How to model a flexible wrapping strip?

[guilekubo]

Hello everyone, 

I'm having troubles trying to make a strip wrapping around a cone. I wanna model a similar strip from another project, I will put a screenshot to everybody understand. 

To obtain this hexagonal shaps, I modeled this strip as a sheet metal and unbend it to create this pattern. And I saved this as a mesh print it in TPU.

Now I'm trying to recreate this as I need to wrap around a cone, but I failed in it. Someone knows how I can achieve the same result?

Thanks for helping me.

[matthewrjacobs]

unfold should work on this body.   if not,  you  may need to relook at how it is created to make sure it only has one plane of curvature

[guilekubo]

I modeled it in the solid envirement because when I tried to convert it to use the spirel to make a sheet metal flange it didn't work. And when I tried to convert this solid into a sheet metal, doen't work again.

[matthewrjacobs]

I'm not at a computer with fusion,  but I'll have a look at the model this evening unless someone else chimes in with a solution before me

[evanp4509U4JZ]

What I can tell you from having done this with actual sheet metal in a non digital environment is that a straight strip will not work. The strip will need to be created as a spiraling curve taking into account the diameter change in the cone over the distance of the strip width at the desired wrap angle. I used a straight strip and ran it through a shrinker on the bottom edge until it fit. When laid out flat, it was an inward spiraling curve. I don't recall the correct terminology.

It will probably be easier to model by sweeping a sketch of the cross section of the strip along a spiral path around the outside of the cone and creating a pattern on path to get the hexes, which will aslo need to be "morphed" to adjust for the longer side of the strip vs the shorter side. So not an equilater hexagon but rather a hexagon with a small percentage taper from top to bottom again, based on the diameter difference along the desired wrap angle.

I will definately keep an eye on this to see how the smarter guys would do it because it seems like a nightmare to me.

[guilekubo]

I didn't say this before, but I think I could use this spirel strip just to make a render. I could do a linear strip after if at some point I want it to be printed, so the hexas doesn't necessary need to be right, they just need to be in a way that we could see in the render that isn't "flat".

[jhackney1972]

Here is my solution your your Wrapped Strip, I am sure there are others.  It is not flexible but can be adjusted with the manipulation of the dimensions.  Please note that I did not try and stick to your exact dimensions but I did use your model body to fit the strip to the surface.  If you do not like the segment lines in the strip, simply turn off visible edges in the Shaded menu.  Model is attached.  If you cannot figure out what I did using the timeline let me know and I will assist.

[davebYYPCU]

Out of interest, the strip returned from Mesh Mixer, is made up of 4 different spline curves.

No you can't fold and refold in Fusion but you can edit create modify the strip, and print it.  Tpu will wrap it self back to that cone.

Based on @jhackney1972  model, I modified the sweep profile, to the correct curve, (top half)

and Sweep a Surface with Rail and Guide surface.

Export - Save as Mesh into Mesh Mixer,

Unwrap it. and Export out of Mesh Mixer  

Import the Mesh and convert to surface,  (edit your pattern - text here)

then Thicken.

Might help....

[matthewrjacobs]

I've tried a couple of different methods.   I tried emboss, but the conical nature of the body, prevented the emboss from forming the strip to match the design you had(might be worth more tinkering).  What I settled on is almost identical to how  @jhackney1972 did it.   Unfortunately this doesn't help you getting the hexagon pattern on the strip.

I tried various techniques to unfold the strip but it appears it's not a developable shape.   I don't know why that is,  it is essentially a strip cut out of a conic body, and conic body can be unfolded.  @jeff_strater  any explanation on why this won't unfold?

[davebYYPCU]

Are you saying that you couldn’t Unfold the cone itself?, bit ambiguous.

As soon as you use a spiral Path, the face of the strip at that normal angle is curved.

(can’t unfold this it’s a compounding spline curved face)

Sheet Metal > Unfold - manipulate - Refold - will probably work too, but you have to keep the flat face intact, and that limits the strip to less than one turn, not what @guilekubo indicated as required, so didn’t go there.  (As I see it, I would need my MMixer strip shortened, to do the ops whilst unfolded for accuracy - 4 spline curves)

Might help....

[laughingcreek]

honestly, I haven't been following what's been tried, so this may be a repeat. but here is my (simplified) attempt. it's unfoldable. roll the timeline forward to see it flat.

[davebYYPCU]

Original request is more than 1 revolution.  Short of that, is as easy as you have done it.

[matthewrjacobs · Accepted solution]

@davebYYPCU I was able to get it to wrap  more than once and unfold.   I'm sure the workflow could be cleaned up considerably.  but this is in the ballpark