Lofted flange reference

The Lofted Flange tool creates a sheet metal body that connects two selected profiles with a transitional shape.

Design > Sheet Metal > Create > Lofted Flange

Profiles

Select two open or two closed sketch profiles to use for lofted flange profiles.

Chain Selection

Automatically selects connected chains of geometry. When enabled, selecting one segment (line or arc) of an open profile automatically selects all connected segments, eliminating the need to manually select each piece of geometry.

Orientation

Orients the sheet metal material relative to the selected sketch profile.

• Side 1 : Extrudes sheet metal material to one side of the sketch profile.

• Side 2 :Extrudes sheet metal material to the opposite side of the sketch profile.

• Center : Extrudes sheet metal material evenly on both sides of the sketch profile.

Forming Type

Declares the intended manufacturing method for the lofted sheet metal body.

• Brake Form : Creates sheet metal flanges that will be formed using a press brake with a punch and die. This type creates bends in the sheet metal.

  -Facet Control: Controls the facets that create the bends in the lofted sheet metal body.

  • Chord Tolerance : Specifies the maximum allowable gap between the straight segments used to approximate curved surfaces and the actual curve. Curved surfaces are approximated with many small straight segments (chords) that follow the curve. A smaller tolerance creates more segments for a smoother, more accurate result with more bends. A larger tolerance creates fewer segments with fewer bends.

    Facet Angle : Specifies the maximum allowed angle between the chord of a facet segment and the tangent to the curve at that point. Curved profiles are broken down into smaller, flat, straight sections (facets) for manufacturing. A smaller angle creates more facets for a smoother, more accurate curve but with more bends. A larger angle creates fewer facets, resulting in a coarser, more angular bend with fewer bends.

  • Facet Distance : Sets the maximum length (width) of the chord for each facet. A smaller distance creates more facets for a smoother, more accurate curve but with more bends. A larger distance creates fewer facets, resulting in a coarser bend with fewer bends.

  • Facet Number : Specifies the number of straight segments on each arc or the number of facets to create around the bend. ???

• Die Form : Creates sheet metal flanges that will be formed using a stamping die. This type creates smooth transitions without discrete bends.

Operation

Select an operation to control how the feature affects the design.

• New Body : Creates a separate sheet metal body within the active component. The new body appears in the Browser, nested in the Bodies folder of the active component.
• New Component : Creates a new body in a new component.

Sheet Metal Rule

Shows the list of rules available in the design. This option appears when you create the first sheet metal body in a component that does not have a Sheet Metal Rule assigned.

Select a rule from the list to assign it to the component when the flange is created. If you do not select a rule at this point, Fusion assigns the default one. You will need to change the sheet metal rule later in the Browser.

Override Rules

Changes specific setting values for the new flange.

Select to apply custom values or deselect to use the Sheet Metal Rule defaults.

Bend Override

Changes the bend radius value for the new flange. Select to apply custom value or deselect to use the Sheet Metal Rule default.

• Bend Radius: Specifies a distance from the inner surface of the sheet to the center of the bend. This controls how tightly the material bends and affects both strength and appearance.