Chapter 35

Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

After you create your sheet metal models, you will need to make drawings to use to get them
manufactured. Fortunately, SolidWorks provides some nice tools to document, dimension, and
annotate your parts in 2D.
Depending on whether your company does its own sheet metal manufacturing, you may or
may not actually make flat pattern drawings. Many companies that use outside manufacturing
for their sheet metal parts may just send their suppliers a drawing with views of a dimensioned
part in the folded state. This is because the final formed dimensions are what you want the shop
to be responsible for, and if they use different flat dimensions to achieve that, it doesn’t
really matter.
Many users may think that providing a fully dimensioned flat pattern is very valuable to the
sheet metal shop. If your sheet metal shop is a professional outfit, they probably have their own
software and their own way of doing things; in which case, a flat pattern is redundant informa-
tion and may create more confusion than clarity.
On the other hand, if you are the sheet metal shop, or you specifically create drawings for the
sheet metal shop, then creating the flat pattern is actually your business. This chapter gives you
all the information you need to know to make sheet metal drawings, regardless of your role and
without trying to tell you how to do your job. It’s best to work out with the shop what data will
make the process the fastest and cheapest with the fewest errors.

IN THIS CHAPTER, YOU WILL LEARN TO:

◆◆ Work with flat patterns

◆◆ Make special sheet metal drawing templates

Making Sheet Metal Drawings

Sheet metal drawings can take on various roles in your product development process—anything
from general “make me a part that looks like this” to actually specifying how the work is to be
done. Some drawings may need only the flat pattern or only the formed part. Here I’ll assume
that a sheet metal drawing requires both the formed and flat part, just to cover as much ground
as possible.
If you need a drawing with both formed and flat geometry, you might consider making a
two-page drawing—one page with the flat pattern and the other page with views of the 3D part.
You might use one drawing sheet for the press operator and the other sheet for inspection. If you
need only the flat pattern, you might consider using an isometric view of the part just for reference.

Mastering SolidWorks, First Edition. Matt Lombard.

© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
1006  | CHAPTER 35  Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

If your sheet metal parts are welded together with other sheet metal, structural, cast, stamped,
or plate parts, you might want to refer to the section later in this chapter on multibody sheet
metal drawings. You can accomplish the same things with an assembly (and in some cases, the
assembly will be the better option), but many people think that modeling in multibodies is easier.
Sheet metal multibody techniques are a little different—and in my opinion, they don’t offer as
many advantages as normal multibody techniques. If you must work in this mode, be careful to
leave room on your drawing for exploded views and a weld list. Flat patterns require some extra
thought if you have multiple sheet metal bodies in a single part.
You may also want to make a special drawing template for sheet metal drawings. The special
template can contain custom blocks, title blocks, or table anchors.

Getting the Flat Pattern

When you need to make a drawing to use for building a sheet metal part, getting the flat pattern
is an essential part of the process. SolidWorks provides several ways to develop the flattened
bend sections in the K-Factor, bend allowance, bend deduction, and bend calculation tables.
Getting these values or equations correct is key in making the flat pattern the correct size to
produce the finished part accurately. Chapter 34, “Using SolidWorks Sheet Metal Tools,” covers
how to use these methods, but you should obtain the actual values from your sheet metal shop.
You create the drawing of a sheet metal part in the same way that you would create one for
any other type of part. You can use one of several methods, including using the Create Drawing
From Part command or dragging and dropping the part onto a drawing. Sheet metal drawings
may serve different purposes. Usually, a sheet metal drawing requires dimensioned orthogonal
views of the finished part, and sometimes, it also requires a flat pattern describing the blank from
which the finished part is to be formed.
To show a view of the flat pattern on a drawing where you already have a sheet metal part,
select the view from the FeatureManager or the graphics window, and in the list of views below
the Standard Views area of the Orientation panel of the PropertyManager, select Flat Pattern
from the list. The Drawing View PropertyManager is shown in Figure 35.1.

Figure 35.1
Converting a view of a
sheet metal part to a
flat pattern
 Getting the Flat Pattern  1007 |

This won’t work from a projected view, and if you have placed a named view, SolidWorks
may change the view of the part to lay the flat pattern down on the sheet.

