Sheet metal rib

I am seeking a technique for creating a stiffening rib across the face of a sheet metal part known as a pressed rib going edge to edge.

Creating four folds can work, however it expects tangencies and fold lines that are clumsy to work with. The result is an offset much taller than a simple pressed ridge.

Punch does not work because it requires a flange all around. A punch feature also does not flatten to extend the sheet length.

No examples or help topics were found on this real world shape. (Inventor 8)

I would also like to know - I've created them in Solidowrks with the "Indent" tool.

[Aardvark]

I think I have a solution. You can find a file demonstrating this at the link below, but essentially you create your part with a void through it the size of your stiffener profile, you then create a contour flange that is the shape of your rib profile.

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Hope this helps. It isn't an elegent method of doing this but it should work.