Sheet 11 of 12
Flat Pattern, Bend Table and DXF for the Shop
In 5 minutes you'll read a part's flat pattern, export the DXF the laser cuts from and the bend table the press brake works from, and know what every line in them means.
- Part
- Flat Pattern, Bend Table, DXF
- Rule
- Steel 2mm
- Sheet
- t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4
- Time
- 5 min
- Status
- Open
OP 10Watch
Video in productionBuild along with the steps in OP 30 meanwhile.
Chapters
- 00:00From model to shop
- 00:30The Z bracket
- 01:10Read the Flat Pattern
- 02:00Export the DXF: its layers
- 02:50Export the Bend Table
- 03:40Common mistake
- 04:20Your exercise
OP 20Turn 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 in OP 30.
OP 30Build 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 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 (80, 50); circle Ø6 at (20, 25); circle Ø6 at (60, 25)
- Flange: height 40
- Flange: height 15, flip
Your task
Make this Z bracket in SolidCraft 0.22 and export it for the shop:
- Make the rule Steel 2mm: thickness 2 mm, bend radius 2 mm, K-factor 0.4, active.
- Sketch a 80 × 50 mm rectangle on XY, corner at the origin, with two circles of 6 mm diameter at (20, 25) and (60, 25). Finish the sketch.
- Flange on the sketch: click the sheet area between the circles, not inside them, so the circles stay holes.
- Flange on the long front edge: height 40 mm, angle 90°.
- Flange on the long back edge: height 15 mm, angle 90°, Flip ticked so it goes down.
- Open Flat Pattern (Sheet Metal tab › Flat) and write down the flat size and the number of bends.
- Press Export DXF… and save the file.
- Press Export Bend Table…, save the CSV and open it in any spreadsheet.
What to write down
- The flat length across the two bends (the Flat size row; the other side is 80 mm).
- The number of bends (the Bends row).
- The allowance of bend 1: the
allowance_mmcolumn of the bend table.
Type them below and press Check. In the Flat Pattern, bend 1 says Up and bend 2 says Down: that's the Flip on the back flange.
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.
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 edgesFlat blank 80.000 × 97.796 mm · 2 bends
| Bend | Angle | Dir. | R mm | Length mm | Allowance mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90° | up | 2 | 80 | 4.398 |
| 2 | 90° | down | 2 | 80 | 4.398 |
OP 50Quiz
Q1Which file does the laser cutter need?
The laser cuts the flat blank, so it needs the DXF: the outline, the holes and the bend lines.
Q2In the DXF, which layers hold the bend lines?
Bend lines are dashed lines on BEND_UP and BEND_DOWN, so the shop can mark them or switch them off; OUTLINE and CUT are cut.
Q3What does the press brake operator read from the bend table?
The bend table lists every bend with its angle, up or down, radius, allowance and where its line is on the flat blank.
Every value is within tolerance. This sheet is done.
Sheet 12: Final project: enclosure