Advanced Sheet Metal Design Using NX Cad Challenge_1_Casing Design

Advanced Sheet Metal Design Using NX Cad - Casing Design

Objective –

• Main objective of the project is to design casing in NX cad application workbench.
• To perform the drafting of the part.
• To learn about features of NX cad

Introduction –

Sheet metal is metal formed by an industrial process into thin, flat pieces. Sheet metal is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and it can be cut and bent into a variety of shapes. Countless everyday objects are fabricated from sheet metal. Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil or leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 in) are considered plate steel or "structural steel".

Sheet metal is used in automobile and truck (lorry) bodies, airplane fuselages and wings, medical tables, roofs for buildings (architecture), and many other applications.

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 of the command used -

• Tab – Tab is the command used to convert 2D sketch into thin sheet. Global value of the sheet is 3mm. But in this project we consider 1mm thick sheet. Tab given is 1mm. Tab feature is shown in fig below
• 

• Normal Cutout -
  When it is necessary to remove material from a sheet metal part, you must use the Normal
  Cutout command. First, draw a sketch, and then activate the Normal Cutout command (On
  the ribbon, click Home > Feature > Normal Cutout). Click on the sketch and select the
  extent type from Cutout Properties > Limits. Type-in a value in the Depth box in case the
  Limits is set to Value. On the dialog, click OK to create the cutout.
  

• Flange
  The second feature after creating a tab is flange. You can create this feature along an edge
  or multiple edges of a sheet metal part. In order to create a flange, all you need is to activate
  the Flange command (On the ribbon, click Home > Bend > Flange), and then click an edge
  of the tab feature.
  

• Bend
  In addition to adding flanges and contour flanges, you can also bend a flat sheet using the
  Bend command. Activate the Bend command (click Home > Bend > More > Bend on the
  ribbon) and click on the face to bend. Draw a sketch line on the flat sheet and click Fin-
  ish on the ribbon. The flat sheet bends along the sketch line. On the Bend dialog, click the
  Reverse Side button to flip the bend side. Type-in a value in the Angle box to change the
  folding angle.
  

• Break Corner
  The Break Corner command rounds or chamfers the sharp corners of a sheet metal part.
  Activate this command (click Home > Corner > Break Corner on the ribbon) and click
  on the corner edges of the sheet metal part. If you want to break all the corners of the sheet
  metal part, then drag a window across the geometry. This will select all the corners of the
  sheet metal part.
  

• Unbend

  NX allows you to create dimple across bends. First, you have to unbend the sheet metal part

  using the Unbend command. Activate the Unbend command (On the ribbon, click Home

  > Form > Unbend) and click on the face to remain stationary. Click on the bend and click

  OK to unbend the sheet metal part.

• Dimple
  The Dimple command adds a dimple to a flat sheet by deforming it. Activate the Dimple
  command (click Home > Punch > Dimple on the ribbon) and click on the face to add
  dimple. Draw a closed sketch and click Finish on the ribbon. A dimple shape appears on
  the sketch region. On the Dimple dialog, click the Reverse Direction button to change the
  dimple direction. Type-in a value in the Depth box to define the depth of the dimple feature.

• Bead
  The Bead command creates a bead feature, which stiffens the sheet metal part. In order to
  create a bead feature, first you must have a sketch, which defines the bead size and shape. If
  the sketch is having curved edges, then ensure that they are tangent continuous. Activate the
  Bead command (click Home > Punch > Bead on the ribbon) and click on the sketch. On
  the Bead dialog, click the Reverse Direction button to flip the bead feature.
  

• Rebend
  Now, activate the Rebend command (On the ribbon, click Home > Form > Rebend) and
  click on the bend. On the Rebend dialog, click OK to rebend the sheet metal part.
  
• Flat pattern - This feature is used to create an instances of the flat shape and size of the sheet metal that required to create final part.
  

• Drafting of Part
• 

• Various Views of Casing Part-

• Isometric Views

• Top View

• Front View

• Left Side View

• Conclusion-

Finally with this project of Sheet metal casing in NX CAD basic understanding about GUI and sheet metal application developed.Also this project teach us basic approach to sheet metal modelling and utilization of command.