Want to explore the exciting world of faces, flanges, and. The computeraided design software you are using may employ a y factor instead of a k factor when calculating for ba and the bd, enabling you to create a more precise flat pattern for your sheet metal part. The flat pattern can be used to document and manufacture associatively as the design changes. Designing sheet metal parts as 3d solid models sounds odd. In this article we will discuss sheetmetal bend deduction, bend allowance, k factor, y factor and sheet metal flat pattern calculations. Automatically create flat patterns that your shop will actually use. With the attached nx1872 sheet metal part i set my material table. Sheet metal k factor inventor autodesk knowledge network. The y factor is used, as far as i know, solely by ptcs proengineer, now known as creo elementspro.
Do you want to know how to use inventor software to create sheet metal parts. Bend calculations ensure the correct length is calculated when a sheet metal design is manufactured flat then bent into its finished state based on a kfactor. You can also specify kfactor values in their own kfactor bend tables. Spi sheetmetalworks allows easy, fast, and accurate modifications variants. We will start by creating a simple sheet metal design with a threeline sketch. It is used to calculate bend allowance and bend deduction which are further used to calculate the flat pattern. Bending calculations using kfactor, bend deduction, and bend. Sheet metal k factor user modification i also thought about referencing the parameters ui, which would work well also. Harness the power of ironcad for sheet metal design.
What you should know about designing for sheet metal. Most cad systems that have sheet metal design tools will allow you to input a k factor that the software uses to calculate the unfolding to give an accurate blank, or flat pattern. Sheet metal design software ironcad cad software solutions. Cleat list lists cleats to fabricate and organizes them by type, size, etc. The yfactor is used, as far as i know, solely by ptcs proengineer, now known as creo elementspro. Aug 04, 2016 we are actually in the process of dialing in our solidworks sheet metal properties to match the brakematerial we are using. Kfactors, yfactors, and press brake bending precision. Steel structural design structural engineering software. The value of the kfactor should range between 0 0,5. The k factor depends on many factors including the material, the type of bending operation coining, bottoming, airbending, etc. Properties are the root of how sheet metal designs behave. Asdip steel is based upon the latest aisc specifications aisc 360 and aisc 341 seismic. Sheetmetalworks covers the sheet metal process chain right through to the.
The kfactor depends on many factors including the material, the type of bending operation coining, bottoming, airbending, etc. We are just starting on this project so we use the same diesbend radii for all parts. Hence all of the sheet metal designing software use kfactor, in order to provide an accurate design of the flat pattern of the sheet metal component. The more thats known early in the design phases about a parts features and functions, the.
Metal summary report summary of total metal usage, including number of sheets, costs, and labor. Kfactor a constant determined by dividing the thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis, which is the part of sheet metal that does not change length. Common solidworks sheet metal issues computer aided. Here i show the principle of the k factor in sheet metal design. Learn sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with design projects. We are now ready to use these sheet metal gauge tables. And then we could come over here,and click on the measure tool,and go ahead. How to set up sheet metal gauge tables engineers rule. Tooling developed over eight years has been designed to. K factor, bend allowance, calculating k factor manuallyby table software the solidworks sheet metal tutorials section. For the seasoned sheet metal designer, the thought is this reduces the. At form2000, we have a sheet metal engineering suite in our factory in melbourne, and we are equipped with 3d design and simulation software, which enables our team of expert engineers to reach the optimal machine selection and order of operations required to efficiently manufacture your sheet metal product.
