topic Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding in Fusion Support Forum

Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

workshopBL96V — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:41:45 GMT

Hello

I'm having a little difficulty creating a sheet metal pattern from the attached lofted sketch, ultimately I'd like to have a wrap around template to enable me to hand profile some steel tube.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

TheCADWhisperer — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 13:40:06 GMT

@workshopBL96V

~~Loft is not needed for cylindrical geometry.~~

Simply ~~Revolve~~ ~~or Extrude surface bodies.~~

Edit: On closer examination I see these are ~~Cones~~ well not even cones so I guess Loft is required.

Trim.

(and must have rip seams)

Thicken.

Convert to Sheet Metal.

(You will need a tangent planar face. I would use Autodesk Inventor Professional for this which does not require the planar face.)

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

workshopBL96V — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:37:51 GMT

Thanks for that, I'll have a look into planar face a little more.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

TheCADWhisperer — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 13:51:02 GMT

@workshopBL96V

~~I don't think you will get anywhere with this geometry in Fusion 360.~~

Edit: I think you might be able to get it in Fusion 360, but rather than use Loft you will have to use Sweep with Guide...

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

workshopBL96V — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:39:59 GMT

Have you selected the circles at the top and bottom of the part? tried to use sweep with both path+guide surcace as well as path+guide rail and get an error warning appear. Doesn't matter if it's in solid or as a surface.

Thanks for the help.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

TheCADWhisperer — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 16:21:46 GMT

@workshopBL96V

You have to Sweep a line connecting the two circles (not shown in my image) as a Surface body.

Unfortunately I am not at my Fusion machine at the moment.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

workshopBL96V — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 12:47:15 GMT

So trying it as suggested with a sweep & guides to this point

However I seem to get a line running the length of the part which is what is throwing off the sheet metal function, as you move the mouse across the faces it divides the part along the additional line.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

TheCADWhisperer — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 13:49:37 GMT

@workshopBL96V

No new file Attached???

In any case - I don't think this is going to work in Fusion 360.

I think you will need a mature design product like Autodesk Inventor Professional.

Re: Loft to sheet metal and unfolding

workshopBL96V — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 14:01:38 GMT

Fair enough, thanks for trying.