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

SolidWorks Drawings overview

Although SolidWorks primarily focusses on the creation of 3D models, 2D drawings are still an important aspect of engineering and product development. After a 3D model has been completed a 2D drawing of it is often created to assist in manufacturing or for record keeping. These drawings can be made from single parts or entire assemblies and can range from simple overviews of the models all the way up to complex, multi-sheet drawings that contain section views, detail break-outs and other notes.

Figure 4.1: An example SolidWorks drawing

Figure 4.1: An example SolidWorks drawing

The detailed creation of drawings is beyond the scope of this book but as a quick refresher drawings can be created by going to File | New… and then selecting Drawing.

Various views can then be added to the drawing sheet and dimensions and other notes can be added. When complete, SolidWorks drawings can be exported as PDF files so that they can be shared with non-SolidWorks users.

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