BASICS OF SHEET METAL

&
USAGE OF NX- SHEET METAL TOOLS
IN UNIGRAPHICS
SHEET METAL :

1. Sheet metal involves work pieces with a high ratio of surface area to
Thickness.

2. Plates, thickness > 6 mm ( inch).

3. Sheets, thickness < 6 mm.

4. Sheet-metal forming processes:
4.1. Shearing.
4.2. Bending.
4.3. Stretching.

5. Typical items produced by sheet-metal forming processes:
metal desks, appliance bodies, hubcaps,aircraft panels, beverage cans, car
bodies, kitchen utensils.


6. Types of operations :

Punching
Blanking
Die cutting
Perforating
Parting
Notching
Lancing
Fine blanking
Slitting
Nibbling.

BENDING:

The minimum bend radius is usually stated in terms of
sheets thickness (ex:2T,3T,4T).

The minimum bend radius of various materials:



COMMON BENDING OPERATIONS:

Press brake forming
Air bending
Roller bending
Beading
Flanging
Hemming
Roll forming
Stretch forming
Deep drawing


USAGE OF NX-SHEET METAL TOOLS
Types of tools in NX-Sheet metal:
1. TAB
2. FLANGE
3. COUNTER FLANGE
4. LOFTED FLANGE
5. HEM FLANGE
6. BEND
7. JOG
8. SHEET METAL FROM SOLID
9. CLOSED CORNER
10. BREAK CORNER
11. DIMPLE
12. LOUVER
13. DRAWN CUT OUT
14. BEAD
15. SOLID PUNCH
16. GUSSET
17. NORMAL CUTTOUT
18. BEND TAPER
19. RESIZE BEND RADIUS
20. RESIZE BEND ANGLE
21. RESIZE NEUTRAL FACTOR
22. UNBEND
23. REBEND
24. FLAT SOLID
25. FLAT PATTERN
26. ADVANCE FLANGE
27. BRIDGE BEND
28. UNIFORM
29. REFORM
1.TAB: Creates a base feature by extruding a sketch along a vector by a
thickness value or adds a material to a plane face.
2.FLANGE: Adds a flange to an angle to a planar face
and adds a bend between the two
3.COUNTER FLANGE: Creates a base feature by extruding a
sketch along a vector, or adds material by sweeping a sketch
along an edge or chain of edges.
4.Lofted flange: Creates a base or secondary feature
between two sections where lofted shape is a linear
transition between the sections.
5. HEM FLANGE: Modifies the model by folding the edge of a sheet
metal flange over onto itself for the purpose of safe handling or to
increase edge stiffness.
Types of HEM flanges:
open
S type
curl
Open loop
Closed loop
Centered loop
6. BEND: Modifies the model by bending material on one
side of a sketch line adding a bend between the two sides
7. JOG: Modifies the model by lifting material on one side of
sketch line, adding a flange between the two sides.
8. SHEET METAL FROM SOLID: Builds a sheet metal model that
takes its shape from a collection of planar faces of a solid.
9. CLOSED CORNER: closes a corner where two adjacent
flanges meet by extending the bends & flanges.
10. BREAK CORNER: Rounds a sharp corner
11.DIMPLE: Lifts an area of the model inside a
sketch that simulates stamping a tool.
12. LOUVER: Pierces the model with a sketch line that simulates
stamping tool
13.DRAWN CUTOUT: Cuts an area of the model inside a sketch
that simulates stamping a tool
14. BEAD: Lifts a material along a counter of sketch that
simulates stamping a tool.
15. SOLID PUNCH: Adds a sheet metal feature that inherits
the shape from the punch type tool body
15. GUSSET: Creates a stiffening gusset on the part
Rounded gusset
Square gusset
17. NORMAL CUTOUT: CUTS THE MODEL
PERPENDICULAR TO THE SKETCH
18. BEND TAPPER: Creates a bend tapper on both sides of bend
faces.
Tapper area
19. RESIZE BEND RADIUS
20. RESIZE BEND ANGLE
21. RESIZE NEUTRAL FACTOR

22.UNBEND: Flattens a bend
23. REBEND: Restores a bend
24. FLAT SOLID: Creates a flat solid feature from the
formed sheet metal feature.
25. FLAT PATTERN: Creates flat pattern feature from
the formed sheet meta l part.
26. ADVANCE FLANGE: Adds flange along an edge using a
bend angle or a reference face the edge and reference can
be curved.
27. BRIDGE BEND: Creates a transition geometry by
joining two edges on different bodies & then unites
the bodies
28. UNIFORM
29. REFORM

Thank you