When you approach a potential partner for a sheet metal project, you want to be able to provide them with the best, most efficient design to save both of you time and money. There are a few ways you can do that.
Materials
Different materials have different qualities, and also different costs. Think carefully about what you need from your project, but also which metals are easily available for the person or company doing your sheet metal fabrication, such as https://dkmsheetmetal.co.uk/.
Bends
Bends are an important part of your design. Understand how they work so you know how to space them out to ensure that there is no risk of tool collision during the process.
You also want to avoid including features too close to the bends, as they may become warped during fabrication. Flexibility about your bend radius makes it more likely that your fabrication can be performed with standard, rather than more expensive, customised tools.
Corners
If you include a small radius near the points of your corners, they can be made too small to be visible in the eventual product, but they can make a smoother, cleaner finish by making it easier for the laser to change direction while cutting.
Flanges
The size of your die will decide the length of your flanges. The die is usually up to eight times the thickness of the material, so multiply the thickness by eight, then halve it to estimate how long your flanges will need to be so the material can cross the die.
Models and Drawings
Drawings and models both have their own advantages, so it can be helpful to provide both. A computer aided design for the model can ensure uniform thickness and is relatively easy to adjust if needed, while additional drawings can provide more details and specifications to ensure accuracy in the final product.
You do not have to follow any of these guidelines to design a workable sheet metal part, but they may make life easier for both you and your partner.
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