I don't think this can be done with the current functionality, but I thought I might as well ask.
You can unfold anything into a flat pattern once you convert it to sheetmetal as long as it has a uniform cross-section. However, what I want to do is make a pattern in the flat, convert it to sheetmetal (primarily so I can fiddle with the k-factor, otherwise the warp tool would be fine for this), and then bend it into a cone. I had hopes of maybe getting one of the vertices of the bend line to offset from the surface of the part at an angle I can control, but the bend line seems firmly constrained to the surface plane of the part, other ways I've tried to bend a flat into a cone while maintaining neutral axis control have not worked. The part is not actually sheetmetal, but the k-factor adjustment is invaluable.
The main reason for this is there are features I can add on to the flat pattern that will be on the part before it is bent, that I cannot add once the part is converted to sheetmetal (once you're in sheetmetal, you can only add material to the part if it has the same thickness as the part- and I can't add those features if I have to unbend my conic first, at least not without causing one or more features to fail. Unconverting from sheetmetal seems to delete the part, and then I'd be faced with the same problem anyways).
If someone has a sneaky way of acheiving this (1: control over k-factor 2: be able to add features in the flat and have them bend with the rest of the part, 3: bend into a cone instead of a cylinder) or I'm just missing a checkbox somewhere, I'd be interested.
Otherwise I'll just be stuck with generating the whole thing in the round and flattening it, and not adding on the details. Not the end of the world by any means, but less valuable than making the CAD model the same way the part will be made, getting all the visuals right, and being able to see the change in size of the conic shape and feature location by changing the k-factor. Correcting the model for how the prototype worked out is much more difficult if the part and features are defined the way they should have ended up instead of the way they were made.
Being able to thicken from both sides of a revolved surface feature would approximate k-factor, but would have its own headaches regarding part sizes changing in the radial direction if you need to correct your model, along with most of the issues I will have anyways generating this part in the round.
This thread is inactive and closed by the PTC Community Management Team. If you would like to provide a reply and re-open this thread, please notify the moderator and reference the thread. You may also use "Start a topic" button to ask a new question. Please be sure to include what version of the PTC product you are using so another community member knowledgeable about your version may be able to assist.