Understanding Flat Patterns and Configurations

When a sheet metal part is put onto a drawing, SolidWorks automatically creates a derived
configuration called SM-FLAT-PATTERN. The configuration doesn’t exist until the part is put onto
a drawing. For a part made with the Base Flange Sheet Metal method, the derived configuration
in Figure 35.2 shows the default arrangement.

Figure 35.2
Automatically created
derived configuration for
the flat pattern

If your part already had multiple configurations, only the configuration that’s shown on the
drawing would display a derived flat pattern. If you later show another configuration on the
drawing, the derived flat pattern won’t automatically be created until you show a flat pattern of
that configuration.

Best Practice
Be careful if you plan to make sheet metal parts with derived configurations for reasons other than
the flat pattern. The automatic, derived-flat-pattern configuration functionality may or may not be
able to work with your manual or design-table-driven derived configuration scheme.

There’s a second way to get a flat pattern of a sheet metal part on the drawing. If you use the
drop-down list in the Reference Configuration panel of the Drawing View PropertyManager, you
can select the derived-flat-pattern configuration from there. The flat patterns that you get using
these two methods may be oriented differently, and if you use the Flat Pattern selection from the
More Views options, you also will get bend lines and annotations marking the direction, angle,
and inside radius of the bend. The difference between the resulting views of these two methods
is illustrated in Figure 35.3.
The PropertyManager for the flat pattern view contains many settings that are not shown or
discussed here. You may find it useful to explore the entire contents of the PropertyManager for
the view to see other items you can control, which include rotation of view, scale, quality of view
and cosmetic threads, and many others.
1008  | CHAPTER 35  Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

Figure 35.3
Comparing flat pattern
views placed by using
the More Views options
or by showing the
derived-flat-pattern
configuration

More Views Derived configuration

flat pattern

Showing Bend Lines and Bend Notes

If you show the derived configuration, the bend lines are not included in that view. To turn on
the bend lines, you need to go to the FeatureManager for that view, scroll to the Flat Pattern
feature, expand it, right-click the Bend Lines sketch, and select Show.
Figure 35.4 shows the Drawing FeatureManager with the Bend Lines sketch highlighted.

Figure 35.4
Turning on the bend
lines for a flat
pattern view
 |
Getting the Flat Pattern  1009

To get the bend notes to show up, you need to use the Drawing View PropertyManager Bend
Notes panel, shown in Figure 35.5.

Figure 35.5
Showing the bend notes
for a flat pattern

You can configure the content of the bend notes using the Text Box and the Syntax buttons.
These buttons, located at the bottom of the screen, represent, in order from left to right:
◆◆ Bend Direction
◆◆ Supplementary Angle
◆◆ Complementary Angle
◆◆ Bend Radius
◆◆ Bend Order
◆◆ Bend Allowance
Other options for the display of bend notes are also available. Select Tools ➢ Options ➢
Document Properties ➢ Sheet Metal ➢ Bend Notes ➢ Style, and you can choose from the follow-
ing options:
◆◆ Above Bend Line
◆◆ Below Bend Line
◆◆ With Leader
1010  | CHAPTER 35  Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

When the notes are above or below the bend lines, they are aligned with the bend line, so the
notes could be horizontal, vertical, or angled. If there’s a succession of bends, interrupted in
some way but close to one another, these notes can be on top of one another and difficult to read.
If you use the With Leader option, all notes are horizontal with respect to the drawing sheet,
and a leader points to the bend line.
You should explore the settings at the above-mentioned Tools ➢ Options location, as there are
several in this location that can help you control the appearance of the bend notes, including
Layer, Color, Line Type, Font, Border, and so on. Notice, too, that you have the powerful func-
tionality that covers the insertion of Cut List Properties in the drawing.