Sheet metal k factor bend allowance and flat length. You can use a y factor in a chart, like the one published in the march 2018 bending basics. K factor is a ratio that represents the location of the neutral sheet with respect to the thickness of the sheet metal part. To use the sheet metal extension, first you need to install the latest version of freecad 0. Because of this it is often used by design software such as solid edge, solid. Kfactor is a ratio that represents the location of the neutral sheet with respect to the thickness of the sheet metal part. So for a very large radius bend where the neutral axis lies right in the center of the material, the kfactor would be exactly 0. Form factor design, llc specializes in thingauge, smalldimension, lowvolume sheet metal forming. Bending calculations using kfactor, bend deduction, and. Jan, 2020 here i show the principle of the k factor in sheet metal design. Instructor on the sheet metal exam,were going to be asked to flatten outseveral different sheet metal parts,and find the final length of that part. Sheet lightning v5 sheet metal design and unfolding software can operate as a standalone program for sheet metal design, or can be used to generate data for seamless export to autocad.
Metal piece report details metal usage for each part. Steel kfactor pressbrake forming solidworks forums. Note that there are material specifications where you can find recommended neutral factors for specific materials. Solids are created and modified quickly solids through an extended, intuitive, and dedicated command set, supporting typical sheet metal operations. Get answers fast from autodesk support staff and product experts in the forums. You can specify the bend allowance or bend deduction values for a sheet metal part in a bend table. How to choose the best cad software for sheet metal design. When working with sheet metal design software, such as nx sheet metal, the neutral factor can either be tied to a material library or by simply entering an explicit value.
Which is the best sheetmetal modelling cad software. Design and customize a sheet metal box in minutes using emachineshops metal box design wizard. Dec 27, 2016 we are now ready to use these sheet metal gauge tables. The kfactor is the ratio of the neutral axis location t to the material thickness mt. The main reason that i compared it ti the appearance ui is that it clearly has a. When you bend sheet metal, the neutral axis shifts toward the inside surface of the bend. Mar 07, 2018 when you bend sheet metal, the neutral axis shifts toward the inside surface of the bend. Since the k factor is based on the property of the metal and its thickness there is no simple way to calculate it ahead of the first bend.
As you create flanges and add bends, the sheet metal design software will accurately represent the flat pattern. Design in 3d and then unfold a part or assembly into 2d for production, or work in 2d. To use the sheet metal extension, first you need to. Asdip steel structural design software is utilized by engineers for design of steel base plates, steel and composite beams, steel columns, and shear connections. Estimator is a comprehensive, easytouse estimating costing system available for flat pattern sheet metal layout. In cases like this, i tend to have the software use the kfactor.
The kfactor in sheet metal working is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material. Design in 3d and then unfold a part or assembly into 2d for production, or work in 2d and use ironcads 3d visualization capabilities to communicate better with customers. To do that, its very easy to go up to the sheet metaltoolbar, come right here to flatten,click on that that one, our part should flatten out. The parts are punched, stamped, or burned out of flat material thats easy to describe in 2d cad. Dec 29, 2016 for applications where it is not critical on thinner materials i use k 0. Our sheet metal design will use the following specifications. Sheet lightning is unfolding software for designing and unwrapping pattern developments for sheet metal designs. Let me make it clear that it is a very important term used in sheet metal design.
Hence, the kfactor is different for different cases. Therefore it is important to have the value correct in cad software. Mathematically k factor value is equal to the ratio of position of neutral axis and sheet thickness. Kfactor, bend allowance, calculating k factor manuallyby table software. If you wish to avoid using the yfactor prosheet metal, as well as most design programs, will allow you to substitute a bend table in place of its own calculations. We use 18 gauge 316 stainless steel, our solidworks is set to. Common solidworks sheet metal issues computer aided technology. You can estimate the bend deduction using this chart, which uses an. The computeraided design software you are using may employ a yfactor instead of a kfactor when calculating for ba and the bd, enabling you to create a more precise flat pattern for your sheet metal. It is used to calculate sheet metal flat length flatpattern. This is the only sheet metal and plate design software available on the market for the hobbyist, school, prototype shop, maintenance facility, or performance shop. Designing for sheet metal fabrication has its own criteria, which differ from those of other production processes.
