Sheet 05 of 12
Contour Flange: a Channel from an Open Sketch
In 5 minutes you'll draw an open profile, turn it into a bent channel with one Contour Flange, and learn which side of your lines the sheet goes.
- Part
- Contour Flange
- Rule
- Steel 2mm
- Sheet
- t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4
- Time
- 5 min
- Status
- Open
OP 10Watch
Video in productionBuild along with the steps in OP 30 meanwhile.
Chapters
- 00:00What a contour flange is
- 00:30Sketch the open profile
- 01:40Flange: pick the lines, set the Distance
- 02:30Which side is the sheet? Flip
- 03:20The flat pattern
- 03:50Common mistake: sheet on the wrong side
- 04:30Your exercise
OP 20Turn the part
Drag to turn, scroll or pinch to zoom. Flat shows the blank before it is bent: the same sheet, the same frame.
OP 30Build it in SolidCraft
Your task
Make this lipped channel in SolidCraft 0.21:
- In a new design, make the rule Steel 2mm (thickness 2 mm, bend radius 2 mm, K Factor 0.4), Active rule ticked.
- Create a sketch on the XZ plane.
- With the Line tool draw one open chain of five lines: a 10 mm lip, a 30 mm side, a 50 mm bottom, a 30 mm side and a 10 mm lip. Both lips point inward. In sketch coordinates the points are (10, 30), (0, 30), (0, 0), (50, 0), (50, 30), (40, 30).
- Finish the sketch. Don't close the shape.
- Click Flange and click each of the five lines. Type should say Contour.
- Distance 120 mm. These sizes are the outside of the channel, so the sheet must lie inside the lines: tick or untick Flip until the preview shows that. OK.
- Click Flat Pattern (Sheet Metal tab › Flat): write down the first number of Flat size and the number of Bends.
- Edit the flange (double-click it in the timeline), change only Flip, OK, and read the flat size again.
What to write down
- The first number of Flat size with the sheet inside the lines.
- The number of bends.
- The first number of Flat size with the sheet outside the lines.
The second number of the flat size is the Distance, 120 mm, both times. Type the values below and press Check.
OP 40Inspect
Enter what SolidCraft shows you. Each value is checked against SolidCraft's own result, within the tolerance shown. Nothing you type leaves this page.
Show the drawing and bend table
exercise · Steel 2mm · t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4Flat blank 115.593 × 120.000 mm · 4 bends
| Bend | Angle | Dir. | R mm | Length mm | Allowance mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90° | up | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 2 | 90° | up | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 3 | 90° | up | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 4 | 90° | up | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
exercise-noflip · Steel 2mm · t 2 · R 2 · K 0.4Flat blank 131.593 × 120.000 mm · 4 bends
| Bend | Angle | Dir. | R mm | Length mm | Allowance mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90° | down | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 2 | 90° | down | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 3 | 90° | down | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
| 4 | 90° | down | 2 | 120 | 4.398 |
OP 50Quiz
Q1What kind of sketch does a contour flange use?
A contour flange follows an open chain of lines; a closed profile makes a base flange instead.
Q2What does Distance set in a contour flange?
Distance is how far the profile is carried out of its sketch plane. Thickness and radius come from the rule.
Q3You tick Flip on a contour flange. What changes?
The lines are one face of the sheet; Flip puts the thickness on their other side, which changes the part's size and its flat length.
Every value is within tolerance. This sheet is done.
Sheet 06: Hems