SW 2006 Bend Notes - how do you get the included angle?

I just started using SolidWork 2006, and I was excited about the new
Bend Notes feature. We always had a bend table shown on the drawing,
that needed to be manually entered (bend radius, included angle, bend
up/down), and the bend notes feature would get rid of this.

I started to test out this feature, and it looks like you cant choose
what angle to show on the note.

What does it default to? See my screenshots below. I want the
included angle to show on the note (135 degrees).

Is this possible? This is how our brake operator works, with the
included angle.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/3eleven/SolidWorks/sheetmetal-angle1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v154/3eleven/SolidWorks/sheetmetal-angle2.jpg

 

I don't know of any way to change it. But I also don't understand the
issue - you move the material through 45° of motion, not 135°.

WT

 

That's true, but many of the programmable controls consider it a 135°
bend, so the operator would input the bendline location and the angle
as 135°. If you dimension the drawing for your shop with the machine
input, you can save the setup person some potential mistakes. We also
typically dimension the bendlines also. We use ordinate dimensioning of
features on the flat layouts for inspection, picking the two easiest
edges to inspect from, and the bend centerlines from the probable gage
edges for forming. Our setup guys love it and expect it, and I usually
get the parts formed correctly.

If you are providing drawings for an outside source you may choose a
different approach, so your vendor can use their own best practices
without attempting to meet process based dimensions, instead of your
design intent.

peace - Diego

 

Diego,

It sounds like your shop also uses the included angle. You are
correct, that is why we put the included angle, to prevent calculation
errors in the shop.

Do you manually edit the note? (Delete <bend-angle> then enter the
included angle)

 

Not usually - I have the angles in the formed views, usually thru
insert model items, so that the angle dimensions on the formed views
are the complement of the flat layouts. That way the setup guy has them
both ways and when they pick up their protractor they can read it
either way (is it 50° or is it 40°?) - little things seem to help
alot, and will win you valuable cooperation points from the guys who
actually have to work for a living.

peace, Diego