The Tab and Slot feature creates tabs on one body
and slots (holes) on another body to interlock the two bodies. You can specify how the tabs
and slots look and how they are distributed along the selected
entities.
Tabs and slots make it easier to weld parts together and minimize the
requirement to build complicated fixtures because you can interlock several sheet metal
parts. This feature is available in all parts, not just sheet metal parts. You can use
it in single bodies, multibodies, and parts in the context of an assembly.
After
you select the tab edge in a sheet metal part, SOLIDWORKS® automatically selects a slot face that is normal to the edge to streamline the
process. For non-sheet metal parts, you need to select a matching face
for the slots. The edges must be linear, the faces can be planar or cylindrical, but the
edges and faces do not have to touch. If the faces are cylindrical, there can be only
one body. Multiple bodies are unsupported.
If you have nonintersecting regions of two bodies, the tab and slot feature applies only
to the intersecting regions.
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| Tab and
Slot feature |
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