Square Hopper: Bends That Aren't 90°
In 7 minutes you'll make a square hopper: loft a solid between two squares, shell it open at both ends, and convert it to sheet metal with one seam. Then read the bend angle SolidCraft works out for the sloping walls.
- Lesson
- Sheet 05 of 05
- Part
- Hopper
- Rule
- Steel 1.5mm
- Sheet
- t 1.5 · R 1.5 · K 0.4
- Time
- 7 min
- Status
- Open
Watch
Video in productionBuild along with the steps below meanwhile.
Turn the part
Drag to turn, scroll or pinch to zoom. Flat shows the blank before it is bent: the same sheet, the same frame.
The model shows part A, for illustration. Your part has its own sizes: build it from the drawing below.
Build it in SolidCraft
Part A of 8. Every learner gets a part with its own sizes, so the values you check below are yours to find.
A new part has new sizes. It clears this sheet's checks and ticked steps; your quiz answers stay.
The picture shows part A, for illustration. Build your part from the drawing and the sizes listed here.
- Rule
- Steel 1.5mm
- Thickness
- 1.5 mm
- Bend radius
- 1.5 mm
- K-factor
- 0.4
Your task
Build this square hopper from the drawing. Material poured in at the mouth runs out through the outlet.
- The rule from the drawing's notes. Then a solid, not sheet metal yet: the outlet square on XY, centred on the origin, and the mouth square on a plane 120 up (Model tab › Construct › Offset Plane).
- New this time: Model tab › Loft between the two squares, then Shell it 1.5 mm inside, removing the top and bottom faces.
- Convert to Sheet Metal: Fixed face one of the walls, Bends three of the four corner edges. The fourth corner becomes the seam.
- Flat Pattern: read bend 1's angle in the bend table, the Flat size and the Bends.
What to write down
- Box 1: Bend 1's angle.
- Box 2: The Flat size, first number.
- Box 3: The number of bends.
Type them below and press Check.
Check your numbers
Enter what SolidCraft shows you. Each value is checked against SolidCraft's own result, within the tolerance shown. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Stuck? Compare with the finished part
This opens once you've checked every box at least once: try it yourself first.
Open it in SolidCraft (File › Open) next to yours and compare the timeline, the rule and each feature's sizes: the first one that differs is where yours went wrong.
exercise · Steel 1.5mm · t 1.5 · R 1.5 · K 0.4 · all dimensions in mm, from the blank's left and bottom edgesFlat blank 547.933 × 315.136 mm · 3 bends
| Bend | Angle | Dir. | R mm | Length mm | Allowance mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 82.92° | up | 1.5 | 135.83 | 3.039 |
| 2 | 82.92° | up | 1.5 | 135.83 | 3.039 |
| 3 | 82.92° | up | 1.5 | 135.83 | 3.039 |
Quiz
Q1Why does a hopper need a seam?
Four walls joined all round make a closed ring: there's no way to lay it flat. Cut one corner open and the walls unfold into a fan.
Q2The walls slope outward. Is the bend between two walls more or less than 90°?
Sloping walls open the corner, so the angle left inside is more than 90° and the bend is less. SolidCraft works it out from the shape.
Q3What does Convert to Sheet Metal need from a shelled solid?
Pick the face that stays put and the edges to bend. Edges between walls you don't pick are cut open: that's the seam.
Every value is within tolerance. This sheet is done.
Back to the register