The sheet metal face feature is one of the most common sheet metal features. While sheet metal faces are critical for building out sheet metal parts, they aren’t too complicated to form. All you need to start creating a face feature is a closed profile sketch. Then, follow these simple steps to make a face.
Check out the SolidProfessor Autodesk Inventor Face tutorial for further information on sheet metal faces.
Sheet Metal Face Feature in Autodesk Inventor
The second common sheet metal feature is called the Flange. The sheet metal flange feature consists of a face and bends connected to an existing face along a straight edge. To create one, select the Flange command and then pick the edge or edges you would like to add the Flange to.
To learn more about this feature, click the full Autodesk Inventor Sheet Metal Flange video.
Sheet Metal Flange Feature in Autodesk Inventor
In Inventor, the Contour Flange is a command used to create a sheet metal flange from an open profile sketch. It can be accessed using the sheet metal ribbon on the create panel. The Contour Flange is a sketch-based feature defined using a profile sketch and a straight edge on an existing face. Before getting started with the Contour Flange Feature, it’s good practice to set your default sheet metal thickness using the sheet metal default icon. Click the icon to verify the default and then move on to creating the contour flange.
Check out this Contour Flange video tutorial for hands-on practice with sheet metal contour flanges.
The Contour Flange Feature in Autodesk Inventor
Learning these common sheet metal features will allow you to fold and unfold parts, create new features, and create 2D drawings for use in manufacturing and fabrication. Take our online Inventor Sheet Metal training course to further explore sheet metal and explore hundreds of other SolidProfessor tutorials and courses.