A sheet metal part starts out as a flat piece of metal with a consistent thickness.

For manufacturing purposes, details like bend radii and relief sizes are usually the same throughout the part. You enter the values for these details, and then the software applies them as you design. For example, when you create a flange the bend is added automatically.

Important: The mass and volume for a sheet metal part are most accurately obtained from the flat pattern. The moment of inertia must be calculated from the final folded shape.

You can add features to the flat pattern for clean-up purposes. These operations are typically performed to support shop-specific manufacturing practices.

Limitations

• You can only create one flat pattern for each body and a component.
• A sheet metal body cannot be moved to another component once created, neither it can be copied and pasted.
• Sheet Metal is only be available in a Parametric Design, and not in a Direct (History-free) design.
• Currently you cannot convert a sheet metal component back to a regular component. Also, a sheet metal rule cannot be detached from the component once attached.
• Flat patterns do not support all the distributed designs workflows.

Ways to create sheet metal parts

You can create sheet metal parts in several ways.

• Create a new sheet metal component using the sheet metal rule. The rule uses your settings for material thickness, bend radius, and corner relief.
• Create a sheet metal from the scratch. You use sketch commands to create a profile for a base face or an initial contour flange. Then you exit the sketch and create your sheet metal face and flanges. Default rule is used but you can change or edit used rule.

Create a new sheet metal component using the sheet metal rule

1. In the Design workspace, Solid or Sheet Metal tab, click New Component  from the Create drop-down.
2. Make sure that the New Component radio button is selected.
3. Specify the name of the new component.
4. Check Sheet Metal Component box.
5. Select the desired sheet metal rule.
6. Click OK.
7. Create the 2D sketch profile, and click Finish Sketch from the Sketch Palette to exit sketch.
8. If you are in the Solid tab, switch to the Sheet Metal tab.
9. Click Flange  from the Create drop-down.
10. Select the sketch profile.
11. Click OK in the Flange dialog. Note that the sheet metal component Sheet Metal component is marked with an  icon in the browser.

Create a sheet metal from the scratch

1. Use the sketch tools to create a 2D sketch profile.
2. Click Finish Sketch from the Sketch Palette to exit sketch.
3. If you are in the Solid tab, switch to the Sheet Metal tab.
4. Click Flange  from the Create drop-down.
5. Select the sketch profile.
6. Specify how to apply a material thickness of the base flange:
   • One Side: Creates the material thickness on one side from the selected sketch profile.
   • Other Side: Creates the material thickness on the other side then the selected sketch profile.
   • Symmetric: Creates the material thickness using the selected profile as the mid-plane of the new flange.
7. Select whether to create a new body, or a component.
8. Click OK in the Flange dialog. Note that the Sheet Metal component is marked with an  icon in the browser.