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Dan_Harlan1-Visitor
1-Visitor
October 9, 2014
Question

Relief, Forms and Die Symbols for Sheet Metal

  • October 9, 2014
  • 1 reply
  • 6368 views

I have Googled extensively and have not found any references to any drawing symbols for use in specifying sheet metal operations. Creo has the symbols for indicating bend direction and angle, but things like bend relief, forms, puches or dies can only be defined by detailing.

Does anyone know if their are standard or even examples of symbols used to indicate things like Relief types (Obround tangent, Square w/ depth, etc)? What about anything other than a note when a stamping operation uses a known form for something like a louver? (I would expect to have to put the part number of the form/die/punch into the symbol)?

1 reply

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TomD.inPDX17-Peridot
17-Peridot
October 9, 2014

Most of this type of operations is buried in the shop process for making the part. Everyone's tool catalog is different and different for every machine. I think that those who want to capture this with Creo would have to develop the catalog pretty much on their own. Punch directions and sheet-up orientations, nesting and restrike information is completely out of my vision when I design sheetmetal. I don't even dare commit to bend factors since they are not my responsibility. A lot of this is trial and error on the prototype and when they lock in the "formula", a good shop locks it into their process as well. When the shop is changed, the process starts all over again.

There have been a lot of great tools available for ages in the sheetmetal shops. I know that if I delivered a good wireframe model from Cadkey, the shop had software that could reliably unfold it and never needed a print. This was 2 decades ago. I suspect that even the current manufacturing extension for Creo lacks a lot of built-in functionality that sheetmetal shops have already developed..

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Dan_Harlan1-VisitorAuthor
1-Visitor
October 9, 2014

Thanks Antonius.

I'm familiar with all that as we have a sheet metal shop in house and I'm actually looking from their perspective as opposed to from the design side. Part of this is so we can document our process so that our various locations change interchange work as needed and not have to re-develop processes etc.

Bends have a simple symbol in Creo, though we're going ot need to define more than just the bend line and angle (we will end up needed brake type, held/fixed side, tool radius, tonnage etc). What I was hoping was something similar to the the AWS weld symbols.

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TomD.inPDX17-Peridot
17-Peridot
October 9, 2014

Is that kind of standard even available for this industry?

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