AUTODESK INVENTOR

® ®

Trial Projects
Sheet Metal Design
Design a sheet metal bracket
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 2

1. 2.

In Inventor, click the ‘Projects’ icon in the ribbon. Navigate to Select ‘File’ and choose ‘New’ from the ribbon menu. In the
where you saved the files and select Assembly, Cartridge Body. dialog, select the ‘Metric’ folder and choose ‘Sheet Metal (mm).
ipj. Then open the file Assembly, Cartridge Body.iam. ipt’ as the template.

3. 4.

In the ribbon, select ‘Sheet Metal Defaults’. In the dialog, uncheck ‘Use Thickness from Rule’ and enter
1.17mm as the thickness value. Change the material to
‘Stainless Steel.’ Select ‘OK’ to set the defaults.
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 3

5. 6.

Right click in the model window to open the marking menu. Select the ‘X-Y’ plane as the sketch plane.
Select ‘New Sketch’.

7. 8.

In the sketch view, right click to open the marking menu. Click the origin point to start the line and then move your
Select ‘Create Line’. cursor to the right. Before you click the end point, type 62.5mm
into the dynamic dimensioning box.
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 4

9. 10.

Click to set the end point of the line then move your cursor Continue to draw lines (without adding dimensions) to create
up. Type 18.5mm into the dynamic dimensioning box. Click to the rough shape as shown. Ending on the origin point will
create the vertical line. complete the line segment, then right click and select ‘OK’.

11. 12.

Right click and select ‘General Dimension’. Select the left Repeat the process to add a 46.5mm dimension to the top
vertical line segment and click to place the dimension. Type in horizontal line segment. The sketch is now fully constrained so
32.5mm and touch ‘Enter’ on your keyboard to finish. click the green check mark in the ribbon to ‘Finish Sketch’.
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 5

13. 14.

Right click and select the ‘Face’ command from the marking The outline will auto-select since it is the only profile available.
menu. Click ‘OK’ with the default settings to create the base 3D
geometry.

15. 16.

In the top toolbar, click the ‘Appearance’ drop down menu. Save the part as SMB.ipt and close the part window.
Select ‘Sky Blue Medium’ to help distinguish this part.
Note: If this color is not available, change the library at the bottom of the drop-down
menu to ‘Autodesk Appearance Library’.
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 6

17. 18.

Inside the Assembly, Cartridge Body.iam assembly, right click Click to place the part roughly as shown. Right click and select
and select ‘Place Component’. Select the SMB.ipt file you just ‘OK’ to finish placement.
saved and select ‘Open’.

19. 20.

Right click and select ‘Constraint’ from the marking menu. Select the two faces of the parts as shown. Type 0.5mm as the
Select the top face of the bracket and the inside face of the offset distance and in the ‘Solution’ section of the dialog select
motor as shown. Hit ‘Apply’ to create the first constraint. ‘Flush’. Hit ‘Apply’ to create the constraint.
PART 1: CREATE BASE GEOMETRY page: 7

21.

Rotate the model to view the bottom edge of the part. Select
the two faces shown and use enter 3.5mm for the offset,
continuing to use the ‘Flush’ constraint. Hit ‘OK’.
Note: You may need to enter -3.5mm as the offset depending on the order you
click the faces. The bracket should be higher than the yellow face shown.
PART 2: ADDING FLANGES page: 8

1. 2.

Right click and select ‘Measure’ from the marking menu. To Double click the bracket to make the model editable.
determine the length of the flanges, measure from the outside
edge of the bracket to inside edge of the part as shown.

3. 4.

Right click and select ‘Flange’ from the marking menu. Select Enter the measured distance, 13.57mm, in the ‘Height Extents’
the edge as shown. field and then expand the dialog by clicking the double arrows
next to the ‘Apply’ button.
PART 2: ADDING FLANGES page: 9

5. 6.

Change the ‘Width Extents’ type to ‘Width’ and enter 18mm. Click ‘Apply’ on the dialog to create the first flange. To start the
Select the ‘Offset’ button, enter 21.5mm in the field, and then second flange, select the edge as shown.
click the arrow to select the face of the part as shown.

