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Article: Bend it like an expert: sheet-metal flat patterns made easy.(From the trenches: practical solutions to real-world problems)(using AutoCAD)
- Article from:
- CADalyst
- Article date:
- December 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Questex Media Group, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Few CAD users seem to know how to create a sheet-metal flat pattern with proper bend allowance. Except for those that use 3D CAD software that automatically creates sheet-metal flat patterns, most companies have their engineering departments create a dimensioned drawing of formed sheet-metal parts and leave the flat-pattern calculations to the shop.
The manufacturing trend for sheet-metal parts, especially for prototypes and small production runs, is to use computer-controlled laser or water-jet cutting machines. These precision machines cut with outstanding accuracy, and they can import CAD geometry for a cutting pattern.
I formulated a method to ...