Help Beginner Design a Drawer

[Torquindsl]

I need some help with a drawer I am designing. This will be a sheet metal project that I model in F360 and then use the design to cut the pattern on my plasma table. I have a couple of 27 drawer parts cabinets that are each missing one drawer, purchased that way. One drawer is deeper than the other, and once I get the shallower one done, I plan to extend the design one inch and make the second one.

Enough background. The drawer is 12.5" x 9.187" outside dimensions. I created the drawer floor in F360 of those dimensions then created flanges all around with the bend position INSIDE. I am using a custom rule I modified form the Steel Inches rule, for the metal to be .048 thick (18 gauge). The rear flange is .5" higher to retain the drawer when pulled out. Now what I want to do is to create flaps/tabs on the end flanges to wrap around to the sides so I can tack weld them to the sides, for strength. The original drawer was the bottom and side as one piece, with the ends made separately and welded on.  I am sure that was to be more efficient for manufacturing.

My problem is that when I am creating the tab flanges F360 always says the flange is intersecting the body. I have tried it with INSIDE, OUTSIDE, and ADJACENT bend positions, but I can't seem to get the flanges where I want them, up against the sides, preferably outside, the side walls. The goal is to have them against the side walls so I can spot weld them to the side walls. I want the ends to wrap outside around the sides for aesthetics, at least for the front end.

Can someone explain to me what I need to do here? Do I need to reduce the size of the floor width dimension by twice the thickness of the sheet metal, and increase end flange width by the same amount (Symmetrical instead of Full Edge) to get the end flanges to meet the outside edge of the side walls, before I create the tab flanges?

I have been messing around with the Adjacent bend position but looking at it in the model it looks like there is a gap between the tab flange and the side wall. I don't know if that's a display issue or actual difference in the cut dimensions.

Attached is what I have so far.

Thanks,

Chris

[jhackney1972 · Accepted solution]

I have include your model with one of the back corners changed to I believe what you want.  If you cannot take the timeline apart to see what I did, let me know.  Basically the back flange, the higher one, is folded edge length is extended to prevent the flange from touching the side panel and the side flange edge length is shorten to prevent it from touching the inside bend radius.  I cut of the corner to clean up a sharp edge.  Model is attached.

[jhackney1972]

Chris,  Did you understand my solution? Need any further help?

By the way, small world, I see you are located in Powhatan, VA.  I am right down the road in Tuckahoe in Henrico County.

[Torquindsl]

Thanks John, but not quite. The proper bend is there, with it butting up to the side wall, exactly what I want, but the measurement is to large now. With just that one tab it is now 9.230" wide, and after the next tab it will be even wider. I need the drawer to be 9.187" wide. This is why I was asking about if I need to compensate for the flanges by making the floor of the drawer smaller, by twice the thickness of the sheet metal I plan to use.

I was hoping that F360 had a way to take into account the thickness of the metal when creating these flange joints, but I have not seen a way to do that yet.

Thanks,

Chris

[jhackney1972]

I was just showing you how to create a non-intersecting corner.  I did not look at any of your dimensions I was just responding to your question of how to keep the sheet metal from intersecting.  This seemed like your main issue, once you have a way around that, you can then finish the design.  You are correct, there is not automatic bend compensation, it is all done with a calculator.  Are you wanting someone to design the finished product?

[Torquindsl]

John, thanks. No, I do not want anyone to design my product. I want to learn to do it myself. I just need help sometimes with this software. Unfortunately, I cannot devote as much time as I would like to learning this, so it is a slow process.

I did not know that I could start a sketch the way you did and have it "blend" into the design so it could be unfolded like the rest of the project. See, I learned something new. Now I just have to see if I can mirror what you did to other corners.

Thanks,

Chris