[vc_row el_class=”normal_row_box”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1594696536285{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]Designing parts in SOLIDWORKS has become second nature for many engineers as the use of the application has spread and the software’s ability has evolved.
SigmaNEST’s three key areas where designing for manufacturing can have a significant impact.
- Modeling formed sheet parts
- Utilizing custom properties to provide more information
- Multi-body sheet metal parts
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]SigmaNEST’s high-profile SOLIDWORKS customers are currently utilizing these features in their design process. With more customers utilizing sheet metal modeling and multibody modeling with SOLIDWORKS.
This is the direction CADspace and SOLIDWORKS encourage their manufacturing customers towards.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_video link=”https://youtu.be/6o4qpI_CwPY”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row el_class=”normal_row_box_second”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
How to Best Utilize SOLIDWORKS in the Design Process?
The top three concepts manufacturers need to consider when designing parts for SOLIDWORKS:
1. Modeling Formed Sheet Metal Parts
The SigmaNEST SOLIDWORKS Import module utilizes that flat pattern for any sheet metal part. SOLIDWORKS’s sheet metal unfolding also considers bend deduction and k-factors when creating the flat pattern. This ensures a more accurate flat pattern with the material bend deduction or k-factor already factored into the sheet metal part. Designers should utilize this tool, instead of relying on secondary software to provide accurate flat patterns.
2. Utilize Custom Properties to Provide More Information
Part data lives on into the manufacturing shop, where SigmaNEST import any custom property from the SOLIDWORKS model and assign it to any part data field in SigmaNEST. Material, type thickness, and part name are all automatic, but using custom properties in SOLIDWORKS like “# of Bends” for formed parts, can provide more accurate quoting information within SigmaNEST. Custom properties can be used for filtering parts for import as well. For example, creating a property called “SN Part Bends” and filtering for a value of 1 to include can help to ensure only the parts you need for manufacturing are imported into SigmaNEST. This design for manufacturing best practice reduces redundancy by eliminating the need to reenter your part data.
Shows how a part with one bend in mapped out in SigmaNEST.
3. Multi-body Sheet Metal Parts
SigmaNEST supports multi-body import so designers are no longer limited to only one sheet metal part per file. .sldprt file can be used to design multiple solids, weldments and extrudes. This provides users with the same context as designing parts for assembly, helping save time with and single part file modeling.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Interested in learning more about SigmaNEST Software click here[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]