Sheet Metal Design Methods in BricsCAD Mechanical Explained

Quick answer: Sheet metal design models sheet metal parts and generates their unfolded representations with manufacturing information. The key mindset shift: don’t think in terms of a planar sheet to be cut and bent, model the part directly the way you’d create any solid body with Direct Modeling tools instead.

Four Ways to Create a Sheet Metal Part (Combinable)

1. Base flange from a closed planar profile, then add flanges: pull edges to create edge flanges with bends; create partial flanges with automatic bend reliefs; pull several adjacent edges at once for multiple flanges with automatic corner reliefs and junctions between them; or bend a flange’s portion to create a new flange from it.
2. Flanges combined with lofted bends connecting two 3D profiles, using the Sheet Metal Loft tool (SMLOFT).
3. Flanges combined with bends from a planar profile, using the Sheet Metal Extrude tool (SMEXTRUDE).
4. A shelled body from a 3D solid: use the Shell option of SOLIDEDIT at the desired thickness, then convert it to a sheet metal part with SMCONVERT (confirming exactly the same command listed among those that don’t support mechanical blocks on this hub’s mechanical blocks, Xrefs and 3D solids page, it works on a regular 3D solid, just not one already classified as a mechanical block), and create bends and junctions from its hard edges.

Further Detailing Operations

• Make holes by drawing closed profiles on flange faces and pushing them through.
• Insert Form Features from the library installed with BricsCAD Sheet Metal, or create your own custom ones.
• Create bead features from a 2D curve lying on a flange, using SMBEAD.
• Adjust material thickness and bend radius via predefined parameters.
• Apply Direct Modeling operations and 3D constraints to refine the design further, while still maintaining its design intent in terms of sheet metal features.

Finishing Up: Unfolding and Export

Once your part is ready, unfold it automatically and hand the result to a manufacturing engineer by exporting the corresponding 2D drawing, complete with bend annotations, as a .dwg or .dxf file, ready for a CAM system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert an existing 3D solid into a sheet metal part rather than building one from scratch? Yes, shell it with SOLIDEDIT‘s Shell option at the desired thickness, then convert it with SMCONVERT.

Does SMCONVERT work on a solid that’s already been classified as a mechanical block? No, it doesn’t support mechanical blocks, only regular 3D solids.

How do I get a sheet metal design ready for manufacturing? Unfold it automatically and export a 2D drawing with bend annotations as a .dwg or .dxf file for a CAM system.

What’s the mindset shift needed when designing sheet metal parts in BricsCAD compared to traditional manufacturing thinking? Model the part directly as a solid body using Direct Modeling tools, rather than thinking in terms of a flat sheet that gets cut and bent afterward.