By Simon Taylor
A new feature has been added to Fusion 360 Design Workspace for Sheet Metal. Inside the Flange Tool you now have the option to create a Lofted Flange. This is a tool which you can use to open sketch profiles, see below:-
Note: - The 2 sketches are on 2 separate planes.
Once we go into the Flange tool we can create a lofted flange with the 2 open sketch profiles, see below: -
From here we can then create a flat pattern of this model, see below:-
Note: - The lines shown on the picture above represent the bend lines of the flat pattern. These are used to create the original 3D model shape during the fabrication process.
This creates the flat pattern of the 3D model ready to be cut on a cnc laser. Once this flat pattern is cut, it’s ready to get fabricated into the original 3D model shape.
The other option we have is to create a Lofted Flange with 2 closed sketches, see below: -
Note that the 2 sketches are on 2 separate planes.
Once we go into the Flange tool we can create a lofted flange with the 2 closed sketch profiles, see below: -
Because this is a closed profile, we must create an additional sketch and feature in order to create a flat pattern of this Lofted Flange. So the first step is to create a sketch which will cut through the Lofted Flange, see below: -
In this instance I have created a rectangle which is positioned in the centre and is the width of the material which is 2mm. The height of the rectangle is large enough so that it can cut through the Lofted Flange. Once we have done this we can create the extruded cut feature we need, see below: -
Once we have created this extruded cut we can then create our flat pattern of our 3D model, see below: -
Note: - The lines shown on the picture above represent the bend lines of the flat pattern. These are used to create the original 3D model shape during the fabrication process.
This creates the flat pattern of the 3D model ready to be cut on a cnc laser. Once this flat pattern is cut, it’s ready to get fabricated into the original 3D model shape.