7. 8.

Use the ‘Flip Direction’ button in the dialog (if necessary) to Configure the flange using the values and options for the
make sure the new flange is in the correct orientation. ‘Height Extents’ and ‘Width Extents’ as shown. Click ‘Apply’ to
create the flange.
PART 2: ADDING FLANGES page: 10

9. 10.

To start the next flange, click the edge as shown (flip if Again use 13.57mm for the ‘Height Extents’ and change the
necessary). ‘Width Extents’ as shown. Click the arrow to select the face of
the bracket as shown for the offset (flip if necessary).

11. 12.

Select ‘Apply’ in the dialog to create the flange. Then select the Configure the flange using the values and options for the
edge as shown (flip if necessary). ‘Height Extents’ and ‘Width Extents’ as shown. Select the face
shown for the offset reference. Click ‘OK’.
PART 2: ADDING FLANGES page: 11

13. 14.

For the final flange, restart the ‘Flange’ command from the Change the ‘Flange Angle’ to 0 and configure the ‘Height
marking menu and select the edge as shown. Extents’ and ‘Width Extents’ as shown. Select the red
highlighted face for the offset reference (flip if necessary).

15. 16.

Hit ‘OK’ to complete the flange. Then select ‘Return’ in the In the model browser, click to edit the ‘Flush:27 (0.500 mm)’
ribbon menu to exit the editing environment and reactivate the constraint to be -0.100 mm so the locator flange is aligned
entire assembly. correctly in the assembly.
PART 3: CUTOUTS AND THREADED HOLES page: 12

1. 2.

Double click the flange to re-enter the editing environment. Right click and select ‘New Sketch’ from the marking menu.
Select the face as shown highlighted as the sketch plane.

3. 4.

Right click and select ‘Project Geometry’ from the marking Start the ‘Center Point Circle’ from the marking menu. Select
menu. Select the highlighted circular feature as shown. Right the center point of the projected geometry and enter 9.5mm in
click again and select ‘OK’. the dynamic dimension box and hit ‘Enter’. Right click and ‘OK’.
PART 3: CUTOUTS AND THREADED HOLES page: 13

5. 6.

Click the green check in the ribbon to finish the sketch. Select Create another new sketch on the same face as before. Start
‘Cut’ from the marking menu and pick both circles in the sketch the ‘Project Geometry’ command from the marking menu and
as the ‘Profile’ and select ‘OK’. pick the circular feature shown. Right click and select ‘OK’.

7. 8.

Right click and select ‘Finish 2D Sketch’. In the ribbon, start the Pick the center point of the circle in the sketch and change the
‘Hole’ command. hole diameter in the dialog to 3.98mm. Select ‘OK’ to create the
hole.
PART 3: CUTOUTS AND THREADED HOLES page: 14

9. 10.

Click on the highlighted surface shown and then select ‘Create Start the ‘Project Geometry’ command from the marking menu.
Sketch’ from the pop-up menu. Select the two circular features highlighted above. Right click
and select ‘Finish 2D Sketch’.

11. 12.

Restart the ‘Hole’ command from the ribbon. Select the center- Click on the highlighted surface shown and then select ‘Create
points of the two circles in the sketch. Set the hole settings as Sketch’ from the pop-up menu.
shown. Click ‘OK’ to create the threaded holes.
PART 3: CUTOUTS AND THREADED HOLES page: 15

13. 14.

Rotate the model to view the back of the bracket. Start the Restart the ‘Hole’ command from the ribbon. Select the center-
‘Project Geometry’ command and select the two circular points of the two circles in the sketch. Use the same threaded
features highlighted. Right click and select ‘Finish 2D Sketch’. hole settings as before. Click ‘OK’ to create the threaded holes.

15. 16.

Start the ‘Corner Round’ command from the ribbon. Select the edges as shown above and change the radius to
1mm. Click ‘OK’. In the ribbon, select ‘Return’ to finish editing
and save and close the files.
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