Flat Pattern Issues in SOLIDWORKS

Chats with Chase is a daily segment for tips on SOLIDWORKS, 3D Printing or 3D Scanning.

This video details Flat Pattern Issues in SOLIDWORKS. Enjoy!

[mickjager]

An issue I had was changing the fixed face of a bent part that as as created by solidoworks using base flange. The flat pattern ended up being oriented at a 45 degree angle to the top plane because of the fixed face solidworks chose. It's pretty straight forward once you know where it is but not real clear if you haven't needed to do it before. At least it wasn't to me or my colleagues. If you expand the flat pattern then right click on flat-pattern 1 then click the edit feature icon (looks like the Extrude boss/base icon with a pencil in front of it) you'll see the "fixed face" in the parameters window where you can chose a face that's parallel to one of the 3 major planes or which ever one you want. I needed this because a sketch I'd drawn on the surface I wanted fixed was 45 degrees from the original fixed face. This caused the sketch to be distorted in the flat pattern on my drawing and in the dxf I was creating for my laser. This sketch was used to creating etchings to show where to locate other parts that get welded in an assembly and not actually cut the material.

[kleingarrett]

I've received this question so many times over the years!

[LonleyGuns]

You have solved my problem. Thank you!

[tomabbott]

Hi Chase...I have a question a bit off topic, but here goes. I am designing a cardboard shipping box using SW Sheetmetal to create a flat pattern for cutting and printing. I start with the box and then add the decal artwork. Seems simple enough, but when I create the flat pattern all of the artwork disappears. I could really use your help! Thanks!

[frepi]

"...whenever you create a drawing of a sheetmetal part in Solidworks, it will created a derived configuration which will show the flattened part"....Not true. No derived config created, not flat pattern view in the view pallet. This function has many bugs and fails very often to do what it is supposed to do