You’re on your way and can now start adding any other sheet metal features required. You will now access to all of the sheet metal tools on the Sheet Metal tab of the CommandManager. Once you have made your choices for each of these options and you hit the green check you are left with a sheet metal part. The last option in the property manager allows you to choose a relief type that will automatically be added when a bend requires it. By choosing Bend Table or Bend Calculation, an Excel document can be used.
By choosing K-Factor, Bend Allowance, or Bend Deduction from the pull-down menu, a specific value can be entered. In the Bend Allowance section, we can select how SOLIDWORKS determines where the neutral axis is the flat pattern calculation. Here we can also choose to reverse the direction which determines on which side of the sketch material is applied. New techniques and features like tabs, edge flanges, and miter flanges make SOLIDWORKS an. Learn the difference between converting a part to sheet metal and truly designing a sheet metal part. If no gauge table is used the thickness of the material and bend radius can be entered in the Sheet Metal Parameters. This comprehensive course covers all aspects of sheet metal parts in SOLIDWORKS, from creating a base flange to process plans and flat blank drawings. The default location for these tables is located at C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\lang\english\Sheet Metal Gauge Tables A gauge table is a spreadsheet that stores values for the gauge thickness as well as the bend radius. If the checkbox is selected a gauge table can be selected from the drop-down menu to control the thickness of the sheet metal part. The next section of the property manager is Sheet Metal Gauges, the only option in this section is a checkbox to us a gauge table. Similar to a basic extrude feature, an end condition needs to be selected and a dimension also needs to be determined. Starting from the top of the property manager, the first section is Direction 1. Once the sketch is confirmed a preview of the sheet metal part appears in the graphics area and the Base Flange property manager comes up to the left. In this case, we will create a simple, open sketch to begin our sheet metal part. To begin this part, just like any other, we need to select a plane and create a sketch. Next, we will activate the Sheet Metal tab of the Command Manager and click Base Flange/Tab tool, which should be the first tool on the right not grayed out when beginning a part. When opening my model in SolidWorks, all sorts of errors are reported and they are not able to get a flat sheet from it. I sent a simple model (exported as step) to fabricators for flat sheet metal bending. To do this we simply need to right-click any tab on the CommandManager and select Sheet Metal from the drop down menu. Hi, I researched forum for problems related to sheet metal bending - found similar problems, but couldn’t figure solutions or real causes to the problem I just encountered.
To begin we first want to turn on the Sheet Metal tab on the CommandManager. We will focus on the flange method, where a sheet metal part is created in the formed state using specialized sheet metal features. We can use these features to create sheet metal designs with several different methods. The second is for varying k-factors among different gauges and bend radii.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. The first is assuming a consistent k-factor across all gauges and bend radii. Solidworks’ templates for two variations of this template can be downloaded below with added instructional content. For the best results, contact your manufacturer for gauge table information and manufacturing properties before carrying out your design.īefore continuing you will need a filled-out gauge table in Excel that will work with SolidWorks. NOTE: While there is a standard (Manufacturers’ Standard Gauge), gauge can vary slightly between manufacturers. Proper use will help your part to be manufactured just as it was designed within a standard tolerance. When working with sheet metal, a gauge table in SolidWorks can be used to ensure the correct thickness is chosen for your selected material, along with the manufacturing properties as well (k-factor, bend radius, etc.). Sheet metal gauge is based on the weight of the sheet, therefore a sheet of two different materials with the same thickness may have different gauge numbers. This is especially notable when working with sheet metal assemblies and the error will stack up, creating parts that do not fit together correctly at final assembly. If you design a part with incorrect properties, it will not be manufactured as intended. If you’ve worked with sheet metal then you know the importance of sheet metal properties such as bend deduction, bend allowance, gauge thickness, K-factors, bend radius, etc. Click Convert to Sheet Metal (Sheet Metal toolbar) or Insert > Sheet Metal > Convert To Sheet Metal.