# Sheet Metal Design & Drafting

https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/product-design-drafting

Sheet metal design and drafting produces the 3D model, the unfolded outline, and the drawings for a bent part from a sketch, sample, or existing file. K-Display, in Chicago, drafts each part, checks its bends, joints, hardware, and finish for manufacture, and releases the drawing set to the shop.

## Overview
We build a 3D model from the sketch, sample, or file, in steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, and add an unfolded outline for cutting and drawings that carry the dimensions, tolerances, and notes a model cannot. The assembly model shows how the parts fit together and where each piece of hardware goes. Single-source metal fabrication carries a finished drawing package through the whole route, from the first cut to the assembled unit.

## Applications
- Enclosures and covers, drafted with mounting points and access openings, each panel unfolded for cutting.
- Mounting brackets, modeled to align with their mating parts from a sample or a file.
- Chassis and card cages of several parts, drawn as an assembly with the hardware and finish on each part.
- Hoppers and chutes, revised from a sample or an old file for a new installation or finish.

## Process
- Take the dimensions: We measure the sample, or take the sketch or file, and record the mounting points, hole positions, and bends.
- Model the part: We build the 3D model and the assembly, and unfold each bent part into its outline.
- Check it for manufacture: We check the bends, joints, hardware, and finish against the model, and change the model wherever a bend has no tool clearance or a joint cannot be reached.
- Draw and release: We draw the views, dimensions, and notes, and release the flat pattern and the drawing set to the shop.

## Design considerations
The metal along a bend stretches on the outside and compresses on the inside, so a part unfolds to a length that is not the sum of its folded dimensions. We add the bend allowance, the length of metal the bend itself uses, and a relief, a small cutout at the end of a bend, so the unfolded outline forms to the drawn size. A hole on one flange and a mating feature on the other, the two bent-up legs of the part, line up only if both are dimensioned from one datum, because each bend adds its own variation between them. Give both from the same datum, the edge or hole every related dimension starts…

## FAQ
**Do I need finished drawings before contacting K-Display?**
No. An idea, sketch, photo, sample, reference, or incomplete file is enough to begin the conversation.

**Which design systems and files can K-Display work with?**
K-Display works with Autodesk Revit, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD/DWG, DXF, STEP, PDF, and other supported 2D or 3D CAD files.

**Is product design and drafting offered as a standalone consulting service?**
No. It is offered as part of projects K-Display expects to manufacture so design decisions stay connected to fabrication, finishing, and assembly.

**Who approves the design before production?**
The customer approves the functional requirements and final released design. Any responsibility for ratings, certification, safety, testing, or licensed engineering must be assigned explicitly.

## Related pages
- [Single-Source Metal Fabrication](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/single-source-metal-fabrication)
- [Sheet Metal Forming & Bending](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/forming)
- [Laser Cutting](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/cutting-forming/laser-cutting)
- [Short-Run & Low-Volume Metal Fabrication](https://kdisplay.com/capabilities/services/short-run-production)
- [Custom Sheet Metal Mounting Brackets](https://kdisplay.com/products/brackets-plates/mounting-brackets)
- [Custom Junction Boxes & Terminal Enclosures](https://kdisplay.com/products/electrical-enclosures/junction-terminal-enclosures)
- [Custom Hoppers, Chutes & Troughs](https://kdisplay.com/products/panels-covers/hoppers-chutes-troughs)
- [Custom Chassis & Card Cages](https://kdisplay.com/products/chassis-cabinets/chassis-card-cages)