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

Adding and removing material using Tabs, Cuts, and Holes

In Chapter 1, Sheet Metal Basics—Exploring Sheet Metal Properties and Material Selection, and Chapter 2, Adding Bends Using Edge Flanges, we learned how to make Base Flanges and Edge Flanges by adding material. However, removing material is also an important aspect of sheet metal, and we will explore multiple ways to do this in this section. We will also learn how to add new material to existing flanges by using Tabs.

Creating basic Extruded Cuts

There are many reasons why you might want to remove material from your models. These could include to creating screw holes, adding openings for ports or ventilation, or even making aesthetic features such as logos.

The simplest way to remove material is to create Extruded Cuts, as follows:

  1. Open your Base Flange part from the previous chapter, or start a new part document and create a Base Flange 200x300mm in size and 1mm thick. We will use this to demonstrate...