Automatically Selecting Bend Tables

[bhooper]

Co-Worker brought this up... why must we always select our bend table before we can proceed? Anyone know of any option I am missing to make the bend table always select one? We only have 1 table and it would save us alot of time to have the bend table default on, and default to our table.

 

[gp13]

Tools > Options > File Locations > Sheet Metal Bend Tables

Point that to the folder with your bend table. There is also one for Sheet Metal Guage Tables, if you have those as well. If there's only one bend table, when you select that in the drop down box, it should automatically select it. For some reason, the gauge table isn't automatically selected (solved below).

You could/should also set it up in your template(s). Insert a Base Flange and just make it a basic rectangle. Fill in all the appropriate data, and select the bend table you want. Delete the Base Flange, which will just leave you with the Sheet-Metal feature. Save this as your template.

Now when you start a sheet metal part, you just edit that Sheet-Metal feature to your desired guage (unless you have a template set up for each guage) and the bend table will already be set up. If you set it up with a gauge table as well, you pick the guage from a drop down list, and it will automatically calculate all the bend data based on the bend table.

The only thing that could make it better would be to link the guage table to the custom properties so it automatically changes the material property. I've submitted this as an ER before, and surprisingly I did hear back from SW, but that was a while ago and I have not seen any updates yet.

 

[bhooper]

I of course have my gauge table set up for solidworks, it just is not defaulting to using it. That's really all I want to see. For now when we start a sheet metal part thats a couple extra clicks. I thought SW would have made a way to set a default to save a little time. They are all about optimizing, but keep little things that eat time.

As for putting it into the template using that method, it doesn't work. You can't just delete the base flange and leave the sheet metal feature, they are linked. And without the part defaulting as a sheet metal part the material thickness property doesn't exist. So linking to a custom property without other actions doesn't seem likely to happen. The only way to default a part template as a sheet metal item is to leave sheet metal in the template. This creates more work than just clicking a gauge table.

I think I will just have to submit an ER for an option to set a default gauge/bend table with status always on.

 

[gp13]

I disagree. I just opened a non-sheet metal part and added a Base Flange. After deleting said Base Flange, the Sheet-Metal feature still exists, and that's where all the sheet metal data is stored. Deleting the Sheet-Metal feature will for sure delete the Base Flange, but deleting the Base Flange should leave the Sheet-Metal feature.

With the file locations set up properly, when I choose "Bend Table" in the drop down, the bend table is automatically selected. However, when I check the box for "Use guage table" the guage table is not automatically selected, although it is in the drop down list so I don't have to search for it. This has always been the case for me since we started using them way back when.

Our sheet metal template has the Sheet-Metal feature in it, and nothing else. In that feature, we have the guage table set up, defaulted to 22ga, and the bend table set up as well. Upon starting a new part, all we have to do is edit that feature, and select which guage we want, then go about our business making the part. It's about as simple as it gets, as far as I'm concerned. The only thing we have to "worry" about is changing the material property after changing the guage.

As far as my "dream" of having the material property linked to the guage, it wouldn't be based on thickness, at least not directly. My ideal scenario would be to put another column in the guage table that links to the custom property. That way, when you change the guage in the drop down, it propagates the corresponding cell in the table to the custom property. I don't see how that would be that hard for SW to add, but they have not done it even though I have spoke with someone about it after sending in an ER.

Just for reference, which version of SW are you running?

 

[bhooper]

I am using Solidworks 2010 SP4. When I delete the base flange, the sheet metal features go with it. The only way to get the sheet metal feature to stay is to suppress the base flange. That is not an acceptable option. I have also had some friends at another company try this out too, and in SW2010 SP4 that does not work.

I think that if we have to edit something to change the thickness and material type each time, we are doing the same amount of work overall. None of this is really a "worry" just a few clicks and a few seconds that could be saved for each part. Added up that could save quite a bit of time in the long run.

 

[gp13]

The way I have it set up is about as "click-free" as it gets, apart from setting up a template for each guage. I considered that option, but we often change guages on the fly, so it seemed rather pointless, especially since we have the guage table option.

It's not necessarily about saving clicks, either, as it's a way to error-proof the part. If you force the designer to pick a guage out of a preset list, and all the bend data is calculated based on the guage, then the designer can't screw it up (without trying at least).

Anyway, we have 2009. Here's my template, stripped of the guage/bend tables and all custom properties. Open it up, add your tables and save it.

If do it, let me know how that works, since we are probably upgrading to 2010 somewhat soon, and it would be nice to know if this is going to be an issue going forward.

 

[bhooper]

With my hope people would still have to select their gauge of material, just not select the table itself or have to check the box to use a gauge table... just have solidworks know that it needs to use this table. That's something that is simple even for the programmers, a defaulted check box based on a setting, and a defaulted table based on those settings.

I opened your file, and sure enough the sheet-metal feature does exist. I cannot recreate this in SW2010.

 

[gp13]

Well that's the point of the template the way I have it. The tables are already loaded into the feature and selected. I just deleted them out since, obviously, yours are going to be different than mine.

Did you try loading your tables into that template and saving it?

 

[bhooper]

Yeah it will retain the sheet metal feature. I just can't create that from scratch.

I know the guys I work with, they'd whine about having to edit it too. And for some of the Acad guys it'd be easier without making them edit something at all.

 

[gp13]

I guess I'm confused at what you're asking for at this point. You said you want to be able to select a guage, but then you said you don't want to have to edit anything when you start a part. Unless I'm missing something, you are contradicting yourself.

If you don't want to edit the feature upon starting the part, then just make a different template for each guage. Still use the guage table so you can change the guage later if needed.

Otherwise, you only have to add the guage/bend tables ONE time and save the file I gave you as your template. That way, when you start a part, you just edit the feature to select the guage from the table that is already loaded into the template.

In both scenarios, the guage/bend tables should be loaded into the template already. Once that is done, the designer should never have to select them unless they delete the Sheet-Metal feature.