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

Using Edge Flanges

One of the most basic and common features in SolidWorks Sheet Metal is the Edge Flange. At its simplest, an Edge Flange is just a bent section of a metal sheet on an edge. A very simple sheet metal box consists of one single Base Flange with four Edge Flanges attached to it (one on each side as shown in Figure 2.1).

Figure 2.1: A simple box made from one Base Flange and four Edge Flanges

Individual Edge Flanges are extremely simple features but when combined, they can be used to create parts that are much more complex.

Creating your first Edge Flange

Edge Flanges are relatively simple to make:

  1. Open your Base Flange part from Chapter 1, Sheet Metal Basics – Exploring Sheet Metal Properties and Material Selection, or create a new SolidWorks part and make a Base Flange that is 200 x 300 mm in size (as shown in Chapter 1, Sheet Metal Basics – Exploring Sheet Metal Properties and Material Selection).
  2. The material...