Open CAD AcademySheet Metal with SolidCraft

Sheet 09 of 15

Fold: Bend a Flat Plate Along a Sketch Line

In 5 minutes you'll turn a flat plate into a channel by folding it along two sketch lines, and see why the flat size doesn't change.

Part
Fold
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.

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

3D VIEWPART A OF 8 · mm
FRONT VIEWPART A OF 8 · mm14021.8
TOP VIEWPART A OF 8 · mm14043.6
RIGHT VIEWPART A OF 8 · mm43.621.8
UP 90° R2UP 90° R2
NOTESPART A OF 8 · mm1. ALL SIZES IN mm, TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHEET.2. SHEET 2 mm, INSIDE BEND RADIUS 2 mm, K-FACTOR 0.4:THE SHEET METAL RULE “Steel 2mm”.3. THE FLAT SIZE IS YOURS TO FIND.TITLEFOLDSHEET09PARTA OF 8MATERIALSTEEL 2MMTHICKNESS2 mmUNITSmmOPEN CAD ACADEMYSHEET METAL WITH SOLIDCRAFTPROJECTION
Build your part from this drawing: all sizes in mm, to the outside of the sheet.
The finished part
Rule
Steel 2mm
Thickness
2 mm
Bend radius
2 mm
K-factor
0.4

As typed in this exercise

  • Sketch Plate on XY: rectangle (0, 0) to (140, 80)
  • Sketch Fold lines on a face of the part: line (0, 20) – (140, 20); line (0, 60) – (140, 60)

Your task

Fold this channel from a flat plate, from the drawing above.

  1. The rule from the drawing's notes, then the flat plate: its rectangle on XY at the origin, and Flange.
  2. A sketch on the plate's top face with the two fold lines listed under the drawing.
  3. New this time: Fold on each line: Centerline, 90°, so both sides fold up.
  4. Flat Pattern: read the Flat size and the Bends.

What to write down

  • Boxes 1 and 2: Both numbers of the Flat size row.
  • Box 3: The number of bends (the Bends row).

Type them below and press Check. Before you look: do you expect the flat to be bigger than the plate you drew, or the same?

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

± 0.05 mm mm

exact

Stuck? Compare with the finished part
Download the finished part

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 2mm · t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4 · all dimensions in mm, from the blank's left and bottom edges
01400140806020080014080UP 90° R2UP 90° R2

Flat blank 140.000 × 80.000 mm · 2 bends

BendAngleDir.R mmLength mmAllowance mm
190°up21404.398
290°up21404.398

OP 50Quiz

Q1Which sketch does Fold need?

Q2You fold a 140 × 80 plate. What happens to the flat size?

Q3The fold goes down instead of up. What do you change?