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

Creating and using Jogs

Jogs are a specialized form of sketched bend that uses two opposite bends to offset a sheet, making a Z or S shape. Jogs can be used to offset edges so that they fit into other parts (such as fitting the edges of a lid inside a box), or to stiffen the edge of a part. They are also especially useful when joining two sheets with a flat outer face. Figure 3.20 shows two sheets of metal joined using a Jog and rivets:

Figure 3.20: An example of a Jog feature being used to join two sheets

Jog features are made in a very similar way to Sketched Bends:

  1. Open your Base Flange part from the previous section and delete any extra flanges, cuts, or tabs so that just the Base Flange remains. Alternatively, you can start a new part document and create a Base Flange 200x300mm in size and 1mm thick.
  2. Jogs require a sketch to define where the Jog should be located, so start a sketch on the top face of the Base Flange.
  3. Use the Line tool...