Dec 27, 2016 we have now created the sheet metal gauge tables in excel in the appropriate format. In sheet metal, the k factor is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material thickness. All sheet metal workers know the importance of an accurate k factor or bend allowance when it comes to design. K factor is required to calculate the flat pattern.
You will probably have to start with the supplier of your sheet stock as there are a number of items which effects the k factor, including not only the material thickness, but the yieldpoint and other physical properties of the metal. How to create a custom solidworks sheet metal bend table. Shows up in the property manger of the sheet metal feature in the sheet metal gauges group box, under the table name. Jun 28, 2019 the k factor in sheet metal bending is the ratio of the position of neutral axis to the material thickness. Use the known k factor and the known inner bending radius to calculate the bending radius of the neutral line. How to calculate the kfactor in solidworks for perfect. It is used to calculate sheet metal flat length flatpattern. Sheet metal parts inventor 2016 autodesk knowledge network.
The program is very simple and user friendly and requires no previous knowledge. You can do this in the propertymanager by selecting custom bend allowance and making selections. It is only one of the ways bend values can be determined. When a piece of metal is being formed, the inner portion of the bend compresses while the outer portion expands see figure 1. Term k factor is used in cad programmes to calculate sheet metal blank size. The bend command only works on the surface closest to the bend line, no k factor is used. A kfactor is a percentage multiplier for locating the neutral axis. Response to question concerning kfactors by material type and forming method. Dont know if you can get this out of the sheet metal environment. Standard kfactors can be found from your sheet metal supplier, online, or through real world testing. You can use the sheet metal gauge table to assign values for the whole part. Sheetmetalworks covers the sheet metal process chain right through to the manufacturing stage. We did a quick study and determined the k factor for one condition we.
It is our standard practice to lay out our composite cutandfold panels using the using the sheet metal feature with the k factor set to. The rules determine some common attributes such as material type and thickness, unfolding rules, gap sizes, and so on. The yfactor is used, as far as i know, solely by ptcs proengineer, now known as creo elementspro. Jun 09, 2017 the problem with a solidworks sheet metal bend table is that it can only control the bend allowance, bend deduction or k factor but the thickness and radius is still free to be changed manually. This same tool can be used to make a flat piece of sheet metal that one would use to add edge flanges and other useful sheet metal features. Start with thin layer solid shape, either by extruding a sketch, or creating a thin box. Solidworks setting i wish could be set as default neswuc 2012. Jun 06, 2017 calculating bend allowance, bend deduction, and kfactor article by saeed mojarad cswe createdupdated june 6, 2017 in my previous post i talked about kfactor, bend allowance and bend deduction and what they mean in sheet metal design. It all depends on your needs whether or not to go to that level of detail. When metal is bent the top section is going to undergo compression and the bottom section will be stretched.
In inventor this ratio determines the final size of the unfolded s. The flat pattern can be used to document and manufacture associatively as the design changes. Autodesk inventor kfactor sheet metal cadline community. You can also specify k factor values in their own k factor bend tables. May 29, 20 so for a very large radius bend where the neutral axis lies right in the center of the material, the k factor would be exactly 0. We have saved the tables into a folder in windows, and we have pointed solidworks to this folder.
In my previous post i talked about k factor, bend allowance and bend deduction and what they mean in sheet metal design. From the pulldown menu, we choose sheet metal gauge tables and then point to the appropriate folder. It ultimately allows you to estimate the amount of stretch without knowing what type of material you are bending. Calculating bend allowance, bend deduction, and kfactor. Discover the solidworks sheet metal design demo from the solidworks 3d design demo library. K factor elo rating system, a constant used in elo rating system. In sheet metal, there is a powerful bend constant known as the k factor. The line where the transition from compression to stretching occurs is called the neutral axis. Unfold your sheet metal part and by adjusting the kfactor try to bring your bending line in a desirable distance. In sheet metal, there is a powerful bend constant known as the kfactor. Now lets see how we can obtain these values for a specific sheet.
In this article we will discuss sheetmetal bend deduction, bend allowance, k factor, y factor and sheet metal flat pattern calculations. To simply understand how to work with the sheet metal extension, here is a sample workflow. You just have to enter a value for the thickness of materials and bending radius, in inches or mm, and get the value of the k factor. The kfactor in sheet metal working is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material thickness. Kfactors, yfactors, and press brake bending precision. We are now ready to use these sheet metal gauge tables. As sheet metal parts are flattened or formed if you start with a flat state, prosheetmetal utilizes a y factor to allow for the fact that metal is elastic and stretches as it bends. We use solidworks to model these parts currently but have started migrating to v5. Since gauge tables were introduced, all the parameters can be controlled base on the drop down selection which makes life much easier.
Nov 25, 2009 k factor is used in defining the bend allowance, thus by using bend allowance tables it is possible to automatically set the kfactor for defined materials see gauge tables. In sheet metal the neutral is just off of the middle of the part. M p groover, fundamentals of modern manufacturing 3e 9. Value of k factor depends on material, sheet thickness, inside bend radius and machine used. Our sheet metal design will use the following specifications. The program is used to calculate the k factor in sheetmetal bending. In this way you could get your customers files, edit them as needed and save the custom k factor with the file. Looking for downloadable 3d printing models, designs, and cad files.
The k factor, a fictional tv show within harry hills tv burp. As you create flanges and add bends, the sheet metal design software will accurately represent the flat pattern required. Solidworks sheet metal tools are relatively straight forward, but may not be clearly understood. Dec 14, 2012 learn about the different options available in solidworks for calculating a sheet metal flat pattern and what these different options mean. Prosheetmetal will subtract from the actual length of the material to compensate for the elasticity.
K factor marketing, the growth rate of websites, apps, or a customer base. Most cad systems that have sheet metal design tools will allow you to input a k factor that the software uses to calculate the unfolding to give an accurate blank, or flat pattern. However, you can modify k factor, bend allowance, and bend deduction per feature or per bend. Jun 11, 2015 working with the sheet metal extension. It is a k factor calculator developed by the new zealand company knac solutions. Edge flange see figure 3 can be used to add an attached wall to any sheet metal body. K factor sheet metal, the ratio of location of the neutral line to the material thickness. You can specify the bend allowance or bend deduction values for a sheet metal part in a bend table. As i mentioned in my last post you need to do some tests to calculate these values for a specific sheet. The bend allowancebend deduction of the sheet metal specified in k factor. Sheet metal addon for freecad open source cad software.
Ms2011060 rev 0 22 nd february 2011 guide by clinton brown kfactor in autodesk inventor sheet metal parts the k factor in sheet metal is the ratio of thickness to the location of the. Shows up in the property manger of the sheet metal feature in the sheet metal. Sheet metal design software considers the fabrication methods needed for manufacturing. In sheet metal design, the k factor is used to calculate how much sheet metal one needs to leave for the bend in order to achieve particular final dimensions, especially for between the straight sides next the bend. Tanel another option that is not so close to the theory of this pdf but you will help a lot the guys on the bending machine is the following. Solidworks sheet metal design 3d design demo library. The bend table also contains values for bend radius, bend angle, and part thickness. It is derived by taking half of the kfactor multiplied by pi. The sheet metal template file incorporates a set of rules. The neutral axis is the area of transition between compression and expansion, where no change in the material occursexcept. The yfactor is simply a variable based of the more commonly used kfactor. The k factor in sheet metal working is the ratio of the neutral axis to the material thickness. Mathematically k factor value is equal to the ratio of position of neutral axis and sheet thickness.
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