#CONVERT SURFACE INTO BODY SOLIDWORKS HOW TO#

Add Bends to make a Sheet Metal part that can flatten if needed.Add gaps to the geometry in custom locations.Control which side of the selected entity is shortened.Just as with the Convert to Sheet Metal tool, linear sketch entities can be selected in order to divide faces away from an edge. The size of that gap, as well as any overlap between the faces, is then controlled with a simple spin box and some graphical arrows.

#CONVERT SURFACE INTO BODY SOLIDWORKS HOW TO#

How to use the Rip featureДЄt its core, the Rip feature adds a gap between two faces at the edge where they meet. Keep in mind while using these commands that they donвЂ™t allow you to select which faces get converted to sheet metal, nor how thick those faces will be. The combination of these two tools make up the core functionality of the Convert to Sheet Metal tool and focus on the edge connections between faces in the Solid Body. Inserting Rips and Bends to Convert to Sheet MetalДЇor a more discrete approach to making sheet metal from Solid Bodies, you can use the Rip and Insert Bends tools. Not all faces need to become sheet metal.When to use the Convert to Sheet Metal tool If you decide you need to change the selected faces or adjust the bend allowance, you can still do so easily. The Convert-Solid Feature stays in the tree as well. YouвЂ™ll now be able to flatten your part and work with it just as you would with any sheet metal part made from scratch. When the preview matches what youвЂ™re looking for, finish the feature.This method further simplifies the geometry required by the Solid Body, making the process quicker. These can then be selected as rip sketches, which can be used to divide selected faces in the sheet metal form. For even more added control, add linear sketches to faces before starting the command.The tags in the graphics area will allow you to make individual adjustments to rips for more discrete control. Any necessary rips or gaps between faces will be automatically identified and added to the preview. These edges will then be converted to bends using a radius and Bend Allowance that you set in the Property Manager.If you donвЂ™t want a face to be present in the sheet metal design, simply donвЂ™t select any of the face edges. This is how youвЂ™ll determine which faces become sheet metal. Select the edges between the faces you want to Convert to Sheet Metal, starting with those connected to the fixed face.YouвЂ™ll be able to overwrite that dimension here.

You donвЂ™t need to shell Solid Bodies or concern yourself with the thickness of imported parts.

Set the thickness of the sheet metal part.

Which face you choose is very important, as it will have a huge influence on the flattened state of the part, and how the part will be created in the real world.

Select a fixed face that the sheet metal will unfold about.

Once youвЂ™ve launched the tool, using it is a simple process. How to use the Convert to Sheet Metal tool This approach will work for any Solid Body you have, including imported Bodies made in other systems. Using this tool is an all-in-one approach to transforming a Solid Body into sheet metal. The Sheet Metal tool in SOLIDWORKS is located in the Sheet Metal toolbar and drop-down menu. Where is the Sheet Metal tool in SOLIDWORKS? This allows you to be more flexible when youвЂ™re working with an engineering team. Keep in mind that these techniques will work just as well for imported Bodies as they will for native SOLIDWORKS files.

Method 2:В Insert Rips and Bends into the part.

Method 1:В Use the Convert to Sheet Metal tool.

The method you choose will depend on the state of the Solid Body and the features you want in the Feature Tree. Once you have a Solid Body in the shape that you want, there are a couple of ways to convert it into Sheet Metal. This will make some of the more complex geometries easier to create and control.

Create the sheet metal part as a Solid Body in SOLIDWORKS.

Here are two methods that will help improve your efficiency. How to Convert to Sheet Metal in SOLIDWORKSДesigning sheet metal parts from scratch in SOLIDWORKS can be a time-consuming and frustrating process, but it doesnвЂ™t have to be.

Convert surface into body solidworks