SolidWorks software has been designed to help engineers with the creation of sheet metal components. Used largely to close the gap between those who design the parts and those who manufacture them, the SolidWorks software helps keep costs down, while increasing delivery times. SolidWorks’ user friendly interface makes it possible for users to model completed parts, generating 3D images that can be used by manufacturers to bring the engineer’s vision to life.
One of the things the SolidWorks CAD software allows designers and manufacturers to do is to identify, for purpose of each project, what exactly they mean by sheet metal. This includes factors like how thick the sheet metal is. This allows engineers to design sheet metal products in the flat state, before bends are made, and to determine whether particular cuts and folds are indeed practical to produce. Whatsmore, sheet metal panels can be named and labeled to avoid confusion regarding how many of which panels to fabricate. This will also help the manufacturing process because all sheet metal panels will be correctly marked as to their purpose and where they fit in the overall sheet metal design.
SolidWorks design software further allows for the addition of form radius, multiple or layered extrusions and other features after the product has been fitted together in the CAD design model. This helps both the designer and fabricator to align perforations, tabs, or other features that need to be lined up on several complicated panels of sheet metal.
The SolidWorks sheet metal design software allows the design and fabrication of highly complicated features. The designer can test tolerances and clearances during the design phase to ensure a problem free assembly. The software enables to designers to build designs using small spaces between the panels so as to make it possible to unfold the design. This allows design features to stand out, so that panels will be seen distinctly. This feature will be useful if panels that will fit together very closely in the finished product and need to be viewed as seperate components by the fabricator so that they can be properly made.
By far the most useful feature of the SolidWorks design program is that it enables engineers to modify design features as required, unfolding a fold or uncutting a cut for instance. It can help designers to consider that design changes might have an effect on the overall design. The clear advantage of this is that design flaws and inconsistencies will be caught prior to the commencement of the manufacturing process, potentially saving you a great deal of time and wasted materials.
Engineers find themselves able to move a product from conception and modeling through to a workable design more easily if using SolidWorks and sheet metal. If the design is clearly laid out and simple to implement, manufacturers will be able to manufacture sheet metal panels with greater accuracy, resulting in a more efficient production process. Efficient production results in shorter production times, less material being wasted, lower production costs all round, and thus increased profitability.
Marc Anderes is a co-founder of Maloya Laser that is dedicated to Metal Manufacturing and Laser Cutting with advanced laser technologies, servicing machinery, aerospace, medical, scientific and transportation needs.
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