sketched bend across an angle (?)

[tsorel]

hi, imagine a piece of sheet metal, shaped like an isosceles triangle. Ok, now I sketched a line on one face and SW03 won't let me make a sketched bend there. I can use the edge flange command but that will give different results than if I just bent a triangle. How have you done this? Thanks
-todd

 

[Mandrake22]

1. Create the solid body.
2. Click on a face.
3. Click on "Insert Bends" button.
4. Click on "OK" in "No bends found" button.
5. Expand the Process Bends 1 feature.
6. Edit Flat Sketch 1.
7. Sketch your bend line.
8. Close sketch and admire finished part.

 

[tsorel]

just tried that and "what's wrong" says "the geometry in the bend region is too complex." I gues it's just because solidworks can't figure out how to display such a bend. The part can be made easily in reality. Thanks for your help.
-todd

 

[Mandrake22]

tsorel,

Did you extend your bend line sketch to the boundary of the part or beyond? The method I described requires that the bend line sketch go at least to the edge of the part. (not terminating inside the part) I made an isosceles triangle as I was confirming the exact wording of the steps and it works just fine. I like to terminate the bend lines at the edge of the part so that they don't extend beyond my flat pattern view in the drawing.

 

[tsorel]

OK, tried that and found that the sketch needs to be perpendicular to one of the edges to work. Once it's folded you can't flatten it. thanks for your help.

 

[Mandrake22]

tsorel,

I just did one with the bend "non-perpendicular" and it works for me. I edited the sketch with all kinds of different angles and each one worked. Can you define the flat pattern shape in more detail for me?

 

[tsorel]

It's a 2" isosceles triangle that's .080" thick (just random for now). I can create the bend, and it has been successful at any angle, but I cannot flatten it. I'm learning to live with it, ignoring the exclamation mark. I'm not too worried about it. Thanks for your help.
-todd