolbar, select Unfold.Or, manually select the bends in the graphics area. Select the Collect All Bends button to fold each bend.Set the Fixed Face by selecting the face you want to keep in place in the graphics area.From the Sheet Metal toolbar, select Fold.