Showing the Bounding Box for the Flat Pattern

SolidWorks automatically calculates a bounding box for your sheet metal flat pattern. This is the
smallest rectangle into which the flat pattern will fit. This can be useful if your manufacturing
process cuts the flat pattern from individual blanks rather than a bigger sheet with nested flat
patterns. Generally, the bigger sheet allows you greater material efficiency, but it may also be
difficult to manage if you don’t have the equipment, and it may be unnecessary if you are
making low volumes of certain parts.
The bounding box may not be aligned the way you might expect, but it represents the
smallest rectangle that SolidWorks calculates will include your flat pattern. Many shops have
separate nesting software that may allow for custom fits or some additional options. If you’re not
sure if your shop would benefit from a bounding box on the drawing, you may want to
ask directly.
You can have some control over the bounding box. If you specify a grain direction in the Flat
Pattern PropertyManager, the bounding box will align with the grain direction. You can use an
edge, an axis, or a sketch to define the grain direction. The grain direction is the pattern of streaks
on the face of the sheet metal that indicates the direction the sheets were processed in fabrication.
Sheet metal properties can vary somewhat if measured with and against the grain. Sometimes,
the grain is specified in a certain orientation for aesthetic reasons.
The bounding box is stored in the sheet metal part as a sketch, which you can see right below
the Bend Lines sketch shown in Figure 35.4. You can show this sketch, and the drawing will
display it as a construction line. Figure 35.6 shows a flat pattern with a bounding box.

Showing Bend Areas on the Part

If you want to show or hide the bend areas for all bends on the flattened part, open the part in its
own window and edit the Flat Pattern feature. You cannot edit the feature from the drawing; you
must do it from the part’s own window. In the Flat Pattern PropertyManager, make sure the
Merge Faces option is turned off.
Figure 35.6 shows the bend lines (Merge Faces) turned off, and Figure 35.7 shows the bend
lines (Merge Faces) turned on. Figure 35.7 also shows the Bend Area setting that’s available from
the model. In Figure 35.7, the Tangent Edges are set to use a font. You can find this setting at
View ➢ Display ➢ Tangent Edges With Font or on the RMB menu for the view.
As a note, when showing a flat pattern of a part using welded corners, the welded corners
must be suppressed before the flat pattern can be shown. This is the case with the part used in
the Figure 35.7.
 |
Getting the Flat Pattern  1011

Figure 35.6
Showing a bounding box
on a drawing

Figure 35.7
Showing the tangent
bend lines on a
flat pattern
1012  | CHAPTER 35  Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

Making Drawings of Multibody Sheet Metal Parts

You cannot flatten multiple sheet metal bodies simultaneously within a single sheet metal
part. However, SolidWorks is adding more capabilities for drawings of multibody parts. You
might do best to use them as a bridge to a single body, or when other parts such as small
welded bits or PEM fasteners are pressed into a sheet metal part, creating an inseparable
subassembly.
Figure 35.8 shows two different part scenarios that this chapter addresses. The part on the left
is a simple sheet metal part with PEM standoffs from the SolidWorks Toolbox pressed into holes.
The part on the right is a sheet metal part with multiple sheet metal parts and a simple plate,
intended to be welded together.

Figure 35.8
Two multibody sheet
metal scenarios

Both methods are valid uses of multibody sheet metal parts.

Displaying Bodies on the Sheet Metal Drawing

SolidWorks allows you to hide bodies within a drawing view. To do this, click inside the view.
At the top of the PropertyManager for the view in the Reference Configuration panel is a button
labeled Select Bodies; use this button to change the bodies that are visible in the drawing view.
The Select Bodies button and the Body Selection list are shown in Figure 35.9.

Figure 35.9
Selecting the bodies to
show on the drawing
 Making Drawings of Multibody Sheet Metal Parts  1013 |

CAUTION  Use the Select Bodies button in the Reference Configurations panel of the View Property­
Manager to hide bodies in views. If you use another method, you may not be able to control which
bodies are shown in a particular view. Whether this is a bug or by design is unclear, but the function-
ality doesn’t appear to be consistent.

The functionality that allows you to use the part color on the drawing doesn’t apply to bodies.
If you use this setting, all the bodies use the part color. If your part uses an appearance, a color is
always part of the appearance assignment, although the part may not display the color. For
example, a steel appearance may still have a blue color assigned. You will see the texture-like
appearance when the part is shaded, but you will see the associated color when the part is shown
in Wireframe mode.

Using a Cut List in a Sheet Metal Part

When you create a new sheet metal part, the FeatureManager automatically gets a new item
called a cut list. The cut list is technically called a “Weldment Cut List,” but it’s used in sheet
metal as well as in weldments to keep track of the parts modeled as bodies. The cut list is not
very interesting until you have multiple pieces to list, and this happens in a part file only when
you have multiple bodies. Beyond using multibodies as an interim condition where you’re
bridging between bodies, the cut list is used when the final model is intended to have multiple
bodies. The real use of the cut list is to list on the drawing each of the individual pieces that go
together to make the finished part. These pieces can be purchased hardware, other sheet metal
parts, or welded plate parts, among other items.
You can add several types of values to the cut list. It’s essentially a Bill of Materials for welded
assemblies. To access the interface for Cut List Properties, right-click the Cut List folder and
select Properties. Figure 35.10 shows a default Cut List Properties table.

