Rip Tool

You can use the Rip tool to create rips in hollow or thin-walled cylindrical and conical bodies. By selecting an edge on a cylindrical or conical face, you can flatten the part as sheet metal.

In earlier releases, if you had a cylindrical or conical part, you had to create an intentional gap in the base sketch to convert the part to sheet metal.

SOLIDWORKS supports straight cuts only, not slanted cuts.

To use the rip tool in a cylindrical part:
  1. In a hollow or thin-walled cylindrical or conical part, click Rip (Sheet Metal toolbar).

  2. In the graphics area, select:
    1. An edge.

    2. A reference point on the model.

      The reference point can be on the model or anywhere in the graphics area. If you select a reference point that is not on the model, the software projects the point onto the model.

  3. Specify options in the PropertyManager and click .

    With the rip completed, you can convert the part to sheet metal using the Insert Bends tool.