Create Flat Pattern of Distinct Pieces in Creo Sheetmetal

[DB@HuscoInt]

Hi everyone,

I’m working with a sheet metal part in Creo 9.0.10.0 that comes off the roll as a single sheet. It is then bent and cut into left and right terminals. I’m trying to unbend these two distinct pieces in one flat pattern but it fails with "Recommended actions: Merge all highlighted distinct pieces to the model."

I came across an article in the PTC Help Center that mentions using distinct areas or disjoint volumes, but it’s very vague. The article doesn’t include any images or step-by-step instructions, so I’m not sure how to apply this technique to my situation. (if it even applies)

Has anyone encountered this issue or figured out how to do this?

I also see that you can turn distinct pieces into separate models but I'm not interested in this approach. I would like to use flat reps if possible. Attached is a screenshot of a  dummy part I made without IP.

[tbraxton]

Have you tried unbending the model prior to splitting it into the L&R parts? I should work if the model is not disjointed before the split. This might get you the flat pattern if that is all you need.

If you need to have separate sheet metal parts for the L&R variants then it may require a different approach to resolve the issue.