Autodesk Inventor

[#1]

Is it OK to switch back and forth between Sheet Metal mode and Modeling
mode? Or am I going to get bit in the butt doing this?

I have a model that is not a sheet metal part, but I would like to add some
punch features to it. The punch feature is only available in sheet metal
mode. Inventor 6 SP1 allows me to switch into sheet metal mode, add the
punch features, and then switch back to modeling mode.

I'm just wondering if this is a legitimate way of working or if it is likely
to cause problems down the road.

- Joe

[#2]

No prob!
~Larry

"Joe Dupre" wrote in message
news:906520D8D9FF20A47E6B6491D6166FB8@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Is it OK to switch back and forth between Sheet Metal mode and Modeling
> mode? Or am I going to get bit in the butt doing this?
>
> I have a model that is not a sheet metal part, but I would like to add
some
> punch features to it. The punch feature is only available in sheet metal
> mode. Inventor 6 SP1 allows me to switch into sheet metal mode, add the
> punch features, and then switch back to modeling mode.
>
> I'm just wondering if this is a legitimate way of working or if it is
likely
> to cause problems down the road.
>
> - Joe
>
>

[#3]

I do it occasionally without problems, but then I don't ever flat pattern my
sheet metal parts, so I don't know if you will run into problems if you do
that.


--
Hal Gwin
Mechanical Designer
Xenogen

[#4]

See CF. I modeled this chip in 5.3 as a part. It was modeled as a
thru-mount chip(straight leads). I had to make a die for a press to form
the leads to make it a flush mount. To do this, I switched to a sheetmetal
part and bent the leads and cut them off - I wanted to see how the wide
spots on the leads would end up.

--
Cory McConnell
BJ Pipeline Inspection
"Joe Dupre" wrote in message
news:906520D8D9FF20A47E6B6491D6166FB8@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Is it OK to switch back and forth between Sheet Metal mode and Modeling
> mode? Or am I going to get bit in the butt doing this?
>
> I have a model that is not a sheet metal part, but I would like to add
some
> punch features to it. The punch feature is only available in sheet metal
> mode. Inventor 6 SP1 allows me to switch into sheet metal mode, add the
> punch features, and then switch back to modeling mode.
>
> I'm just wondering if this is a legitimate way of working or if it is
likely
> to cause problems down the road.
>
> - Joe
>
>

[#5]

I'd guess you won't have problems placing a sheetmetal feature on a
non-sheetmetal part, but the inverse is not true. I once tried to model a
part of heavy-guage plate (1.5" thick or so) as sheetmetal. I had no
problem with that, but the edges needed a chamfer on them. The sheetmetal
chamfer tool will not allow you to chamfer an edge between a face and the
thickness of the material. It's not easy to describe but I hope you know
what I mean. I switched the interface over to standard modeling and added
the chamfer without a problem. However, the flat pattern would either
ignore every feature after and including the chamfer, or Inventor would
crash on me. This was in 5.3, though, and I haven't tried anything similar
in 6, but I will bet it would be the same thing.

"Joe Dupre" wrote in message
news:906520D8D9FF20A47E6B6491D6166FB8@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> Is it OK to switch back and forth between Sheet Metal mode and Modeling
> mode? Or am I going to get bit in the butt doing this?
>
> I have a model that is not a sheet metal part, but I would like to add
some
> punch features to it. The punch feature is only available in sheet metal
> mode. Inventor 6 SP1 allows me to switch into sheet metal mode, add the
> punch features, and then switch back to modeling mode.
>
> I'm just wondering if this is a legitimate way of working or if it is
likely
> to cause problems down the road.
>
> - Joe
>
>