Tangential Offset

Sheet-Metal Design

General

  • You can create sheet metal part from a regular part based on the selected surface or surface chain.
  • A chain of faces comprises faces that are connected to each other, and which define the form of a part. A chain of faces does not need to be tangential.
  • You can also edit the sheet metal part with this function. In some cases, this functionality corrects errors in the sheet metal part, which prevent the addition of new bending features to the part, for example.
  • The function also allows you to change the thickness of the sheet metal, but note that the rounding radii of the corners do not change.

Create a sheet metal part from a part using the tangential offset function

  1. Select the ribbon bar function
    • Part | Tools | Offset (Tangential offset).
      • While the part is still a regular part.
    • Sheet metal part | Tools | Offset (Tangential offset).
      • When the part is already a sheet metal part.
  2. Select the surfaces for the tangential offset.
    • Select the auxiliary function Search tangential surface chain, if you want the program to find a tangential surface chain for the selected surface.
  3. Finish selecting surfaces with the Confirm function. (Confirm = V key, middle mouse button or the context-sensitive OK.
    • The program opens the dialog box Tangential Offset.
  4. Define the tangential offset data in the dialog box.
    • Sheet thickness.
    • Sheet direction.
      • In.
      • Middle.
      • Out.
    • Select: Change to sheet metal part.
  5. Select OK.

Perform tangential offset to the selected surface

  1. Select one or more surfaces.
    • One surface is enough if all desired surfaces can be found as a chain of tangential surfaces to the selected surface.
    • Hold down the Ctrl key if you select several surfaces. The selected surfaces must form a coherent chain of surfaces.
  2. Select the context-sensitive function Tangential Offset
    • The program searches for the tangential surface chain.
    • The program opens the dialog box Tangential Offset.
  3. Continue as above, steps 4...5.