Sheet Metal Design Flashcards

What is the recommended file format for sharing a SolidWorks sheet metal flat pattern with a laser cutting vendor?

Answer: DXF or DWG

DXF/DWG is the industry-standard 2D vector format accepted by laser, plasma, and waterjet cutting machines for nesting and cutting flat patterns.

In a SolidWorks sheet metal drawing, which view type is dedicated to displaying the flat pattern with bend lines?

Answer: The Flat-Pattern drawing view inserted from the View Palette

The Flat-Pattern view is a specialized drawing view that displays the unfolded sheet metal geometry, automatically including bend lines and flat-pattern specific annotations.

Where in the SolidWorks feature tree are the default thickness, bend radius, and K-Factor defined for an entire sheet metal part?

Answer: In the top-level Sheet Metal feature at the top of the tree

The Sheet Metal feature at the top of the feature tree stores the global defaults for thickness, bend radius, and K-Factor that all subsequent features inherit unless individually overridden.

In the sheet metal industry, what does a material's 'gauge' designation specify?

Answer: A standardized thickness of the sheet material where higher numbers mean thinner stock

Gauge is a traditional numbering system for sheet metal thickness where a larger gauge number corresponds to a thinner sheet (e.g., 18 gauge steel ≈ 1.27 mm).

What is the purpose of a Gauge Table in SolidWorks sheet metal?

Answer: To automatically set thickness and bend radius from a predefined Excel-based lookup table

A Gauge Table is an Excel spreadsheet that maps gauge numbers to material thickness and bend radii values, enabling automated and consistent sheet metal parameter setup.

What is the correct method to add a cut feature that spans across a bend region in a SolidWorks sheet metal part?

Answer: Use Unfold to flatten the bend, create the cut, then re-Fold the part

Using Unfold/Fold to add cuts in the flattened state ensures the cut geometry is correctly represented in both the formed part and the flat pattern.

What does the Rip feature do in SolidWorks sheet metal?

Answer: Creates a linear gap at a corner or edge so the part can be properly unfolded into a flat pattern

The Rip feature introduces a gap at edges where faces meet at angles, resolving the geometric conflict that would otherwise prevent the part from unfolding into a valid flat pattern.