To speed up your daily work, Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal allows you to specify your preferred default values. In the Shop Based Settings dialog box you specify all those data you need repeatedly, but which you don't want to enter again and again. This includes the shop you want to work with, your preferred material, default values for bend radii and bend reliefs.
To change the settings for just one session, modify the values in the Shop Based Settings dialog box. To change the default settings permanently, edit the entries in the sha_customize file.
Selecting the correct shop and sticking to its preferred materials, tools, and bend radii assists you in cost effective designing.
In the Shop Based Settings dialog box you specify also material and bend process attributes for selected sheet metal parts which were either imported or lost their attributes for some reason.
Set a new shop
In an unmodified Shop Based Settings dialog box, the Shop box displays "Demoshop". The data in the Demoshop are provided as examples. These data do not reflect your shop situation.
Your database administrator provides the data for the shops you work with. These data reflect the actual shop situation -- the materials, machines, and tools available and preferred in each shop.
To specify a new shop:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Shop in the Shop Based Settings dialog box. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal displays a table with the available shops.
3. Click a shop from the table and click Apply. You can also double-click a shop.
Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal limits all further table data to the specified shop.
Set the preferred material
Before you specify a material, make sure that the correct shop is specified. Otherwise you might specify a material which is not available at your manufacturing site.
To specify the material:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Material in the Shop Based Settings dialog box. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal displays a table with the available sheet metal material at the defined shop.
3. Click a material from the table and click Apply. You can also double-click a material.
This automatically updates the Thickness to the new material's thickness value.
Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal bases all further routines and messages on the material and shop you specified.
Change the material setting
When setting the default material, the material's name and its thickness is generally read from the current shop and entered automatically.
But you may alter the material and its thickness value manually:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Place the cursor in the Material box and enter a character string to specify the material's name.
3. Press [Return]. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal checks the shop for the specified material and prompts you with a message if the material was not found. It also activates the Thickness box to allow a change of the thickness setting.
4. Click Thickness. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal prompts you to specify the material thickness.
5. Enter a value and press [Return].
During the following session Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal will create all new parts with the manually entered material and thickness.
Set the preferred bend process
The Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal Demoshop supports five bend processes: Air Bending, Bend Forming, Bend Folding, 3 Point Bending, and Special Bend.
To change the default bend process:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click the Process box. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal opens the list which contains the supported bend processes at the defined shop.
3. Click a process from the list.
During this session Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal calculates all added sheets and lips on the bend process you specified.
Set the Special Bend process
Use Special Bend to create a custom bend without an official database entry. The relevant values are saved with the model information. Once you've created the setting, click Special Bend in the Process area of the Create Bend dialog box to add this bend to any model.
To add a Special Bend:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Select Special Bend in the Process box. The Special Bend dialog box opens.
3. Click Insert at the top of the Special Bend dialog box.
4. Specify the bend radius and the allowance values for the parameters of the bend.
5. Click .
Set the preferred bend radius
By default Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal will calculate an appropriate bend radius and attempts to find the best fitting radius in the tool table. To enter a fixed radius or a minimum radius you will need to disable the default action by commenting out the following line:
in the file Creo Elements\Direct Modeling [Version]\personality\SheetAdvisor\sha_demoshop.lsp.
When working with Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal you can choose between two default bend radii. In the Shop Based Settings dialog box you specify either a fixed radius or the minimum radius (Min Rad)
The fixed radius is a value you specify. The value is material independent as long as it is larger than the minimal radius the material allows.
The minimum radius (Min Rad) is context dependent and cannot be edited. It is the smallest possible value of the following parameters:
• Material's minimal radius
• Bend process
• Available bending tools (shop dependent)
If no other radius is set in the sha_customize file, Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal starts with Min Rad selected.
The specified radius is always used for the inner bends of your sheet metal design. The outer bend radius is the specified value plus the material thickness.
To activate a fixed radius:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Radius.
3. If necessary change the value next to Radius. You can either type a radius value or double-click a tool in the table.
Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal uses the displayed fixed bend radius as the default value.
To activate the minimum radius:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Min Rad.
Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal uses the material-related minimum bend radius as default. The radius value is displayed in the relevant Add Sheet dialog boxes.
Set the relief defaults
Bend and corner reliefs are necessary to prevent any undesired material distortion during manufacturing.
Besides that, type and dimensions for bend and corner reliefs are very much design dependent and can be freely chosen.
The graphic below shows how the dimension's width (Tool Dim) and depth relate to the various relief types.
Set the default bend relief type
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click the Type box under Bend Relief. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal opens the option list containing the punch tools suited for bend reliefs.
3. Click a punch tool type. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal closes the list and displays the specified punch tool type in the Type box.
The set bend relief type will be used as default for all Add Sheet routines that need bend reliefs.
Set the default bend relief tool
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Tool Dim. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal displays a table containing the available punch tools of the set type.
3. Highlight a tool from the table and click Apply. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal closes the table and displays the tool's relevant relief value in the Tool Dim box.
The set bend relief tool will be used as default for all Add Sheet routines that need bend reliefs.
Set the default bend relief depth
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Depth under Bend Relief and type the relief depth.
3. Press [Return]. The depth value is displayed in the Depth box.
The set bend relief depth is used as default setting for all Add Sheet routines that need bend reliefs.
Set the default corner relief type
Corner reliefs behave slightly differently to bend reliefs. As with bend reliefs, you can choose between several punch tools (rounded or rectangular) which are suited for corner reliefs. But both the 3D part and the 2D flat drawing will always show a rectangular relief. Only the tool ID in the 2D flat drawing shows the correct punch tool.
Besides that, type and dimensions for corner reliefs are very much design dependent and can be freely chosen.
To specify the default corner relief type:
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click the Type box under Corner Relief. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal opens the option list containing the punch tools suited for corner reliefs.
3. Click a punch tool type. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal closes the list and displays the specified punch tool type in the Type box.
The set corner relief type will be used as default for all Add Sheet routines that need corner reliefs.
Set the default corner relief tool
1. Click File > Settings > Sheet Metal > Shop Based Settings. The Shop Based Settings dialog box opens.
2. Click Tool Dim. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal displays a table containing the available punch tools of the set type.
3. Highlight a tool from the table and click Apply. Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal closes the table and displays the tool's relevant relief value in the Tool Dim box.
The set corner relief tool will be used as default for all Add Sheet routines that need bend reliefs.
Set the check sheet part option
Creo Elements/Direct Sheet Metal provides an automatic Check Part facility to ensure correct sheet metal parts. The Automatic check box under Check Part is selected by default.
If the Automatic check box is cleared, the adding of a sheet could corrupt your sheet metal part under certain circumstances. If you feel safe with your design, you can clear the check box to improve performance.
In this case you should use the Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Check Part button to verify your design. You can find Check Part on the Analysis tab in the Verify group. If the check detects problems, the edges of the problematic area are highlighted.
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Check Part button to verify your design. You can find