Advanced Sheet Metal Design Using NX Cad Challenge_7_ Metal bracket-II

Metal Bracket Design using NX CAD Sheet Metal Application:

Objectives:

• To explain the Sheet Metal features and tools used while creating the Metal Bracket in NX CAD
• To create a Metal Bracket using Sheet Metal Application in NX CAD
• To create a Drawing of the Metal Bracket in NX CAD

Introduction:

Sheet Metal: is a term used to refer to any metal with variable thickness, which can be bent and formed into complex shapes. Although having low weight to volume ratio, sheet metals have more strength and durability than plastics and other materials. They provide great applications in industries such as automotive, aerospace, defence, construction, consumer products, among others.

NX CAD: formerly known as NX Unigraphics, is a CAD/CAM/CAE software owned by Siemens Industries Software Inc., since 2007. It is a highly versatile software, especially for product development, wherein it finds its uses right from designing the product, to simulation studies, and even provides manufacturing solutions. Here, the Student Version of NX CAD is utilized for undertaking Sheet Metal Design.

The following Sheet Metal Features and Tools from NX CAD are used to design the Metal Bracket:

• Contour Flange - is used to create a base feature by extruding a sketch along a vector, or by sweeping a sketch along an edge of a chain of edge.
• Normal Cutout - is used to remove material by projecting a sketch onto a solid and then cutting perpendicular to the faces intersected by that projection.
• Break Corner - is used to round or chamfer sharp corners of a tab or flange.
• Advanced Flange - is used to add a flange along an edge using a bend angle or a reference plane, either of which can be curved.
• Unbend - is used to flatten a bend and the material adjacent to the bend.
• Hole - is used to add a hole to a body with options for counterbore, countersunk, threaded, among others.
• Rebend - is used to restore an unbend feature to its previous bent state, along with any features added after the unbend feature.
• Gusset - is used to create a stiffening gusset on the part.
• Flat Solid- is used to create a flat solid volume from the formed sheet of the metal part.
• Flat Pattern - is used to create a flat pattern from the formed sheet of the metal part.

Design Methodology:

The usual approach for a Sheet Metal Design is as follows:

Description:

1. Create a Sketch on the YX plane
   
2. Create another Sketch on the XZ plane
   
3. Create a base feature using Contour Flange command using the Sketch on the XZ plane
   
4. Use Normal Cutout command for the outer shape of the base feature using the Sketch on the YZ plane
   
5. Use Normal Cutout command for the holes using the Sketch on the YZ plane
   
6. Hide the Sketches for better view
   
7. Use Break Corner command on the inner edge at the top
   
8. Use Break Corner command for the rectangular hole
   
9. Use Break Corner command for the lower ends of the flange
   
10. Use Break Corner command on the bottom right edges
    
11. Use Break Corner command on the edges to the right
    
12. Use Advanced Flange command on the top edge
    
13. Use Unbend command on all the faces of the part
    
14. Create a sketch on the bottom flat face of the unbent feature
    
15. Use Normal Cutout command on the unbent feature using the new sketch
    
16. Use Hole command and locate the points to create the holes at the bottom
    
17. Use Break Corner command on the rectangular hole
    
18. Use Rebend command on all the faces of the unbent feature
    
19. Use Normal Cutout command to trim the Advanced Flange as per the drawing
    
20. Create a rounded gusset on the bend at the middle using the Gusset command
    
21. Repeat the gusset command to obtain another gusset on the same bend
    
22. Create a rounded gusset on the bend at the bottom using the Gusset command
    
23. Repeat the gusset command to obtain another gusset on the same bend
    
24. Use Advanced Flange command on the rounded hole at the bottom
    
25. Use Flat Solid command to create a flat solid volume of the part
    
26. Hide the flat solid and use Flat Pattern command to create the flat pattern of the part and import it into the drawing
    

Images of the Metal Bracket:

• Front View
  
• Side View
  
• Top View
  
• Isometric View
  

Drawings of the Metal Bracket:

Conclusion:

• Hence, the Sheet Metal features and tools in NX CAD are explained.
• A Metal Bracket is designed using Sheet Metal Application in NX CAD.
• A Drawing of the Metal Bracket is created in NX CAD.