Gussets for sheet metal: where a gusset actually helps
Gussets in sheet metal frames: when a corner needs one, how long and thick it should be, the weld arithmetic and the cases where it makes a part worse.
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Topic hub · 44 guides
Design and CAD
A drawing is a contract. These guides cover the design decisions that survive the shop floor: bend relief and corner relief, hole-to-edge distance, tab and slot, datum strategy, tolerance stack-up, STEP and DXF hand-off, drawing notes, revision control and design for coating, assembly and transport. Written for design engineers who would rather fix it in CAD than in a concession.
Guides in this topic, page 3
Design rules, CAD hand-off, bend allowances, tolerance stacks and the drawing notes that decide whether a part is made right first time.
STEP files for sheet metal: what a supplier needs in the model
What a STEP model must carry before a sheet metal quote: units, body count, wall thickness, bend direction and the flat pattern basis behind it.
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Bend relief for sheet metal: where to put it and how wide
Bend relief depth is a bend allowance, not a bend radius. Why the usual R + t rule under-sizes the notch, the width that works by material, and where to put it.
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Design for assembly: locate, fasten, mistake-proof
Locate before you fasten, count the fasteners, and make the wrong build impossible. Tab clearances, hole floats and stack-ups for sheet metal assemblies.
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Hole deformation near a bend: why the hole moves
A hole near a bend fails in two ways: it goes oval from the strain gradient and it lands off position from the flat pattern. How to separate and prevent both.
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Rivet nut versus weld nut: the joint choice for thin sheet
Rivet nut versus weld nut for thin sheet: the preload a bolt asks for, the pull-out each nut delivers, and the coating and service rules that decide it.
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Rivnuts and blind nuts for sheet metal: when and what they cost
A rivnut gives you a thread from one side of the sheet. Hole size, grip range, pull-out and the real cost in seconds per fastener, with the limits.
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Tab and slot for sheet metal: joints that hold for welding
Tab and slot for sheet metal: the clearance a laser kerf really leaves, tab length and root radius, locating logic, and why a 0.4 mm gap ruins a weld.
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Flat pattern for sheet metal: what the CAD flat must contain
Flat pattern for sheet metal: the eight things a CAD flat must carry, the bend deduction worked at 2 mm, and the reliefs that stop a corner tearing.
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