Solidworks 3d allows you to quickly create sheet metal part designs using a simple design process saving you time and development costs thanks to specific sheet metal features.
How to turn on sheet metal in solidworks.
Search sheet metal toolbar in the solidworks knowledge base.
Under sheet metal parameters.
Here is your sheet metal box.
Notice the three features added.
3 when all edges have been added to the two groups hit the green check.
We can use these features to create sheet metal designs with several different methods.
However in some circumstances when the design requires certain types of geometry you can use non sheet metal feature tools then insert bends or convert the part to sheet metal.
The sheet metal tool in solidworks is located in the sheet metal toolbar and drop down menu.
2 solidworks will pick the rip edges for you by process of elimination.
Solidworks sheet metal allows you to quickly and easily design folded or flat parts but what about parts that don t have simple straight bends.
Set the sheet thickness and default bend radius.
Using this tool is an all in one approach to transforming a solid body into sheet metal.
This approach will work for any solid body you have including imported bodies made in other systems.
Sheet metal convert and flat pattern suppressed.
There are specific sheet metal features you can use to create sheet metal bodies quickly.
Select keep body if you want to keep the solid body to use in another convert to sheet metal feature.
Select a face as the fixed face for the sheet metal part.
When cleared the body is consumed by the convert to sheet metal feature.
As designs get more complex and start to violate the conditions and requirements for you to use certain features you may need to switch to a few additional techniques that allow you to create flat.
To flatten the part either unsuppress the flat pattern feature or click.