Can anyone help me with sheet metal bending?

hi all and thanks in advance for any help!

i cannot make the required sheet metal bend and have lost all patience trying to. hopefully someone will have come across a similar request and will be able to help me.

ive attached a visual explanation of the question so please have a look and let me know what you know. i am hoping to animate the model so please bear this in mind when offering solutions.

thanks again, john.

Hello cats252,

We would love to help you. Can you explain a little more of what the problem is? For example:

• Are you receiving an error when you try to bend?
• If so, what does the error say?
• Which bend is causing the problem?
• Are you simply wnating to know how to bend?

Please give us more to go on.

Thanks.
3DCADTips Help Desk

Hello cats252,

Many times (regardless of the CAD system) you can eliminate a modeling error by undoing the operation just prior to the operation that is causing the error. Sometimes problems occur that do not show themselves until the very next operation on the model is attempted. It's easy sometimes to be missdirected into believing the problem is with the attempted operation and not the previous one.

So.. if you are getting an error, try undoing back prior to the operation that preceeds the one causing you the error. Then try a different appraoch if possible or tweak some operating geometry, then try again.

Good Luck.
3DCADTips Help Desk

Hello cats252,

Here are some SolidWorks tips and tutorials that may help:

SolidWorks Sheet Metal Tips (37)

SolidWorks Sheet Metal Tutorials (9)

Good Luck!
3DCADTips Help Desk

i will describe the attached visual in an attempt to explain. there are two arrows on the 'bending' image. one is a hand drawn line arrow (right) and the other is blocky (left).

i can bend as shown by the blocky arrow. however, i do not know where to start with the triangle and therefore i havent received any errors yet. the two sides of the triangle (represented by complete black lines) need to bend 90 degrees around the axis (represented by the fragmented line). i dont know how to cut the two sides of the triangle out of the sheet metal in order to bend this section against the fragmented line.

does this explain? if not let me know where its confusing and ill have another go.

thanks a lot, john

Hello cats252,

I would suggest that you need some relief. I mean around the two sides that are to be cut. Add an operation to cut a round slot along both sides of the triangle all the way back to just beyong the bend line on each end. A standard practice is to line up the center of the slot with the bend line on both ends.

Then, that will open up the inner triangle to become a flange that can then be bent 90 degrees. You see, it appears that you have the two sides of the triangle "sheared" out of the stock when there should actually be a relief along each side. refer to the attached image mark-up from your image.

Design Concern:

Taking so much out of the second bend concerns me as a designer. It will weaken it considerably. What is the the triangluar flange for, to help support the other flange? If so, there is a better more acceptable way to do this. To strengthen a bend, standard practice is to "punch a gusset into the 90 degree bend of the square flange. This strengthens the bend considerably and does not remove "any" material.

Good Luck!
3DCADTips Help Desk

Does any one know if SW has a command that will do sheet metal gussets (strengthen 90 bend) like they do for ribs in modeling?

Hello tempfhor,

You wouldn't want to put something similar to a rib on a shet metal 90 degree bend unless you plan to weld it on. For added strength simply "punch" a 90 degree angle cross-wise to the bend (shown in the hand sketch below). I'm not sure however, if SW has such a sheet metal specific command. They may have a "punch" command however that you may be able to use to achieve a similar result.

Good Luck!
3DCADTips Help Desk