3D Exercise 122
- Breno Cruz
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
In this CAD tutorial we'll use the features:
1. Sheet Metal Rule
Before a single line is sketched, this establishes the physical reality of the material. It dictates the constant material thickness, default bend radii, and the crucial K-Factor (which calculates how the metal stretches during bending so the final laser-cut flat pattern is perfectly sized).
2. Flange
This is the absolute workhorse of the sheet metal environment.
Function: Depending on the software, a single Flange command can do almost everything. It can generate the initial flat base from a 2D sketch, pull a new wall up from an existing edge, or even sweep a complex profile along a curved path.
3. Extrude & Revolve
These are standard solid modeling tools, but they play unique roles when interacting with sheet metal.
Extrude: Most commonly used as an "Extruded Cut" to punch precise holes, slots, or custom profiles straight through the flat faces of the sheet metal part.
Revolve: Since sheet metal cannot physically be revolved, this command is typically used in this context to design a custom Forming Tool. You might revolve a profile to create a punch, dimple, or louver that later gets digitally "stamped" into the sheet metal bracket.
4. Chamfer & Fillet
In sheet metal design, edge treatments are largely about safety and structural integrity.
Chamfer: Often used to quickly knock off sharp, 90-degree external corners so the physical part doesn't cut the fabricator handling it.
Fillet: Crucial for internal cutouts. If you punch a square hole in sheet metal, those sharp internal corners become massive stress concentrators where cracks will form during bending. Adding a small fillet to those corners distributes the stress.
5. Rectangular Pattern & Circular Pattern
Instead of sketching and constraining dozens of individual features, patterns automate repetition.
Rectangular Pattern: Ideal for rapidly creating ventilation grilles or a grid of mounting slots across a flat face.
Circular Pattern: Perfect for creating bolt-hole circles for mounting motors or flanges, ensuring perfect radial symmetry.
6. Unfold & Refold
This is the "superpower" workflow of sheet metal CAD, used when a design requires a feature that sits exactly on a bend.
Unfold: You temporarily flatten specific bends in the 3D model.
The Cut: While the part is unfolded, you use an Extrude command to cut a hole directly across where the bend line is.
Refold: You fold the part back up. The software mathematically calculates exactly how that cut hole will stretch and distort as the metal bends, giving you a perfectly accurate flat pattern for manufacturing.
All dimensions are in mm/g/s/ISO
3D Sketch
Exercise 122 - 3D practice drawing for all CAD software ( AutoCAD, SolidWorks, 3DS Max, Autodesk Inventor, Fusion 360, CATIA, Creo Parametric, SolidEdge etc.)
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Tutorial In Autodesk Fusion: https://youtu.be/1q6cZJt2w28
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