Nesting Sheet Metal Flat Patterns

Is there a simple way to layout a nesting pattern for a sheet metal flat pattern. I can create an array of sheet metal parts in an assembly, but the assembly and any corresponding drawing views become inaccesible when I flatten the sheet metal part. I can also create a drawing view of the flat pattern, but how do I create an array of 322 flat patterns in a drawing view?

I have checked the help files, but found nothing relevant.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Reply to
John Eric Voltin
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John, Short of creating all 322 views, I can't think of a way to do this. Perhaps you could save the drawing file out to (eek) AutoCAD and create the 2D array from there.

Can you let your sheet metal vendor do the nesting with a third party product?

Richard

Reply to
Richard Doyle

What is wrong with making the array of the part from the flattened state instead of changing it. or doing it in a different config

Reply to
Corey Scheich

I have got to start thinking before I respond.

John, He's right, make the assembly using a flattened configuration of the part. Then do your array and create the drawing from there.

Thanks Corey.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Doyle

I suspect your suggestion of using AutoCAD will be the only effective approach.

Most sheet metal shops have tools for doing this, but one I spoke with asked if I could do it. I was able to quickly determine the proper layout using an array of parts in an assembly, but this does me no good for generating a drawing. I guess I could manually create a flat pattern (a part with no bends) and use it to create the drawing.

Reply to
John Eric Voltin

This approach worked perfectly. Thanks.

Although you can easily reference the flat pattern by default when creating drawing views, you must create a config with the bends suppressed in order show the flat pattern in an assembly and making a corresponding drawing.

I'm not surprised that this newsgroup was able to make such a task simple.

Now I just need to get the drawing exported as a DXF.

Reply to
John Eric Voltin

Use the 'CreateFlatPatternViewFromModelView' call. The separate configuration will also allow you to tweak in geometry especially for manufacturing.

I played with nesting of Flat patterns directly inside of a drawingdoc, simply for the benefit of knowing when a nested sheet needed to be renested if/when a flat pattern on the sheet changed.

But a DwgDoc with 'X' amount of flat pattern views on it loads significantly slower than a similar Dwgdoc with '3d' views on it.

Exporting as blocks (even dxfs read back in as blocks) could give you a "middle of the road" functionality.

Well, all but the nesting code was fairly straighforward. The nesting is turning out to be a 'christer' haa haa.

Reply to
rocheey

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