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.

[anursingh]

Hi DB@HuscoInt,

I wanted to see if you got the help you needed.

If so, please mark the appropriate reply as the Accepted Solution. It will help other members who may have the same question..
Of course, if you have more to share on your issue, please pursue the conversation.  

Thanks,
Anurag 

[DB@HuscoInt]

This did not answer my question it looks like someone else also asked about the distinct areas tool in this article Distinct Areas - PTC Community but didn't get a complete answer either. I'm assuming distinct areas have to be used with distinct pieces because you need to define fixed geometry for multiple pieces instead of a single edge for one piece. Since its greyed out I'm thinking you have to define a split area as prep for the flat pattern but I have no documentation to confirm this.

I'm looking for someone who has used distinct areas in unbend to know if this is what I need for my use case.

[tbraxton]

You can open a technical support ticket using this link and submit your specific model to PTC.

Open a Support Case | PTC

Have you reviewed this article addressing the limitations of this in Sheetmetal mode?

Working with Two or More Disjoint Volumes

You could also post your model here with enough details for someone to try and implement your design intent.