Thumb Rules For Sheet Metal Design

The width on the other hand should be equal to or larger than the sheet metal s thickness.

Thumb rules for sheet metal design.

Followings are the important thumb rule in sheet metal design. When a sheet metal design has small holes it requires smaller punches during operation. And the return length should be at least 4. Understanding the comprehensive performance of materials and the correct material selection have an important impact on product cost product performance product quality and processability.

When using a punch press the diameter of a hole should always be equal to that of your tooling and you should never use a tool who s diameter is less than that of the material s thickness. 2 5 material thickness bend radius. Bend relief bend relief is the notch that needs to be created for sheet metal bending. Never design a hole smaller than 040 diameter unless laser cutting.

Sheet metal tolerances are far more generous than machining or 3d printing tolerances. According to a general sheet metal design thumb rule the bend relief s depth should be equal to or greater than the inside radius of the bend. Distance from the bend to the hole edge should be equal to or more than twice the thickness of the sheet. Sheet metal materials are the most commonly used materials in the structural design of communication products.

The top ten. The distance between the sheet metal bend line and edge of the hole should be two times or greater the thickness of the sheet metal. Design software is productive but it s not all knowing because its. Minimum sheet metal bend radius depends on the selection of tool and the process.

A press brake creates a bend by pressing sheet metal into a die with a linear punch so design does not allow the creation of closed geometry. The minimum hole diameter should be equal to or more than the sheet thickness. Holes are best kept at least 2 times material thickness beyond the radius of a formed feature. Minimum sheet metal bending radius.

The sheet metal design rule of thumb in this case is. The rule of thumb in stamping design is to leave a minimum of 1 1 2 times material thickness between trimmed or perforated features. To prevent tearing relief should provide at bend. For open hems the inside diameter should at least equal to the material thickness larger diameters tend to lose their circular shapes.

Few thumb rules or sheet metal design fundamentals. Inner radius or the bend radius of sheet metal should be. The experts we spoke to offered these guidelines and rules of thumb for designing with sheet metal software.