Customizing Standards Files
to Define Design Tables

This section describes how to customize company standards files to define design tables.

 

To know more about the different ways to access your files, refer to the Opening Existing Documents Using the Browse Window section.

Using Sheet Metal Standards Files

This task explains how to access company standards files in order to access and define design tables.

Open a new document.

  1. Click the Sheet Metal Parameters icon .
    The Sheet Metal Parameters dialog box opens.
 

  1. Select the Sheet Standards Files... button. The File Selection window is displayed.

  1. Indicate the path to the Sheet Metal table.

These files are available under .txt format or .xls format (only for Windows)

  1. Click Open.

In the Sheet Metal Parameters dialog box, the Design Table icon appears opposite the Thickness and Bend radius fields.

The parameters are now in gray, indicating that you can no longer modify the values.

  1. Click the Thickness Design Table icon and select the line containing the appropriate parameters (for example Line 1).

Using the Tools -> Options -> General -> Document tab, Other Folders option, you can specify where the files are located. Refer to Document.
This scenario can work when the .CATPart document and all reference table files (Design & Radius) are located in the same directory. This directory is the current one when the Design table is created, and also when the .CATPart is open.
However, generally speaking,  you must reference the complete path indicating where the radius table files are to be found in the RadiusTable column. In this case, regardless of the current directory, the correct tables are located when re-opening the .CATPart document.

  1. Click OK.
    The parameter values are updated in the Sheet Metal Parameters dialog box.

  1. Click the Bend Radius Design Table icon .

  2. Select line 2 and click OK. The parameter values are updated in the Sheet Metal Parameters dialog box.

  1. Create a flange.

The Flange definition dialog box reflects the modification for the Radius.

The default mode, that is to say the formula:
Bend Radius = Part Radius is deactivated.

Using the Sheet Metal Design Tables:
Steps 1 to 4 are identical.

  1. Click the Design Table icon and select a line.

  1. Click OK.
    The parameter values are updated in the Sheet Metal Parameters dialog box.

At that time, the parameters Thickness and Bend radius are driven by the design table.
They are now in gray, indicating that you can no longer modify the values.
Note that if you create a bend, there is no design table: it's the formula which is used.

To disable the access to design tables:

  • Select the Tools -> Options -> Part -> Display tab and check Relations: the Design Table icon is displayed in the specification tree.

  • Right-click this icon: the contextual menu appears.

  • Select SheetMetal Thickness Table object -> Deactivate

The relation is no longer used but still exists. It can be activated at any time.