About Sheet Metal Parts

A sheet metal part starts out as a flat piece of metal with a consistent thickness.

For manufacturing purposes, details like bend radii and relief sizes are usually the same throughout the part. You enter the values for these details, and then the software applies them as you design. For example, when you create a flange the bend is added automatically.

It is necessary to convert the folded model to a flat pattern for manufacturing purposes. Then you can switch between the folded view of the model and the flattened view by double-clicking the Folded Model or Flat Pattern browser node.

Important:

You can add features to the flat pattern for clean-up purposes. These operations are typically performed to support shop-specific manufacturing practices. Features added to the flat pattern using the commands on the Flat Pattern tab do not display when you view the model in the folded state.

Flat patterns rich with manufacturing information can be created and documented on drawings containing tables of holes, punches, and bends. You can export flat patterns to industry standard formats for CNC manufacturing.

When you use sheet metal parts in assembly models, sheet metal fasteners are available through the Bolted Connection Component Generator, or through Content Center.

Ways to Create Sheet Metal Parts

You can create sheet metal parts in several ways.