Complex Sheet Metal Bend Region Manipulation in PDM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet metal design software is limited in handling complex bend regions with non-uniform material thickness and 'add-on' features, as they require complex post-procedures and only support well-defined cases, failing to efficiently bend and unbend such regions.
Innovation Solution
A method within Product Data Management systems that directly modifies geometrical data of complex sheet metal bend regions without altering topological entities, allowing for arbitrary geometries and supporting bending, unbending, resizing, and flat pattern creation through a generic process that transforms and reattaches geometries to produce a valid solid body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional sheet metal design software is used to handle complex bend regions with non-uniform material thickness and add-on features, then the software can process well-defined cases, but it requires complex post-procedures and cannot efficiently bend and unbend complex regions
Solution Approach 1:
The method segments the solid body into a target region (containing the bend) and adjoining regions. The target region is separated into a secondary solid body, allowing independent processing of the complex bend region while maintaining simplicity in handling other areas. This segmentation enables the system to focus computational resources on the complex geometry without requiring complex post-procedures for the entire model.
Solution Approach 2:
The target region containing the complex bend geometry is extracted into a separate secondary solid body. This extraction allows the system to apply specialized bending and unbending operations only to the complex region with non-uniform material thickness and add-on features, while the remaining adjoining regions can be processed using standard procedures, thereby reducing overall procedural complexity.
2Reliability
If conventional methods are used for bending complex sheet metal regions, then well-defined cases are supported, but expensive Boolean operations are required which reduce performance
Solution Approach 1:
The method replaces expensive Boolean operations with a geometric transformation approach. Instead of using Boolean operations to modify the solid body geometry during bending, the system uses coordinate transformation and direct geometric manipulation of the target region. This substitution maintains reliability for well-defined cases while dramatically improving processing performance by avoiding computationally intensive Boolean calculations.
3Ease of operation
If conventional software processes complex bend regions, then basic bending operations are possible, but additional features like deformations and complex holes cannot be efficiently handled
Solution Approach 1:
The method creates a universal bending and unbending system that can handle multiple types of geometries and features through a single integrated process. The target region extraction and transformation approach works for basic bends, complex holes, deformations, and combinations thereof, eliminating the need for separate procedures for different feature types. This multi-functional approach maintains ease of operation while significantly expanding adaptability to complex geometries.
Data Source
AI summary
Product data management (PDM) systems, methods, and computer-readable media. A method includes receiving a solid body in a PDM data processing system. The method includes determining an operation to perform on the solid body and a target region of the solid body. The method includes moving the target region into a secondary solid body and removing the geometries from the secondary solid body. The method includes generating new geometries corresponding to the operation and the secondary solid body, and applying the new geometries to the topological entities of the secondary solid body. The method includes transforming the adjoining regions to a new position according to the operation. The method includes knitting the transformed adjoining regions to the modified secondary solid body to produce a processed solid body.