Advanced Sheet Metal Design Using NX Cad Challenge_1_Casing Design

Advanced Sheet Metal Design Using NX CAD- Casing Design

Objective:

The main objective of this project is to design a sheet metal casing in NX cad sheet metal application workbench. Also, to perform the drafting for the casing part.

Software used: NX 12.0

• To design and model the sheet metal casing in NX by using some basic features.

• To learn to create sketches on defined planes as per requirement.

• To master the user interface and basic features of Sheetmetal application in NX like Tab, Flange, Break corner, Unbend, Creating holes, Rebend, Dimple, Bead, Mirror feature, and Flat pattern.

Introduction:

Sheet metal Design and Fabrication:-

# Sheet Metal Fabrication is the process of forming parts from a metal sheet by punching, cutting, stamping, and bending.

# 3D CAD files are converted into machine code, which controls a machine to precisely cut and forms the sheets into the final part.

# Sheet metal parts are known for their durability, which makes them great for end-use applications (e.g., chassis). Parts used for low volume prototypes and high-volume production runs are most cost-effective due to large initial setup and material costs.

#Because parts are formed from a single sheet of metal, designs must maintain a uniform thickness. Be sure to follow the design requirements and tolerances to ensure parts fall closer to design intent and cutting sheets of metal.

#In Sheetmetal application we can create a uniform thickness sheetmetal parts using basic features such as flange, tabs and jogs. We can also do close corners, cutout and stiffening features. The complex sheet metal part can be designed in the solid model workbench and then we can convert it into a sheet metal part. We can also import, clean up and convert a non-sheet metal part into a valid sheet metal part. Flat pattern sheet metal data can be used for the manufacturing process. The Material parameters such as thickness, bend radii and bend relief can be easily set as default settings.

Design Methodology

Commands/feature used

• Sketch

• Tab/Sketch – Rectangle

• Cutout/Sketch – Rectangle

• Bend/Sketch - Two mirror lines from center

• Flange

• Break corner

• Unbend

• Hole/Sketch - Circle and mirror

• Dimple/Sketch-line, mirror, Studio spline, and move curve

• Bead/Sketch – Circle

• Rebend

• Flatout feature

• Finally Drafting in A4 sheet

Description:

The sheet metal casing has been done with the above flow chart process. While designing the default thickeness, bend radius relief depth and relief width value are set to 1mm at the Menu → Preferences → Sheet Metal here you can change the Sheet Metal thickness whenever neccessary.

The sketch is drawn in the XY plane and the tab command is used for creating the base of the part.

Explanation:

Direct Sketch: We use its tools to create a base sketch. (for eg: Rectangle, Circle, Line, etc.)

Tab: This tool act as an extrude (i.e) 2D sketch to 3D sketch can be done.

Cutout: Using the NORMAL CUTOUT tool we remove the material from the required location.

Bend: As the tool name indicates the bend tool is used to bend the sheetmetal bodies.

Flange: This tool is used to create a bend structure on the edges of the sheetmetal.

Corner: After creating the flanges we eliminate the sharp corners using the CLOSED CORNER feature in order to ease the manufacturing process.

Unbend: As the tool name indicates the bend tool is used to bend the sheetmetal bodies and the unbend is viceversa of the bend tool,It is to unbend the bended regions.

Punch: Lastly we make the holes using the HOLE command. Using MIRROR FEATURE tool we mirror the hole on th either sides of the component.

Dimple: It is a stamp tool used to lift the certain boundries of the body and creates a punching action on the surface of the tool.

Provide the necessary slot using the DIMPLE command.

Bead: This tool is used to create a punch formation on the selected region on the body with smooth curvature on the edges.

Also we create circular projections with help of the BEAD command.

Mirror feature: This feature act as a mirror,It copies the feature and place it in a selected plane.

Then make a rebend the sheet.

Flat pattern: It creates a flat pattern of the selected regions on the sheetmetal.

We create a flattened view of the component using the FLAT PATTERN command.

Views:

1.Front view:

2.Top view:

3.Side view:

4.Isometric view:

Drafting:

We can create 2D drawing sheets in NX CAD from the solid component designed. For that we have to follow the process below:

Application >> Drafting >> Base View >> In model view to use - FLAT PATTERN created >> Adjust appropriate scale >> Drawing Sheet formed >> Give Proper Dimensions.

Drawing sheet:

Detailed view:

CONCLUSION:

• Finally the casing of the sheetmetal is designed on the Siemens NX12.0

• The tools and features used for the casing is learned.