Blog Creating a slot in a SOLIDWORKS sheet metal cylinder
Every year, SOLIDWORKS makes several enhancements to its software. In particular, they have made creating complex sheet metal parts even easier. Today we are going to look at creating a slot in a sheet metal cylinder.
As you would expect, there are several ways to accomplish this in SOLIDWORKS. I will show you a couple common ways to accomplish this task. The first way is very simple, I am just going to create a slot on a plane and cut through the part.
I just created a regular through all cut and it creates the slot on the curved surface with a normal to cut.
So when you flatten the part, you can see the cut is straight through the part as you would expect it to be in a flat pattern.
Another way to create a slot on a curved surface or cylinder is to use the Wrap command. Create your sketch on a plane and use the Wrap feature to wrap the sketch around the curved surface.
Once you select the Wrap feature, you will have a few options to choose how you want to apply it.
In this case, I am going to choose the deboss option as it removes material. SOLIDWORKS then wants you to select the face in which you want to create the cut. Once you select the green check, the slot is created just like the extrude cut feature.
When the part is flattened it is also a normal to cut. This is just a couple of ways to create slots on curved surfaces. Don't be afraid to try new and unique ways to create your parts. If you have a unique way to create something that you haven't seen before, we would love to hear about it!
Phil Whitaker
Field Technical Services Manager