Help drafting common folded plate

[justinking30]

Hi,

The below folded plate is a common item we regularly have to supply with other items. So every week or so I try and struggle my way through this to draw it up. I thought I would be able to just draw it from the edge profile and extrude it out, convert to sheet metal then flat pattern and taadaa I have a dxf. It never works though the flat pattern comes up with an error and it remains in its "folded" state.

The only way I can actually draw these plates and have it work is by using the flange tool and extruding out folds at the required degrees then adjusting everything to suit a sketch of the end profile. Which is very time consuming.

I have attached two files, file named 10mm PL1 folded is my work around and what i am assuming is the long way, file named folded plate test is the way that doesn't work for me.

Any help is appreciated.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

You are working to hard in the test file.  The front profile is overkill and is not giving Fusion what it needs.

I Projected the bottom outline to the 2nd sketch, trimmed to sharp corners.

Flange and Flat Pattern works as you request.

Sheet metal Rule contains the other information you were putting in the sketch 1. Compare the 2 sketches.

Might help....

[Drewpan · Accepted solution]

Hi,

It looks like you had your inner and outer radius of the fold the wrong way around. When I swapped them it worked

with no errors in the flat pattern.

Your inside radius will always be smaller than your outside radius on a bend.

Cheers

Andrew

[justinking30]

ok wow, thank you. not sure what I was thinking

[justinking30]

Thanks for your help, this will really save me time in the future.