How To Convert A Design To Sheet Metal with Fusion

In this video we are going to look at the Convert to Sheetmetal tool in Fusion. This tool doesn't work as expected so understanding what Fusion is looking for is key. We are going to walk through the steps needed to take your design to sheet metal.

[@S.G.W.C.]

Thanks for the vid. I'm actually the reason you made this vid. I asked a friend on the plasticity discord how to unfold my model for laser cutting. He asked you how to unfold it and shared my orange PC case screenshot lol. I will be doing a PC case build video eventually. The reason I wanted the pieces unfolded was to send to a company to off load the work. I actual found out they accept .step files so I didn't need to unfold the pieces. However, my files still weren't being read right by their software. Come to find out its just as you said in this video the solution was simple. I adjusted my file in plasticity to have slight bevels on all edges that were sharp before so that the program could read them as bends. I also converted all faces into sheets then thickened them so that they were all the same uniform thickness. Thanks again for making a video on the issue nevertheless. Cheers!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Cool. yeah it was a good question so i tried to make a model that was a similar shape :) Glad to hear you got a solution with a step file out of plasticity!!

[@austinbarnett4726]

always making the most helpful videos! this is very useful, thank you!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Happy to help!

[@coleschemm366]

Excellent video! Thanks Matt

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

Glad you liked it!

[@adambergendorff2702]

I look forward to trying the unfold/refold command next time I get stuck, Thank You!

[@joell439]

Very clear. Thank you 🙏

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

you're welcome

[@GeryS.]

Nice tip! Thanks!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You bet!

[@rickmellor]

This will help a lot!

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

awesome

[@keal4825]

Thank you so much sir 😍

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

welcome

[@aadityakoshti8940]

How do we do that in Plasticity?

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

You can't. Fusion and other CAD programs have sheet metal tools meant to design bent/formed parts in an end use state then flatten them. Plasticity doesn't have that and I don't think it really ever will. Programs like Fusion, Inventor, Solidworks etc that are geared more towards manufacture of parts would have those tools.

[@aadityakoshti8940]

@@LearnEverythingAboutDesign oh okay. 👍

[@S.G.W.C.]

@@aadityakoshti8940 It depends actually. Like I had mentioned in an above comment. If you are uploading your files to a 3rd party company for them to cut it and bend it for you. You can select all faces click Shift D to duplicate faces then thicken (not extrude) the sheet to the desired thickness and make sure all your bends dont have any sharp edges and that you beveled them. This allows the programs to read it as a .step file and even shows where the bends are needed.

[@LCM4x4]

If you had done the fillets before the conversion you wouldn't need to unfold it.

[@LearnEverythingAboutDesign]

I did mention that at the end and showed it in that way. In the video we convert and show it doesn't work with sharp corners. The unfold/refold is a trick that works if the flat pattern fails, but you don't always need it. But in the video we do fillet then convert.