FISHER/UNITECH Blog: 3DU Instructor Tip #2 – Sheet Metal

K-Factor!?!?!? What the heck is it? How does it relate to our parts unfolding?

K-Factor is a way to determine what face (or cross section) of our piece of sheet metal remains at the same length. For instance, when you bend your plate, the inside surface may shrink, stretch, or stay the same.

K-Factor can be applied when first turning your part into a sheet metal file by changing the K-Factor option only. You can also use a material based bend table by clicking the drop down arrow next to the K-Factor button and click on Bend Table. This will use an excel spreadsheet table to unfold your part to the correct lengths for any material you are using. This table could also take into account varying thicknesses related to bend radius as well.

Example A: K-FACTOR = 0, ABC stays the same in folded and flattened

Example B: K-FACTOR = .5, DEF stays the same in folded and flattened

Example C: K-FACTOR = 1, GHI stays the same in folded and flattened

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Rod Harper