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

Unfolding versus flattening

After flattening the part in the previous section using the Flatten feature, you may be wondering how this differs from unfolding. If we can simply click one button to flatten the model, then why would we add the extra steps that the Unfold tool needs?

The first, fairly minor reason is that the Unfold feature can be used on specific bends only, whereas the Flatten button applies to the entire model. However, the main reason for using the Unfold feature is that the Flatten feature is a special kind of feature, and it is usually the last feature in the FeatureManager Design Tree. When Flatten is selected, the feature simply unsuppresses (turns back on) the Flat-Pattern folder at the end of the model. This, in turn, flattens the model. When the model is unflattened, the Flat-Pattern folder is suppressed (turned off) again, and so any features based on the flattened part will also be suppressed. To demonstrate this, follow these next steps:

  1. Using...