Book Image

Mastering SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal

By : Johno Ellison
Book Image

Mastering SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal

By: Johno Ellison

Overview of this book

SOLIDWORKS© is the premier software choice for 3D engineering and product design applications across a wide range of industries, and the Sheet Metal module forms an important part of this powerful program. This book will help you to understand exactly what Sheet Metal is, why it is used, and how you can make the most of this fundamental design feature. You’ll start by understanding the basic tools, including Base Flanges and Sketched Bends, before moving on to more complex features such as Custom Forming Tools and Lofted Bends. The book covers all the necessary tools in a step-by-step manner and shares practical manufacturing tips and tricks that will allow you to apply the skills that you learn to real-world situations. By the end of this SOLIDWORKS book, you’ll have understood how to make the best use of SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal tools and be able to create a whole range of 3D models and designs confidently.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Section 1: Getting Started with the Sheet Metal Module
6
Section 2: Advanced Sheet Metal Tools
13
Section 3: Converting 3D Parts to Sheet Metal and Creating a Sheet Metal Enclosure

Chapter 2: Adding Bends Using Edge Flanges

Bent edges known as Edge Flanges are the workhorses of SolidWorks Sheet Metal, and they are one of the most common building blocks for adding 3D detail to your flat Base Flanges. Although Edge Flanges can appear to be very simple, they can be used to build highly complex parts.

In this chapter, we'll learn how to add basic Edge Flanges, and then we'll explore how these can be edited and adjusted. We'll also look at some more advanced options and details that can unlock the power of Edge Flanges, allowing you to use them on multiple edges, as well as edit flange profiles, and more.

By the end of this chapter, you'll have a full understanding of Edge Flanges and how they can be used to build Sheet Metal models.

In this chapter, we're going to cover the following main topics:

  • Using Edge Flanges
  • Edge Flanges: advanced options