SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal
SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Tips and Tricks from Javelin’s Certified Experts
What if you receive an imported sheet metal model with weird abnormalities, like jagged edges or crazy surface shapes? Maybe it’s not even a solid, due to these issues. I’ve seen a few such models while working in the sheet metal industry, where it was so “not right” that it defies trying to put into…
SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal tools provide the ability to obtain the flat shape from a bent part. The flat length of each bend is based on defined parameters. This can be defined with K-factors, Bend Allowance or Bend Deduction. For more information on Sheet Metal calculations, check out the following articles: What Are Bend Allowance, Bend…
Sometimes when you create a sheet metal design you must adhere to standard sheet metal sizes and what your company or outsourced company can cut on laser/plasma/water jet machines. Most companies will have tables large enough for a length of 120 inches but the lucky few might have lengthy tables doubling that to 240 in.,…
Creating a Sheet metal cone in SOLIDWORKS can seem like a complex task, but I’m here to alleviate your worries and provide you with the correct workflow. I typically like to start my first sketch on the Top Plane. Using my sheet metal open sketch technique, we can draw an arc and its construction lines….
I previously showed you how to create etch marks using existing geometry from Hole Wizard holes. Having redundancies can prevent mistakes and help out manufacturing. This is sort of like the carpentry saying of “measure twice, cut once”. Having a callout of the Hole Wizards holes on the physical part and drawing will reduce the…
Several times in my career I’ve had rush jobs that need an estimate right away, or, the material might be a long lead request/special order coming from another city or in some cases a different country. Having the basic dimensions of a part can help make this happen. Previously I showed how to automate the…
When designing sheet metal parts within SOLIDWORKS you may want to add in etch marks to be etched later by the laser or HD plasma machines. Adding etch marks helps communication for later options. My example here is a part that’s going to be laser cut and I want to notify the machinist what size…
How to automatically create a SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Flat Pattern Configuration
If a job can be automated in SOLIDWORKS and reduces the amount of time it takes to create I say do it, especially if it works every time. The flat pattern can be created automatically while making a drawing and since most parts require a drawing why not make your life a little easier with…
Common Sheet Metal Issues When I visit clients, I am surprised that SOLIDWORKS users are not aware of the sheet metal bend tables included with the software and quite often I find there is a disconnect between design/engineering and manufacturing departments. Typically this means: Engineering/design may not be providing the right information to manufacturing. The…
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