SolidWorks 2011 Parts Bible - Matt Lombard [279]
Using the Edge Flange feature
Edge Flange is intended to turn a 90-degree flange from a selected straight edge in the direction and distance specified using the default thickness for the part. The default workflow for this feature is that you select the tool, select the edge, and then drag the distance, clicking a distance reference such as a vertex at the end of another flange of equal length or typing a distance value manually. You can select multiple edges from a part that do not necessarily need to touch one another. That is all there is to a simple default flange, although several options give you some additional options for angle, length, and so on. Figure 21.13 shows the Edge Flange PropertyManager, as well as a simple flange.
FIGURE 21.13
The Edge Flange PropertyManager and a simple flange
Edit Flange Profile
The Edit Flange Profile button in the Edge Flange PropertyManager enables you to edit a sketch to shape the flange in some way other than rectangular, or to otherwise edit the shape of the flange. Notice in Figure 21.13 that both of the flanges made by a single flange feature have been edited. You can do this by selecting the flange for which you want to edit the profile before clicking the Edit Flange Profile button.
Note
If you have added dimensions to the sketch, as shown in Figure 21.13, then you will no longer be able to use the arrow to drag the length of the flange. To edit the length, you will need to edit the sketch or double-click the feature, and then double-click the dimensions that you want to change.
You can add holes to the flange profile as nested loops. This enables you to avoid creating additional hole features but does not enable you to control suppression state independently from the flange feature.
You can make flanges go only part of the way along an edge by pulling one of the end lines back from the edge. This works even though the end lines appear black and fully defined. A situation where the sketch has been edited this way is shown in the image to the right in Figure 21.13.
Use default radius
This option enables you to override the default inside bend radius that is set for the entire part for this feature. The bend radii for individual bends within an Edge Flange that has multiple flanges cannot be set; the only override is at the feature level. If you need individual bends to have different bend radii, then you need to do this using multiple Edge Flange features.
Gap distance
The gap distance is illustrated in Figure 21.14. The Gap Distance selection box is only active when you have selected multiple edges in the main selection box for this feature. The gap refers to the space between the inside corners of the perpendicular flanges.
FIGURE 21.14
Specifying the gap distance
Angle
Because the Edge Flange is not dependent on a sketch for its angle like the Base Flange is, you can set the angle in the Angle panel of the PropertyManager. The values that this selection box can accept range from any value larger than zero to any value smaller than 180. Of course, each flange has practical limits. In the flange shown in Figure 21.15, the limitation is reached when the bend radius runs into the rectangular notch in the middle of the flange to the right, at about 158 degrees. The angle affects all the flanges that are made with the feature. To create a situation where different flanges have different angles, you need to create separate flange features.
FIGURE 21.15
Establishing the limit of the flange angle
Flange Length
As mentioned earlier, if you have edited the Flange Profile sketch and a flange length dimension is applied in the sketch, then the flange length is taken from that sketch dimension. If this dimension has not been added to the profile sketch, then the options for this setting in the PropertyManager Flange Length panel are Blind and Up To Vertex. Using Up To Vertex is a nice way to link the lengths of several