Sheet Metal Design in Ansys Discovery

[Watch & Learn]

Ansys Discovery lets you create sheet metal components either from scratch or by converting a solid geometry into a sheet metal geometry that can be flattened. A part is recognized as sheet metal if it only contains planar, cylindrical, or conical faces, and if all faces are offsets of the same thickness.

In this knowledge article, we’ll go over how you can use this feature in Discovery. The first two parts cover the basics of sheet metal design. The third tutorial shows how to repair imported sheet metal geometry, and at the end, we’ll see how to convert solid bodies into valid sheet metal parts. Let’s get started!

Note: These video tutorials have Chinese (simplified), Japanese and English subtitles embedded in them, please activate them by navigating to the gear icon (⚙) and choose the language from captions.

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• Sheet metal Basics in Ansys Discovery (Part 1): In this video tutorial, we’ll go over the basics of sheet metal design in Ansys Discovery. You’ll learn how to use the Pull tool to create flanges, control their direction and position, and understand how different edge selections affect the flange and bend location. We’ll also look at how to create partial flanges using control knobs and explore different junction types like bend, overlap, and sharp edges.

• Sheet metal Basics in Ansys Discovery (Part 2): In this video tutorial, we’ll continue exploring the basics of sheet metal in Ansys Discovery. You’ll learn how to move and rotate flanges using the Move tool, and how the position of your selection affects the bend behavior. We’ll also see how to create flanges at custom angles. Next, we’ll look at creating joggles and hems with the Pull tool itself. We’ll then go over different edge relief options—Square, Rip, and Circular. Finally, we’ll show how to flatten a geometry, and if needed fix overlapping geometry by adjusting the model.
  

• Sheet Metal Repairs in Ansys Discovery: In this video, we’ll see how to repair a surface model and convert it into sheet metal in Ansys Discovery. We fix the geometry if there are any issues in non-uniform thickness zones. At the end, we will see how you can convert this solid body into a sheet metal geometry and flatten it for manufacturing.

• Solid Body to Sheet Metal conversion in Ansys Discovery: In this final video of the sheet metal design series, we’ll see how to use the boundaries of an assembly to create a solid block, which can then be converted into a sheet metal part. During the conversion, you’ll also learn how to manage junctions and choose the right junction types to ensure the flattened design is suitable for manufacturing.

 

 

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