Thumb Rules For Sheet Metal Design

Sheet metal materials are the most commonly used materials in the structural design of communication products.

Thumb rules for sheet metal design.

The more ductile the sheet metal the smaller the inner bend radius is possible. Bend relief bend relief is the notch that needs to be created for sheet metal bending. The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is. When using a punch press the diameter of a hole should always be equal to that of your tooling and you should never use a tool who s diameter is less than that of the material s thickness.

The flange which does not have relief will result in a greater amount of distortion or tearing of the adjacent material. The rule of thumb in stamping design is to leave a minimum of 1 1 2 times material thickness between trimmed or perforated features. And the return length should be at least 4. 2 5 material thickness bend radius.

To prevent tearing relief should provide at bend. The width on the other hand should be equal to or larger than the sheet metal s thickness. The experts we spoke to offered these guidelines and rules of thumb for designing with sheet metal software. The minimum hole diameter should be equal to or more than the sheet thickness.

Distance from the bend to the hole edge should be equal to or more than twice the thickness of the sheet. Few thumb rules or sheet metal design fundamentals. Sheet metal tolerances are far more generous than machining or 3d printing tolerances. Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process.

Inner radius or the bend radius of sheet metal should be. Minimum sheet metal bending radius. Understanding the comprehensive performance of materials and the correct material selection have an important impact on product cost product performance product quality and processability. Design software is productive but it s not all knowing because its.

The top ten. A press brake creates a bend by pressing sheet metal into a die with a linear punch so design does not allow the creation of closed geometry. For open hems the inside diameter should at least equal to the material thickness larger diameters tend to lose their circular shapes. When a sheet metal design has small holes it requires smaller punches during operation.

Also the stretching and compression of forming can distort holes adjacent to a form or bend. Never design a hole smaller than 040 diameter unless laser cutting. Holes are best kept at least 2 times material thickness beyond the radius of a formed feature.