Creating Sheet Metal Components in Autodesk Fusion 360

Autodesk has recently released an update to Fusion 360 which includes a sheet metal modeling environment.  When designing sheet metal assemblies it is often advantageous to  create parts in the context of existing parts.  As you create your sheet metal parts within the same file, you will want to make them components instead of bodies since assembly joints cannot be placed between bodies.

There is only one tool in the Sheet Metal environment called "Flange" and is used to create Face, Flange and Contour Flange features from your sketch or model.  If you select an open sketch, the tool will create a Contour Flange.  If you select a closed sketch, the tool will create a Face.  If you select an edge of an existing sheet metal component or body, it will create a flange.

When creating either a Face or Contour Flange, the dialog box gives you the opportunity to create the operation as a "New Body" or a "New Component".  Below are these Flange dialog boxes during the creation of a Face, from a closed sketch, and a Contour Flange from an open sketch.  NOTE: I could not get the drop-down to function and capture the screen together.

My reason for writing this article is that if you forget to change the "Operation" to "New Component" you cannot from to the timeline, edit the Flange feature and change the operation result from New Body to New Component.  The option is not available in the Edit Feature dialog box.

If you notice it right away, you can use the "Undo" command and re-create the Flange feature using the New Component option.  But what do you do if you have moved forward and cannot effectively "Undo" a lot of work.  You first thought may be to select the sheet metal body in the Browser, right click and select "Create Components from Bodies" command from the context menu.

If you do, you will be met with an unpleasant warning from Fusion 360 that the operation is not supported for sheet metal bodies.  

I have not found a method of converting a sheet metal body to a sheet metal component capable of being edited in the Fusion 360 sheet metal environment.  Since the "Flange" tool defaults to the operation of creating a "New Body" be careful.  The only work around is to "Delete" the Flange feature from the timeline and recreate it.  I have not explored all the ramifications for this in a large sheet metal project.I will definitely be adding this to the Fusion 360 wishlist.