Solidworks Sheet Metal Flatten Cylinder

If you can insert an axis the model is an exact cylinder.

Solidworks sheet metal flatten cylinder.

When you need to create large diameter round parts sheet metal may not be the first tool you d consider but it a great tool for this application. Solidworks users sometimes experience issues that prevent the software from creating flat patterns with a cone and cylinder. So when you flatten the part you can see the cut is straight through the part as you would expect it to be in a flat pattern. If you cannot insert an axis then the model is not an exact cylinder and cannot be unfolded.

However sheet metal parts created with the lofted bends feature avoid this limitation and unfold appropriately. To return the part to its bent state. Consider a 3 foot diameter metal cylinder and how we could create this and create a flat patten using the sheet metal tools found in solidworks standard. When applying the insert bends feature located on the sheet metal toolbar or from the insert dropdown menu under sheet metal solidworks tells us a non linear edge at the seam of this cone is invalid.

When dealing with sheet metal parts a best practice is to define it as a sheet metal part sooner rather than later. There are some tips and tricks included. In the featuremanager design tree select the part and click flatten sheet metal toolbar. As a test try to insert an axis on the cylindrical face.

Solidworks sheet metal allows you to quickly and easily design folded or flat parts but what about parts that don t have simple straight bends. As designs get more complex and start to violate the conditions and requirements for you to use certain features you may need to switch to a few additional techniques that allow you to create flat. In either the featuremanager design tree or the cut list right click the flat pattern feature for the part and click unsuppress. Another way to create a slot on a curved surface or cylinder is to use the wrap command.

Create your sketch on a plane and use the wrap feature. In the cut list right click the body and click flatten.