BASICS OF SHEET METAL &

USAGE OF NX- SHEET METAL TOOLS IN UNIGRAPHICS

SHEET METAL :

1. Sheet metal involves work pieces with a high ratio of surface area to Thickness.

2. Plates, thickness > 6 mm (¼ inch).

3. Sheets, thickness < 6 mm.

4. Sheet-metal forming processes: 4.1. Shearing. 4.2. Bending. 4.3. Stretching.

5. Typical items produced by sheet-metal forming processes: metal desks, appliance bodies, hubcaps,aircraft panels, beverage cans, car bodies, kitchen utensils.

6. Types of operations : • Punching • Blanking• Die cutting • Perforating• Parting• Notching• Lancing• Fine blanking• Slitting• Nibbling.

BENDING:

• The minimum bend radius is usually stated in terms of sheet’s thickness (ex:2T,3T,4T).

• The minimum bend radius of various materials:

COMMON BENDING OPERATIONS:

• Press brake forming• Air bending• Roller bending• Beading• Flanging• Hemming• Roll forming• Stretch forming• Deep drawing

USAGE OF NX-SHEET METAL TOOLS

Types of tools in NX-Sheet metal:

1. TAB2. FLANGE3. COUNTER FLANGE4. LOFTED FLANGE5. HEM FLANGE6. BEND7. JOG8. SHEET METAL FROM SOLID9. CLOSED CORNER10. BREAK CORNER11. DIMPLE12. LOUVER13. DRAWN CUT OUT14. BEAD15. SOLID PUNCH16. GUSSET17. NORMAL CUTTOUT

18. BEND TAPER19. RESIZE BEND RADIUS20. RESIZE BEND ANGLE21. RESIZE NEUTRAL FACTOR22. UNBEND23. REBEND24. FLAT SOLID25. FLAT PATTERN26. ADVANCE FLANGE27. BRIDGE BEND28. UNIFORM29. REFORM

1.TAB: Creates a base feature by extruding a sketch along a vector by a thickness value or adds a material to a plane face.

2.FLANGE: Adds a flange to an angle to a planar face and adds a bend between the two

3.COUNTER FLANGE: Creates a base feature by extruding a sketch along a vector, or adds material by sweeping a sketch along an edge or chain of edges.

4.Lofted flange: Creates a base or secondary feature between two sections where lofted shape is a linear transition between the sections.

5. HEM FLANGE: Modifies the model by folding the edge of a sheet metal flange over onto itself for the purpose of safe handling or to increase edge stiffness.

Types of HEM flanges:

open

S type

curl

Open loop

Closed loop

Centered loop

6. BEND: Modifies the model by bending material on one side of a sketch line adding a bend between the two sides

7. JOG: Modifies the model by lifting material on one side of sketch line, adding a flange between the two sides.

8. SHEET METAL FROM SOLID: Builds a sheet metal model that takes its shape from a collection of planar faces of a solid.

9. CLOSED CORNER: closes a corner where two adjacent flanges meet by extending the bends & flanges.

10. BREAK CORNER: Rounds a sharp corner

11.DIMPLE: Lifts an area of the model inside a sketch that simulates stamping a tool.

12. LOUVER: Pierces the model with a sketch line that simulates stamping tool

13.DRAWN CUTOUT: Cuts an area of the model inside a sketch that simulates stamping a tool

14. BEAD: Lifts a material along a counter of sketch that simulates stamping a tool.

15. SOLID PUNCH: Adds a sheet metal feature that inherits the shape from the punch type tool body

15. GUSSET: Creates a stiffening gusset on the part

Rounded gusset

Square gusset

17. NORMAL CUTOUT: CUTS THE MODEL PERPENDICULAR TO THE SKETCH

18. BEND TAPPER: Creates a bend tapper on both sides of bend faces.

Tapper area

19. RESIZE BEND RADIUS20. RESIZE BEND ANGLE21. RESIZE NEUTRAL FACTOR

22.UNBEND: Flattens a bend23. REBEND: Restores a bend

24. FLAT SOLID: Creates a flat solid feature from the formed sheet metal feature.

25. FLAT PATTERN: Creates flat pattern feature from the formed sheet meta l part.

26. ADVANCE FLANGE: Adds flange along an edge using a bend angle or a reference face the edge and reference can be curved.

27. BRIDGE BEND: Creates a transition geometry by joining two edges on different bodies & then unites the bodies

28. UNIFORM29. REFORM

Thank you