Bugs in sheet metal routine, or am I doing something wrong?

Jim Canale

I Installed V14.1.07 (32 bit) on my XP Pro desktop.  At first there were no sheet metal tools.   I finally loaded the default customization file, and then the tools were there.

I've been trying to follow the sheet metal tutorial on YouTube.  I can create a flange with the mouse, but every time I enter the exact figures (angle and length), the flange disappears.  Is anyone else having this problem?

Ilya Tatarnikov

Hello Jim,

I think, you just trying to create a vertical flange by selecting the wrong sheet edge. 

For example: if you plan to create the flange down from initial sheet (from 180 to 360 degrees), you should start it from the bottom edge (orange on the picture). The opposite flange (from 0 to 180 degrees) should start from the top edge (green in the picture)

Jim Canale

 Thanks, but that is not what is happening.  I am finding that unless i make the edge flange more than about 1.500 in length, the flange disappears entirely?   I can create the flange and angle it using the mouse, but if I hit enter when the flange is less than 1.500 in length, it promptly disappears.    The other thing I don't understand is how to change the bend radii and material thickness.  I can select each object in the mechanical browser, but the numbers I want to change are greyed out.   

Richard Webb

The sheet metal functionality is still somewhat of a work in progress. I expect there will be tweaks forthcoming.

The minimum flange length seems to be, at present, hard coded to 2 drawing units or thereabouts. This is a not too unreasonable choice if the drawing units are millimeters with the default material thickness of 2 mm. I'm much more of a consumer than a designer of sheet metal enclosures, but I'd speculate that one would have a tough time finding a fabricator willing do do a bend in, say, 2 mm 5052 Al that's less than about 9 mm (outside to top) without charging for a secondary machining step.

Of course, if the drawing units are inches then a 1/2" flange on a .062" base is quite achievable. But right now, as you've noted, you can't get there in one operation. A temporary work-around, until the minimum flange length is changed to be a function of the material thickness, is to go ahead and pull a flange that's 2" or so and then use direct modeling to push that face down to the desired final flange height.

On your second issue, the material thickness and bend radius are presently set as drawing-wide parameters. In the mechanical browser, select the drawing name at the top of the tree and you'll be able to change the material thickness, K factor, and bend radius.

As an aside, the default K factor seems to be rather small; I would have expected something closer to .4. The un-bent dimensions don't seem to be affected by the K factor at present.

Jim Canale

Thanks Richard.  I work in inches rather than millimeters.   I've never had access to a CAD program with sheet metal tools before.  For years, I've been calculating the size of the developed blank by drawing cross sections of the finished part, and assuming the neutral bend line runs exactly through the center of the flanges and bends.   Of course that is only true if the metal is very thin and soft. I'm going to have to learn more about K-factor.

Jim Canale

I was told by a Bricsys support person, that the sheet metal routine has been fixed.  But it has not appeared yet in the latest revision of V14.