sheet metal cut, still no normal option in 2014 any add in's to save extra work

[Curtis_Waguespack]

Hi p.panther,

Can you provide more details about your question? It's not clear from what you've posted so far.

I hope this helps.
Best of luck to you in all of your Inventor pursuits,
Curtis
http://inventortrenches.blogspot.com

[p_panther]

HI CURTIS, THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE, MOST OF MY WORK IS IN SHEET METAL

AND I LOVE THE SHEET METAL MODULE THERE ARE ONLY THREE THINGS TO MAKE

IT PERFECT FOR ME . WHEN YOU MAKE CUTS ACROSS BENDS OR CURVES AND UNFOLD

YOU HAVE THE CUT OBLIQUE THROUGH THE METAL. AS MOST CUTS,HOLES ARE PUNCHED THE CUT

IS NORMAL TO THE SHEET, WHICH MEANS YOU CAN,T ATTACH A FLANGE TO AN EDGE THAT IS NOT NORMAL, ALSO SOMETIMES WHEN YOU UNFOLD AND THEN REFOLD THE MODEL IS RETURNS TO A DIFFERENT PLANE, AND TO ABLE TO MULTI-PART IN SHEET METAL WOULD BE A BONUS

THESE POINT ABOVE ARE ONLY MINOR GRIPES AS A SHEET METAL WORKER/DESIGNER FOR 40 YEARS NOW, HAVING INVENTOR HAS MADE MY JOB A DELIGHT AGAIN

THANKS

PHIL

P.S THIS IS MY FIRST VENTURE INTO THE DISCUSSION GROUP

EXCUSE ME IF I WAFFLE (GO ON A BIT)

[JDMather]

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@p_panther wrote:

MOST CUTS,HOLES ARE PUNCHED THE CUT  NORMAL TO THE SHEET

WHICH MEANS YOU CAN,T ATTACH A FLANGE TO AN EDGE THAT IS NOT NORMAL,THESE POINT

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Can you attach example files here?  There might be existing solutions or easy "work-arounds".
Are you familiar with the sketch Project Flat Pattern and the Cut - Across Bend techniques?

[yannick3]

Hi JD

The need of normal cut is must for sheet metal design

If you see the capture the cut #1   the line is straight but i can't attach flange because the cut is non-perpendicular

#2 i used cut across the bend and i use a straight line sketch and the resut is not a straight line like #1

#3 is another sheet metal cut that is useless

#4 is workaround to avoid non-perpendicular edge 

when we design sheet metal we can't always skething on the face that i would cut and that's why the need of real normal cut

Alibre(cad software for less 1000$) can do  real normal cut in one feature

[Hochenauer]

Hi Yannick,

we have Cut Normal captured in our system and it is a high priority for us. Using Thicken to create sheetmetal conditions is a good approach in the meantime.
I don't quite understand your expectation of a straight line on item #2 though (the cut across bend). You are looking onto a folded model that was created by a flat pattern with a straight line, where the boundary is not perpendicular to the bend axis.
This is like roating a perpendicular triangle where components in axis direction remain to appear the same length, and components perpendicular to the axis change in length according to the angle.
Hence the projected angle looks different, but will become the same straight line when flattened. Does that make sense, or do I miss your point entirely?

kind regards,
Gerald

Gerald Hochenauer, Dipl.-Ing.
Sr. Principal Engineer
Autodesk Inventor

[p_panther]

FROM READING DISCUSSIONS HERE IT SEEMS AUTODESK DON'T SEE THE NEED

TO INCLUDE A NORMAL CUT OPTION, I'VE GIVEN UP WAITING, JUST CARRY ON UNFOLDING, PROJECTING

UNWANTED EDGES,CUTTING AND REFOLDING- (ARGH LIFES NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL)

PHIL

[rptandy]

Gerald,

As an employee of a sheet metal job shop, I agree with several of Phil's wish-list items:

• Normal sheet cut
• Unfold/Refold operation that does not randomly change the orientation of the part. The last several times I have tried to use Refold, I either can't get the operation to work at all, or it completely ignores whatever face I select as a stationary reference. This makes the feature pretty much useless for me.
• Multibody sheet metal parts - I can't TELL you how many times I have wished for this! Every time I have a complex part that must be made in multiple pieces due to size or forming capabilities, I have to get real creative. Separate parts that have to meet at a mitred corner... they give me nightmares.

Thanks,

RT

[p_panther]

HI RT

IT'S NOT JUST ME THEN, INVENTOR IS A GREAT PROGRAM AND THE SHEET METAL MODUAL

IS SLICK FOR MOST WORK BUT TO HAVE NORMAL CUT AND MULTI-BODY WOULD MAKE IT

PERFECTION,

PREHAPS THESE DAYS WERE SPOILT, LONG GONE ARE THE DIVIDERS AND TRAMMELS

AND HOURS ON YOUR KNEES TRIANGULATING OUT SOME OFF-SET CONE OR OTHER, NOW ADAYS

0.1 OF A MM SEAMS SLOPPY.



LIKE MIND THINK ALIKE

AND PROBERLY SINK ALIKE



CHEERS

PHIL

[IgorMir]

I derived components to build complex sheet metal parts and it works fine. Multibody solids are not always the best way to go about building the model, BTW. The master file can get pretty complicated at times.

Best Regards,

Igor.

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@rptandy wrote:

Multibody sheet metal parts - I can't TELL you how many times I have wished for this! Every time I have a complex part that must be made in multiple pieces due to size or forming capabilities, I have to get real creative. Separate parts that have to meet at a mitred corner... they give me nightmares.

Thanks,

RT

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[Anonymous]

SolidWorks, Solid Edge, and Pro Engineer all have Normal cutout tools in sheet metal.  As a fabrication shop, losing this functionality when switching to Inventor has been my #1 frustration.

[inov8works]

Can I ask an honest question, why did you switch to Autodesk Inventor? I'm a long time user and for the most part happy with Inventor, but none of our outside vendors use Inventor, almost all of them have a seat of SolidWorks.

[Anonymous]

We switched because our new parent company wanted a single global CAD program and dictated the change. Some aspects have been painful. Not just because people are naturally resistant to change, but because Inventor is good at some things but not all. They do some nice things in sheet metal but something basic like Normal cutouts does not even exist.

[Anonymous]

All viewers of this chain please visit THIS post in the Inventor IdeaStation and give kudos.  The outstanding Inventor deficiency of no normal sheet metal cut needs continued visibility with Autodesk.

[p_panther]

Hi

To all you inventor sheet metal modual users,

Have mentioned a few times here adout  cut normal still missing

 so will say no more here about that.

Another problem l find is the lack of accuracy when unfolding developments using edges

From  say included 3d lines from  helix curves or projected cuts they can be up to 2 percent from where they should be

You have to use lofted surface and thicken and off set to get  unfold to work and k factor have no affect

Thought I must be messing up somewhere so modled the same parts on a mates solidworks and they was accurate to

3 places. Its a shame you can't always trust your flat pattern without carefully checking and trying to get a closer fit to that required. There must be something in the unfold algorithm that in some cases gives increasing errors as the flat

Pattern. Wonderer if anyone else as noticed the error as well as the unfold - refold problem where the model refolds to a different plane.

Inventor still rock , we all have flaws