Forming Tools
Forming tools act as dies that bend, stretch, or otherwise form sheet
metal to create form features such as louvers, lances, flanges, and ribs.
The SolidWorks software includes some sample forming tools to get you
started. They are stored in:
<install_dir>\Documents
and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SolidWorks\SolidWorks <version>\design
library\forming tools. You can add this folder to the Design
Library by setting it up in File
Locations.
You can insert forming tools only from the Design
Library and you can apply them only to sheet metal parts. A sheet
metal part has the Sheet-Metal1
feature in the FeatureManager design tree. You can create
your own forming tools using many of the same steps you use to create
any SolidWorks part.
Examine the sample forming tools before creating your own. Editing a
sample forming tool, can potentially create a forming tool that meets
your needs.
Before you apply forming tools to sheet metal
parts, in the Design Library you
must right-click the folder that contains the forming tools and select
Forming Tools Folder to designate
its contents as forming tools. This applies to forming tools that are
part files (*.sldprt), not Form Tool (*.sldftp) files.
Related topics: