Scribd
Upload
544 views4 pages

Autodesk Inventor - Projecting Geometry in Sheet Metal Parts

his is a continuation of my uploads of any Autodesk Inventor tutorial file that I lay my hands on. Most of these files are from Autodesk skill builder site. Datasets are meant to be downloaded for most of the tutorials here. So kindly go to http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/autoindex? siteID=123112&id=3365505&linkID=9242016. Browse through the index to located the corresponding tutorial there. Kindly subscribe to my profile to receive updates. You can join Autodesk student community, Autodesk University, and Autodesk Manufacturing community. If you have comments email me at [email protected]. Hope to hear from you.

Uploaded by

Ndianabasi Udonkang
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
544 views4 pages

Autodesk Inventor - Projecting Geometry in Sheet Metal Parts

his is a continuation of my uploads of any Autodesk Inventor tutorial file that I lay my hands on. Most of these files are from Autodesk skill builder site. Datasets are meant to be downloaded for most of the tutorials here. So kindly go to http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/autoindex? siteID=123112&id=3365505&linkID=9242016. Browse through the index to located the corresponding tutorial there. Kindly subscribe to my profile to receive updates. You can join Autodesk student community, Autodesk University, and Autodesk Manufacturing community. If you have comments email me at [email protected]. Hope to hear from you.

Uploaded by

Ndianabasi Udonkang
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Autodesk - Autodesk Inventor Services & Support - Projecting Geometr... http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=233149...

Projecting Geometry in Sheet Metal Parts


By Neil Munro

In the last Autodesk Point A Toplines newsletter, we examined methods for projecting existing edges and other geometry to a feature
sketch within the same part. Now let's look at an Autodesk Inventor 4 tool that projects geometry in sheet-metal parts.

There are a number of enhancements to the sheet-metal tools in Autodesk Inventor 4. One of these is the ability to cut complex shapes
across a bend. To get started, let's create a sheet-metal part.

Creating a Sheet-Metal Part


1. Start a new sheet-metal part.

2. Sketch and dimension a 4-inch by 8-inch (100mm x 200mm) rectangle.

3. Click the Face tool on the Sheet Metal Panel Bar and select OK to create a sheet-metal face.

4. Click the Flange tool on the Sheet Metal Panel Bar and add a 2.5-inch (65mm) flange at 45 degrees to the long edge as shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1: Sheet-metal face and flange.

5. Add a second 2.5-inch (65mm) flange to create the stepped part shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Second flange.

When you create a sketch that extends across a bend, the sketch geometry can wrap around the bend (or bends) when you create a
sheet-metal Cut feature. Because the cut will remove material on more than one face, you may need to create geometric or dimensional
constraints between the sketch geometry and features or edges on any of the affected faces. That's where the Project Flat Pattern tool
comes in.

Project Flat Pattern Tool


1. Click the top surface of the original face and Enter "S" to start a new sketch. You will create a sketch that will cut through all three
faces.

1 of 4 1/21/2010 6:38 PM
Autodesk - Autodesk Inventor Services & Support - Projecting Geometr... http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=233149...

Figure 3: Sketch face selection.

2. In the Sketch Panel Bar, click the down arrow next to the Project Geometry tool and select the Project Flat Pattern tool.

Figure 4: Project Flat


Pattern tool icon.

You need to know the following rules for projecting flat pattern geometry:

If you plan to project flat pattern geometry, you must start the sketch on a part face, not on a work plane.
You must click a face to project the flat pattern of that face and all geometry linking it to the sketch face.
You must select a face that is on the same side of the sheet-metal stock as the sketch face.
The selected face must be joined to the sketch face through one or more bends.

3. Click the lower face parallel to the sketch face. The flat pattern of the unfolded part is projected onto the sketch. Use the Orbit tool to
examine the projected geometry.

Figure 5: Face selection (above) and projected flat pattern


(bottom).

The Cut Across Bend Option


1. Sketch a shape that has edges crossing the bends at an angle. Use the sketch shown in Figure 6 as an example. Note that you can
dimension and constrain to the projected flat pattern.

2 of 4 1/21/2010 6:38 PM
Autodesk - Autodesk Inventor Services & Support - Projecting Geometr... http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=233149...

Figure 6: Sketch dimensioned to projected flat pattern edge.

2. Switch to an isometric view and Enter "S" to complete the sketch. In the Sheet Metal Panel Bar, click the Cut tool and select the
profiles inside the circles and the tapered profiles that cross the bends.

Tip: To see a preview of the wrapped cut, click inside the Extents edit box (the one containing "Thickness") before you select the Cut
Across Bend option.

Figure 7: Preview of wrapped cut.

3. Ensure that the Cut Across Bend option is checked in the Cut dialog box.

4. Click OK to complete the cut.

3 of 4 1/21/2010 6:38 PM
Autodesk - Autodesk Inventor Services & Support - Projecting Geometr... http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=233149...

Figure 8: Cut complete: Folded model and flat


pattern.

Use the Project Flat Pattern tool whenever you need to reference unfolded geometry in a sheet-metal sketch.

Note: The flat pattern updates to match changes to the underlying features. Your sketch retains any defined relationships to the
projected flat pattern geometry and updates to match.

Conclusion
The Project Flat Pattern tool enables you to reference unfolded sheet-metal features while building a sheet-metal part in its folded state.
During manufacturing, feature cuts are usually created on flat stock prior to bending. Use projected flat pattern geometry to include
required reference geometry when a cut crosses one or more bends.

Copyright 2010 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

4 of 4 1/21/2010 6:38 PM

You might also like