Sheet Prototyping

Cutting and folding sheets may be the fastest way to put precision features on multiple planes. A sheet fabricated prototype can go from design to part in minutes and scale to massive production volumes.

Don't take it from me, listen to the master, Dan Gelbart, in his series "Making Prototypes": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS5kwdaNhZo

Materials

• Cardboard
• Paper
• Polypropylene
• Dibond
• Steel
• Stainless Steel
• Aluminum: Must be a formable series, like 1100 or 3003

Cutting Tools

• Laser cutters
• Waterjet
• ZUND

Creasing Methods

• Press Brake
• Finger Brake
• Vice Bending
• Perforating
• Half-cutting
• Bevel routing

Design Factors

• Thickness
• K-Factor
• Relief

Design tools

• Fusion 360 sheet metal:
  • tutorial (nyc cnc)
  • tutorial (cardboard)
  • sheet metal gems part 1
  • sheet metal gems part 2
• Rhinoceros 'UnrollSrf' Command
• Solidworks sheet metal
• 123D Make
• ExactFlat