key Takeaways:

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal

What is SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal?

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is a specialized design environment used to create thin, flat metal components that can be bent, folded, cut, and manufactured. It helps engineers design sheet-metal parts and automatically generate accurate flat patterns for fabrication.

Key Features

Base Flange/Tab – Creates the basic sheet-metal body.
Edge Flange – Adds bends along selected edges.
Sketched Bend – Creates bends using a sketch.
Sheet Metal Gusset – Adds reinforcement to sheet-metal parts.
Hem – Creates folded edges for strength and safety.
Jog – Creates offset bends.
Forming Tools – Creates louvers, embosses, and other formed features.
Flatten – Unfolds the part to create a manufacturing-ready flat pattern.

Typical Workflow

Sketch → Base Flange → Add Bends → Add Cuts/Features → Apply Bend Allowance → Flatten → Create Drawing → Manufacture

Important Sheet-Metal Parameters

Sheet-metal design depends on thickness, bend radius, bend allowance, K-factor, bend deduction, and material properties to produce an accurate flat pattern.

Applications

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is commonly used for automotive components, electrical enclosures, machine guards, brackets, cabinets, HVAC components, panels, and industrial equipment.

Key Takeaway

3D Sheet-Metal Model → Bends & Features → Flatten → Flat Pattern → CNC/Laser Cutting → Bending → Finished Part

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is a specialized set of tools used to design, modify, and manufacture components made from thin metal sheets. It allows engineers and designers to create accurate 3D sheet-metal models while maintaining the manufacturing information needed to produce flat patterns and fabricated parts.

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is widely used for products such as enclosures, brackets, cabinets, panels, ducts, machine covers, electrical boxes, and automotive components.

One of its major advantages is that a 3D folded model can be converted into a flat pattern for cutting and manufacturing.

What is SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal?

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is a collection of parametric modeling tools specifically designed for sheet-metal parts.

Unlike ordinary solid modeling, sheet-metal design takes manufacturing processes into account, including:

Bending
Cutting
Folding
Unfolding
Bending allowances
Bend relief
Corner treatment
Flat-pattern generation

A typical workflow is:

Flat Sheet → Bend → Fold → 3D Part → Flatten → Manufacturing

This makes it possible to design the finished component while also generating the geometry required for fabrication.

SOLIDWORKS Help: Sheet Metal Design Overview: Official Dassault Systèmes documentation covering base flanges, bend allowance parameters (K-factor, Bend Deduction), flat pattern generation, and forming tools.

Key Features

1. Base Flange/Tab

The Base Flange/Tab feature is commonly used as the starting point for a sheet-metal component.

You create a sketch and specify:

Sheet thickness
Bend radius
Bend direction
Material type

SOLIDWORKS then creates the initial sheet-metal body.

2. Edge Flange

Edge Flange creates a flange from an existing edge.

It is useful for creating:

Side walls
Mounting flanges
Enclosure panels
Structural bends

You can control parameters such as:

Flange length
Angle
Bend position
Bend radius

3. Sketched Bend

The Sketched Bend feature allows you to create a bend along a defined sketch line.

It is useful when the bend location is not simply an existing model edge.

4. Hem

A Hem folds the sheet edge back onto itself.

Hems are commonly used to:

Remove sharp edges
Increase edge stiffness
Improve appearance
Provide safer finished edges

5. Jog

A Jog creates two bends that offset a section of sheet metal.

It can be useful for:

Mounting offsets
Clearance
Structural changes
Joining components

6. Sheet Metal Gusset

A sheet-metal gusset can reinforce a bent component and improve structural rigidity.

7. Corner Treatment

SOLIDWORKS provides tools for managing sheet-metal corners.

These can help with:

Corner gaps
Overlapping bends
Manufacturing clearance
Cleaner finished geometry

8. Flattening

The Flatten function unfolds the sheet-metal model into its flat condition.

This is extremely important for manufacturing.

The flattened model can be used to create:

DXF files
Laser-cutting profiles
Plasma-cutting profiles
Manufacturing drawings

Typical Workflow

A common SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal workflow is:

Step 1: Create a New Part

Start a new SOLIDWORKS part.

Step 2: Create the Base Flange

Create a sketch representing the initial sheet profile.

Then use:

Sheet Metal → Base Flange/Tab

Specify the required:

Thickness
Bend radius
Bend allowance

Step 3: Add Flanges

Use Edge Flange to create additional walls or bends.

For example:

Base → Side Wall → Rear Wall → Front Wall

Step 4: Add Cuts and Holes

Use normal sketch-based cutting tools or sheet-metal features to create:

Holes
Slots
Mounting openings
Ventilation openings
Cable passages

Step 5: Add Manufacturing Details

Add features such as:

Hems
Jogs
Bend relief
Corner treatments
Gussets

Step 6: Flatten the Part

Use:

Flatten

to create the developed sheet-metal shape.

This allows you to verify that the part can be unfolded correctly.

