Open CAD AcademySheet Metal with SolidCraft

Sheet 08 of 12

Holes Across a Bend: Unfold, Cut, Refold

In 5 minutes you'll unfold a bracket, cut a slot right across its bend and two holes while it's flat, and fold it back up.

Part
Unfold, Cut, Refold
Rule
Steel 2mm
Sheet
t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4
Time
5 min
Status
Open
  1. OP 10Watch
  2. OP 20Turn the part
  3. OP 30Build
  4. OP 40Inspect
  5. OP 50Quiz

OP 10Watch

Video in productionBuild along with the steps in OP 30 meanwhile.

Chapters
  1. 00:00Why cut it flat?
  2. 00:30The bracket
  3. 00:50Unfold
  4. 01:30Sketch the slot and holes
  5. 02:30Cut through
  6. 03:10Refold and the flat pattern
  7. 04:00Common mistake
  8. 04:30Your exercise

OP 20Turn the part

The finished part

Drag to turn, scroll or pinch to zoom. Flat shows the blank before it is bent: the same sheet, the same frame.

OP 30Build it in SolidCraft

046540208030140-10300UP 90° R2 · FLANGE 302× Ø6SLOT 24 × 8
Drawing: flat blank, all dimensions in mm. Holes and cut-outs are measured from the sketch origin (0,0); bend notes give direction, angle and inside radius. On a bent part the flat size is yours to find.
The finished part
Rule
Steel 2mm
Thickness
2 mm
Bend radius
2 mm
K-factor
0.4

As typed in this exercise

  • Sketch Base on XY: rectangle (0, 0) to (100, 60)
  • Flange: height 30
  • Sketch Cuts on a face of the part: slot (50, -10) to (50, 14), width 8; circle Ø6 at (20, 30); circle Ø6 at (80, 30)

Your task

Cut a slot across the bend of this bracket in SolidCraft 0.22:

  1. Use the rule Steel 2mm: thickness 2 mm, bend radius 2 mm, K-factor 0.4, active.
  2. Build the bracket: a 100 × 60 mm rectangle on XY at the origin, Flange, then Flange on the long front edge, height 30 mm, angle 90°.
  3. Unfold the bracket.
  4. Start a new sketch on the top face of the flat sheet.
  5. Draw an Overall Slot from (50, -10) to (50, 14), width 8 mm: it crosses the bend.
  6. Draw two circles of diameter 6 mm at (20, 30) and (80, 30). Finish the sketch.
  7. Extrude the slot and both circles: Extent Type All, Operation Cut.
  8. Refold.
  9. Click Flat Pattern (Sheet Metal tab › Flat) and write down the flat size and the number of rows under Bends.

What to write down

  • The flat length across the bend (the Flat size row; the other side is 100 mm). Compare it with lesson 1.
  • How many bend lines the Flat Pattern lists under Bends.

Type them below and press Check. The solution's drawing shows the slot and both holes in the flat blank.

OP 40Inspect

Enter what SolidCraft shows you. Each value is checked against SolidCraft's own result, within the tolerance shown. Nothing you type leaves this page.

± 0.05 mm mm

exact

Show the drawing and bend table
exercise · Steel 2mm · t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4 · all dimensions in mm, from the blank's left and bottom edges
046541000208010086.456.440.428.216.4086.456.428.2010086.4UP 90° R22× Ø6SLOT 24 × 8

Flat blank 100.000 × 86.398 mm · 2 bends

BendAngleDir.R mmLength mmAllowance mm
190°up2464.398
190°up2464.398

exercise.solidcraftexercise.json

OP 50Quiz

Q1Why unfold before cutting this slot?

Q2What does Refold do with your cut-outs?

Q3After the cuts, the flat size of the blank is…