If you design your bent sheet metal parts in cad software that has a special sheet. It focuses on precise processing calculated according to the machinery, tools and processes used. Sheetmetalworks covers the sheet metal process chain right through to the manufacturing stage. I had a question on kfactors for our 3d modeling software. See more ideas about cad cam, software and sheet metal work.
Sheet metal design software considers the fabrication methods needed for manufacturing. It combines an integrated parametric library and a full 3d cad design environment. At form2000, we have a sheet metal engineering suite in our factory in melbourne, and we are equipped with 3d design and simulation software, which enables our team of expert engineers to reach the. Simple threeline sketch to test our sheet metal gauge tables. This is useful if you are transitioning from hand layouts to an advanced design software. Cad software often comes preloaded with a nominal kfactor value if it has a sheet metal environment. Rc enterprises 208 edwards drive jackson tn 38301 615 2906260. Sheet metal k factor what is it and how to measure it. Once the design is complete, an extremely fast, automatic 2d flat is generated from the 3d solid. Here are the highlights and key features of bendtech sm. In sheet metal design, the k factor is used to calculate how much sheet metal one needs to leave for the bend in order to achieve particular final dimensions.
Kfactor, bend allowance, calculating kfactor manuallyby table software the solidworks sheet metal tutorials section. Designing sheetmetal parts as 3d solid models sounds odd. The k factor of your metal sheet, and the calculation of bend deduction, may require a few different sample bends. In the workspace, add desired custom features as needed. Nxs solution for designing sheet metal components keywords nx sheet metal design, sheet metal parts, unfolding bends, forming. The more thats known early in the design phases about a parts features and functions, the sooner a manufacturable design will finalized. After this class, you will be ready to begin your exciting life in sheet metal design. Weve been busy designing and building the sheet metal tools for the.
Hence all of the sheet metal designing software use k factor, in order to provide an accurate design of the flat pattern of the sheet metal component. Join us as we show you how to get started creating sheet metal parts in inventor. The kfactor is used to calculate flat patterns because it is related to how much material is stretched during bending. As you create flanges and add bends, the sheet metal design software will accurately represent the flat pattern required. Apr 25, 2018 kfactor a constant determined by dividing the thickness of the sheet by the location of the neutral axis, which is the part of sheet metal that does not change length. For applications where it is not critical on thinner materials i use k 0.
May 29, 20 so for a very large radius bend where the neutral axis lies right in the center of the material, the k factor would be exactly 0. Customerdefined values for thickness and bend radii enable designers to change materials, the. So if the thickness of the sheet was a distance of t 1 mm and the location of the neutral axis was a distance of t 0. We demonstrate stepbystep workflows from how to set up sheet metal styles through creating your first sheet metal flat pattern. Where 0 the length of the part along the inside radius, and 1 the length of the part along the outside radius.
The flat pattern calculation in the sheetmetal inventor is based on material and bending tool properties from a technology database. For individual and bundle pricing please see our build your table page. I came across a community sponsored application that will aid any sheet metal designer. Tooling developed over eight years has been designed to meet the most demanding small part sheet metal forming jobs. The k factor is the ratio of the neutral axis location t to the material thickness mt. Subsequently you can use the k factor to extrapolate allowances for new angles and radii. A cad program equipped with a suite of sheet metalspecific tools, ironcad acts as a powerful sheet metal software.
In order to determine the blank length of the flat sheet metal component on the basis of the 3d drawing, a compensation value the shortening factor must be calculated. This is one of the lessons of my course about solidworks solid, sheet metal and weldments modeling. Sheet metal bending design tips, bend allowance, k factor, etc. Liner list lists lining to cut for fabricated parts by type, size, and dimension for each pattern piece. Catia has really good features and quite easy to use. Playing with sheet metal in inventor autodesk university. Nx sheet metal design siemens digital industries software. I know how difficult to choose right cad software for business and specifically for sheet metal design. The location of the neutral axis is not the same in all cases.
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