Figure 35.10
Managing the properties
for a sheet metal cut list

Managing Cut List Properties

To fill out the Cut List Properties, use the Cut List Summary the same way that you would use
the Custom Properties data entry. Notice also that several properties already exist for the cut list.
These include sheet metal–specific items like Bounding Box Length, Sheet Metal Thickness, the
1014  | CHAPTER 35  Creating Sheet Metal Drawings

number of bends, material, or a special cut-list-specific description. You can add more custom
properties as well.
Notice that on the left in Figure 35.10 is a list of all the cut-list items. This enables you to set
the properties for each item. Although most of the values use automated syntax, others, like the
Description or any custom properties you might add, require manual data entry.
The next step after arranging all your Cut List Properties is to create a drawing and add the
cut list to a view.
When you create a drawing of a multibody sheet metal part, you can place the cut list on
the drawing.

Placing the Cut List on the Drawing

After you create the multibody sheet metal part, filled out the Cut List Properties, and created at
least one drawing view of the part (flat or formed), you’ll be ready to put a cut list on the
drawing. I will assume you’re placing a default cut list and then need to create a customized one
later. The next section also describes how to create a cut list template after you have made one to
suit your needs.
With the multibody sheet metal drawing active, select Insert ➢ Tables ➢ Weldment Cut List.
The Weldment Cut List PropertyManager is shown in Figure 35.11.

Figure 35.11
Configuring a Weldment
Cut List for a multibody
sheet metal part

The first option in the Weldment Cut List PropertyManager is to select the template. By
default, there’s only the single sample table, which you probably need to customize somewhat to
suit your needs. You’ll do that shortly.
After you have set the options to your satisfaction, place the cut list on the drawing by
clicking where you want to place the table. Notice that as you drag the table around, it snaps to
the drawing format border. You can place it at one of these snap locations or just place it in a
blank area on the drawing.
 |
The Bottom Line  1015

When you select a column header (labeled with a letter), a Column PropertyManager will
appear, along with a text-formatting bar. This is all shown in Figure 35.12.

Figure 35.12
Customizing the Cut
List column

From there, you can change the information in the selected column. The first three column
properties are built-in properties: Item Number, Quantity, and Description (cut-list item
name). The User Defined option lets you manually enter whatever text you want. The Cut
List Item Property option allows you to select from a list of automated values, shown in
Figure 35.12.
You can add additional columns by right-clicking a column and selecting Insert ➢ Column
Right or Column Left. The additional columns can be formatted like the others.

Saving a Cut List Template

After you have customized the cut list the way you like it—with the automated or manual entry
fields set up to save you time the next time you need to use a similar table—you can save the
table as a template. Right-click the table and choose the Save As option. The file type that is
assigned is *.sldwldtbt. This long-file extension presumably stands for “Weld Table Template.”
Although a weld table and a cut list are not necessarily the same thing, they do use the same
templates.
Save the template file in the location established for your Weldment Table templates. You can
find them at Tools ➢ Options ➢ File Locations ➢ Weldment Cut List Templates, which by default
points to C:\Program Files\SolidWorks Corp\SolidWorks\lang\english, but you can (and
should) keep all your custom templates in a path that won’t be overwritten by reinstalling or
uninstalling the software—and a place that multiple users can share if necessary.
The next time you need to use this template, you can select it using the Table Template
drop-down list in the Weldment Cut List PropertyManager.

The Bottom Line

SolidWorks has lots of special drawing functionality built around sheet metal parts. You may
want to create a special template or format for sheet metal drawings or even use multipage
drawings for including both flat and formed views of the part.
Multibody modeling in sheet metal opens another range of possibilities in documenting
inseparable subassemblies and small weldments using sheet metal parts. The use of a cut list is
similar to the use of a BOM, and though originally intended for weldments, it’s also useful for
sheet metal parts.