Bending question

[Morglisn]

Is there any way to take a flat piece, such as a rectangle, and bend it into a cylinder with two ends of the rectangle almost touching? I know there are other ways to create a cylinder, but we're taking flat templates, and converting them to models.

Thanks!

 

[TheTick]

Try this:

1.) Make a sketch of an arc that is nearly 360 degrees. 2.) Extrude the sketch as a thin extrusion
3.) Make into a sheet metal part by selecting "Insert-->Sheet Metal-->Bends". Choose one of the straight edges for your fixed face or edge.

I have a sample part if you would like.

On justice and on friendship, there is no price, but there are established credit limits.

 

[MadMango]

You can take a flat rectangle, and insert your Bends on this. Then go to your Process-Bends and edit your Flat-Sketch feature.

You will have to add 4 sketch lines to get the flat part to bend into a tube. The 3 dimensions between your sketch lines will be equal, and the distance between the Edge of your part and your first sketch line will be half the first distance. Basically, you are dividing your flat pattern into quadrants, with full quadrants in the middle, and the last quadrant divided equally at both ends of your flat part.

If you need Cut-Extrude features in the wall of your tube, simply Rollback your Process-Bends, and add those features. Make sure you uncheck the "Normal To" option of your Cut-Extrude. When you unsupress your Process-Bends, everything should look good.

Ray Reynolds
Senior Designer
Read: faq731-376
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."

 

[MadMango]

Correction: That's uncheck "Normal Cut" not "Normal To". I have a model if you want to take a look at it. The above was done in SW03 SP1.0.

Ray Reynolds
Senior Designer
Read: faq731-376
"Probable impossibilities are to be preferred to improbable possibilities."

 

[rocheey]

While it can be done in the method you describe, I wouldnt consider it as robust as the other methods described above.

If you were take a sketched rectangle,turn it into a base flange, trig out the needed circumference, you'd still have a problem where SW would add one stock width to each end of the 'rolled' part. It would need a bunh of tweaking, every time the part was updated.

By working 'backwards' as described above, you have much more control over ther process.

 

[TheTick]

A little unsolicited overhelpfulness..

I made a sample file. Download at the following link:

http://www.LiquidSchwarz.com/CAD/UnfoldCylinder.htm

On justice and on friendship, there is no price, but there are established credit limits.