Introduction to SolidWorks Sheet Metal

Learn SolidWorks sheet metal design, from base flanges and bend allowance to hinged lids and manufacturing drawings, for SolidWorks users.

<h2>About this course</h2>In this course, you learn to design sheet metal parts in SolidWorks, moving from the fundamentals to finished, manufacturing-ready drawings. The first and largest section covers sheet metal basics. You create base flanges, add walls with edge flanges, edit sheet metal properties, set bend allowance, flatten parts, and work with advanced edge flanges. You then apply those skills in a hands-on project, making a tray insert, creating complex flanges with the Miter Flange tool, and adding holes with the Hole Wizard and fill pattern.The project continues with a hinged lid. You set up the lid with the Tab feature, create the hinge using a hem, build the lid from an open profile base flange, cut across bends with fold and unfold, and finish the part with Move Face and Break Corner. The manufacturing section moves your designs toward the shop floor. You export 2D files for manufacturing, create basic and advanced sheet metal drawings, and learn the material considerations that affect how your parts are made. Each module ends with a quiz, and a short conclusion wraps up the course. By the end, you can take a sheet metal part from first flange to production drawing.<h2>Who should take this course</h2>This course is for you if you work with anything that's cut, bent, or folded and want to design it in SolidWorks. It suits mechanical design engineers moving into sheet metal workflows, and manufacturing and fabrication professionals who want to bridge CAD models and production drawings. It also fits students and beginners building foundational skills in the SolidWorks sheet metal environment, and product designers and drafters who create enclosures, panels, brackets, and custom sheet-based components.<h2>Pre-requisites</h2>You need basic familiarity with the SolidWorks interface and part modeling, and SolidWorks installed on a Windows PC in any recent version with sheet metal tools. A basic understanding of thickness, bend radius, and material type helps, but no prior sheet metal experience is required.