General about Flange Definition

The customer set-up of a flange standard is done via a text file in an application specific syntax based on the general TIL language for text input. This definition file may be given an arbitrary name. In order to make the flange definition available to the application programs it should be compiled by a function of the hull utility inithull. If the compilation is successful a flange definition object will be stored in the structure data bank (associated with SB_OGDB) by name __SBH_FLANGE_CTRL__.

The compilation will also result in a receipt list with input and errors, if any. If inithull has been started via the Job Launcher this list can be accessed like all other files resulting from a Job Launcher run. If inithull has been started outside the Job Launcher the receipt list will be stored in print directory of the current project with the file extension .lst appended to the name of the input file.

The flange definition is divided into two parts:

• The definition of the flange type.

• The definition of flange ends.

The flange type describes parameters common to the whole flange, for example, width of the flange, the position of the marking line (the line indicating where the bending tool should be placed) and the bending radius. Each flange is assigned a user defined type number. Normally, a customer would have only one flange type.

The flange end type describes the shape of the ends of the flange. These definitions are based on predefined basic types, specified below. By setting the parameters of the basic flange ends types, each customer creates his own set of standardized flange ends. A folded flange is not necessarily symmetric. The flange ends may be different, while - of course the total height of the flange and the position of the marking line must be independent of the flange ends. Normally, any combination of flange type and flange ends is allowed.

When generating a flange the user selects a certain flange type and also specifies the (user defined) flange end types. If not specified the user defined default types will be used.