Step 7: Create the Manufacturing Drawing

Create a drawing showing:

Folded views
Flat-pattern view
Dimensions
Bend information
Material
Thickness
Notes

Step 8: Export the Flat Pattern

The flat pattern can be exported to formats such as:

DXF/DWG

for use with manufacturing equipment and downstream fabrication workflows.

Important Sheet-Metal Parameters

Correct sheet-metal parameters are essential because they determine how the flat pattern relates to the finished bent component.

1. Sheet Thickness

Thickness is the distance between the two surfaces of the sheet.

Examples:

1 mm
1.5 mm
2 mm
3 mm

The correct value should match the actual material being manufactured.

2. Bend Radius

The inside bend radius defines the radius of the sheet’s inside surface at the bend.

For example:

Thickness = 2 mm

Inside Bend Radius = 2 mm

The appropriate radius depends on the material, tooling, thickness, and manufacturing process.

3. Bend Angle

The bend angle determines how much the sheet is folded.

For example:

90° bend

is one of the most common sheet-metal bends.

4. Bend Allowance

Bend allowance accounts for the material consumed by the bend region.

It helps determine the correct flat length before bending.

5. K-Factor

The K-factor describes the location of the neutral axis within the sheet thickness during bending.

A simplified relationship is:

K = Neutral Axis Distance / Sheet Thickness

The K-factor is used in calculating the developed flat pattern.

The appropriate value depends on factors such as:

Material
Thickness
Bend radius
Bending process
Tooling

6. Bend Deduction

Bend deduction is another method used to calculate the flat length of a bent sheet-metal component.

It relates the overall dimensions of the finished bent part to the required developed length.

7. Bend Relief

Bend relief prevents unwanted tearing or deformation around the end of a bend.

It is particularly important when two bends meet near an edge.

Applications

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal is used across many industries.

Mechanical Engineering

Machine covers
Brackets
Frames
Guards
Mounting plates

Electrical Engineering

Electrical enclosures
Control panels
Junction boxes
Equipment cabinets

HVAC

Air ducts
Ventilation components
Equipment housings

Automotive

Vehicle brackets
Shields
Mounting components
Body components

Industrial Equipment

Machine enclosures
Control cabinets
Protective guards
Equipment panels

Consumer Products

Product housings
Metal cabinets
Appliance components

Sheet Metal vs. Regular Solid Modeling

Feature	Sheet Metal	Regular Solid Modeling
Designed for thin metal	Yes	Possible
Bend operations	Specialized	Manual
Flat pattern	Automatic	Not inherently
Bend allowance	Integrated	Manual
DXF flat pattern	Easy	More involved
Manufacturing workflow	Excellent	General
Complex solid geometry	Limited compared with general solid tools	Excellent

For a component that will actually be cut and bent from sheet material, dedicated sheet-metal features are generally preferable.

Example: Sheet-Metal Enclosure

Suppose you need to design a simple electrical enclosure.

Workflow

Create Base Flange

↓

Set Thickness

↓

Create Edge Flanges

↓

Add Mounting Holes

↓

Add Corner Treatments

↓

Add Bend Relief

↓

Flatten

↓

Create Drawing

↓

Export DXF

This produces both the finished 3D enclosure and the flat geometry required for fabrication.

Best Practices

1. Use the Actual Material Thickness

Do not arbitrarily choose thickness. Match the CAD model to the material that will actually be manufactured.

2. Use Realistic Bend Radii

The bend radius should be compatible with the material and available forming equipment.

3. Configure Bend Allowance Correctly

Incorrect bend parameters can result in flat patterns that do not produce the intended finished dimensions.

4. Check the Flat Pattern

Always inspect the flattened part before sending it for manufacturing.

5. Consider Manufacturing Constraints

Design around the capabilities of the actual:

Laser cutter
Press brake
Punching machine
Shearing equipment
Welding process

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal used for?

It is used to design components manufactured from sheet material through processes such as cutting, bending, folding, and forming.

2. Can SOLIDWORKS create a flat pattern?

Yes. Sheet-metal parts can be flattened to generate the developed geometry required for manufacturing.

3. What is K-factor in SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal?

K-factor represents the position of the neutral axis through the sheet thickness during bending and is used in flat-pattern calculations.

4. Can I export a sheet-metal flat pattern to DXF?

Yes. A sheet-metal flat pattern can be exported to DXF/DWG for many downstream fabrication workflows.

5. What is the difference between Base Flange and Edge Flange?

Base Flange/Tab generally creates the initial sheet-metal body, while Edge Flange adds a bent flange from an existing edge.

Conclusion

SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal provides a complete workflow for designing and manufacturing thin-sheet components.

The typical process is:

Create Base Flange → Add Flanges → Add Cuts/Holes → Apply Bend Details → Flatten → Create Drawing → Export DXF

The most important parameters to understand are sheet thickness, bend radius, bend angle, bend allowance, K-factor, and bend relief.

By combining accurate sheet-metal parameters with proper manufacturing considerations, SOLIDWORKS can help engineers create designs that are not only visually correct in 3D but also practical to fabricate in the real world.