Course Overview
Course Description
Master SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal tools and develop the skills required to design, modify, flatten, and prepare sheet metal components for manufacturing.
This practical course begins with the fundamentals of sheet metal modeling, including Base Flange, Edge Flange, Miter Flange, Hem, bend parameters, and bend allowance. You will then progress to Flat Pattern creation, corner treatments, advanced bends, Swept Flanges, Lofted Bends, and modeling from the flat pattern.
The course also covers professional workflows for converting existing parts into sheet metal, creating and managing multibody sheet metal parts, using Forming Tools and Gussets, and applying additional manufacturing features such as Cross Breaks, Vents, Tab & Slot, Mirror Part, and Costing.
Throughout the course, you will work on practical sheet metal components and manufacturing-oriented exercises, helping you understand not only how to use individual tools but also how to build sheet metal parts that can be properly flattened and prepared for production.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Understand the fundamentals of sheet metal modeling in SOLIDWORKS.
Create sheet metal parts using Base Flange/Tab.
Apply and manage sheet metal thickness and bend parameters.
Understand and work with bend allowance and bend tables.
Create Edge Flanges, Miter Flanges, Hems, and Tabs.
Create and manage Flat Patterns.
Control flat pattern settings for manufacturing.
Create and modify corner treatments such as Corner Trim and Closed Corner.
Model sheet metal components directly from the flat state.
Use Sketched Bend, Jog, Unfold, and Fold features.
Create Swept Flanges and Lofted Bends.
Convert existing parts, cylinders, cones, and imported geometry into sheet metal.
Add Rips and Insert Bends when converting existing geometry.
Create and manage multibody sheet metal parts.
Pattern, merge, split, and manage multiple sheet metal bodies.
Create and use Forming Tools.
Create sheet metal Gussets.
Apply Cross Breaks, Vents, Mirror Part, and Tab & Slot.
Work with Sheet Metal Costing and manufacturing tables.
Prepare sheet metal designs for downstream manufacturing workflows.
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
1. Create Parametric Sheet Metal Parts
Build sheet metal components using SOLIDWORKS's dedicated sheet metal features and parameters.
2. Control Bend Behavior
Understand thickness, bend parameters, bend allowance, and bend tables to control how sheet metal behaves during manufacturing.
3. Develop Manufacturing-Ready Flat Patterns
Create, edit, and evaluate flat patterns while understanding the relationship between the formed and flattened states.
4. Model Complex Sheet Metal Geometry
Use advanced features such as Swept Flange, Lofted Bends, Sketched Bend, Jog, and other specialized sheet metal tools.
5. Convert Existing Geometry
Convert conventional or imported solid geometry into sheet metal using Insert Bends, Rips, and Convert to Sheet Metal workflows.
6. Work with Multibody Sheet Metal
Create and manage multiple sheet metal bodies within a single part and use body-level operations effectively.
7. Use Forming & Manufacturing Features
Apply Forming Tools, Gussets, Cross Breaks, Vents, and Tab & Slot features for practical sheet metal design.
8. Prepare Designs for Manufacturing
Understand how flat patterns, cut lists, DXF/DWG exports, drawings, tables, and manufacturing parameters support production.
9. Apply Sheet Metal Design Standards
Work with Sheet Metal tables, K-Factor/Rmin tables, bend data, and customized manufacturing parameters.
10. Develop Practical Sheet Metal Modeling Skills
Apply the complete workflow from sheet metal concept → 3D model → bends → flat pattern → manufacturing preparation.
Skills You Will DevelopSheet Metal Fundamentals
Base Flange/Tab
Sheet Metal Parameters
Bend Allowance
Bend Tables
Bend Features
Sheet Metal Methods
Flange Features
Edge Flange
Miter Flange
Hem
Tab
Flange Profile
Flange Relations
Flat Pattern
Flatten
Flat Pattern
Flat Pattern Settings
Formed State
Manufacturing State
Corner Trim
Closed Corner
Advanced Sheet Metal
Sketched Bend
Jog
Unfold
Fold
Swept Flange
Lofted Bends
Manual Relief
Sheet Metal Library Features
Sheet Metal Conversion
Insert Bends
Convert to Sheet Metal
Rip
Rip Sketches
Imported Geometry
Cylindrical Conversion
Conical Conversion
Multibody Sheet Metal
Multibody Sheet Metal
Multiple Bodies
Body Feature History
Cut Lists
Body Patterning
Split
Merge Bodies
Interfering Bodies
Materials by Body
DXF/DWG Export
Forming & Manufacturing
Forming Tools
Custom Forming Tools
Punch Tables
Punch IDs
Gussets
Cross Break
Vent
Tab & Slot
Mirror Part
Manufacturing Data
Cut List Properties
Flat Pattern Drawings
Flat Pattern Views
Sheet Metal Tables
K-Factor Tables
Bend Radius Tables
Sheet Metal Costing
Module 1 — Sheet Metal Fundamentals
Lesson 1: Basic Sheet Metal & Flange Features
Module 2 — Flat Pattern & Bending
Lesson 2: Flat Pattern & Sheet Metal Corners
Module 3 — Advanced Sheet Metal Modeling
Lesson 3: Advanced Sheet Metal Techniques
Module 4 — Sheet Metal Conversion
Lesson 4: Converting Existing Parts to Sheet Metal
Module 5 — Multibody Sheet Metal
Lesson 5: Multibody Sheet Metal Parts
Module 6 — Forming & Reinforcement
Lesson 6: Forming Tools & Gussets
Module 7 — Manufacturing & Advanced Functions
Lesson 7: Additional Sheet Metal Functions & Tables
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for:
Mechanical engineering students
Diploma students
Mechanical design engineers
CAD designers
Sheet metal designers
Manufacturing engineers
Product designers
SOLIDWORKS users who want to specialize in sheet metal design
Professionals working with fabricated sheet metal components
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of SOLIDWORKS part modeling and sketching is recommended.
Learners should be comfortable with fundamental operations such as:
Sketching
Extrude
Cut
Basic dimensions and relations
Basic part modeling
No prior professional sheet metal experience is required.
Practical Modeling Focus
Throughout the course, learners work with practical components such as:
Sheet Metal Brackets → Boxes → Hangers → Corners → Swept Flanges → Lofted Bends → Converted Parts → Hoppers → Tooling → Trailers → Forming Tools
The goal is to develop the ability to take a sheet metal design from 3D modeling through flattening and manufacturing preparation, rather than simply learning individual SOLIDWORKS commands.