Folding Sheet Metal Inventor

Autodesk inventor webinar series.

Folding sheet metal inventor.

Click the bend line to use for the fold. Use the fold angle to set the bend angle and the bend radius to override the radius set by the sheet metal styles if required. 3d cad files are converted into machine code which controls a machine to precisely cut and form the sheets into the final part. Creating a chart with your standard values is a key component of speeding up this process.

A fold on a sheet metal face forms about a straight sketched bend line that terminates at face edges. On the ribbon click sheet metal tab create panel fold. Design a sheet metal bracket in this project we ll design a bracket using the sheet metal environment inside inventor for an inkjet printer while in context of the larger assembly. Autodesk inventor allows for converting models to sheet metal.

Unlike the bend flange contour flange or hem features which all add material to the design the fold feature does not add material. Unfortunately sheet metal bending is not always going to be the same in every shop. Many software packages like solid works inventor and solid edge will let you incorporate a bend allowance chart into its calculations when developing flat patterns. In fold location click one of the following to specify.

Rule 1 you must have a consistent thickness. The advantage to using folds over flanges is no material is added by adding. Let s start with the rules of sheet metal. Before you begin download the step by step guide pdf.

Total project time approximately 20 minutes. Click the bend line to use for the fold. Specify the location of the fold line. Use fold location to set what the sketched bend line represents the start of the bend the end of the bend or the centerline of the bend.

Click to indicate whether the line defines the centerline start or end of the bend. Use the fold command to fold a sheet metal face about a sketched line. Which means regardless where the model geometry originates you can convert it to sheet metal add sheet metal features and generate the flat pattern. Autodesk inventor webinar series.