Part VII: Working with Specialized Functionality
You can access the Sheet Metal features by clicking the tool you need in the Sheet Metal toolbar or
by choosing Insert ➪ Sheet Metal from the menus, and selecting the appropriate tool.Base Flange/Tab feature
In addition to letting SolidWorks know that the part is a dedicated sheet metal part, the Base
Flange/Tab tool has three functions:
l (^) By drawing an open contour in the first feature, the Base Flange creates a thin feature-like
extrusion that includes the rounded corners of the bends.
l (^) By drawing a closed contour in the first feature, the Base Flange creates a flat sheet that is
shaped like your sketch for you to start from.
l (^) When the Base Flange is used at any time other than the first feature, it functions as a tab.
Figure 29.1 shows these three functions of the Base Flange/Tab feature.
FIGURE 29.1
The three functions of the Base Flange/Tab feature
Notice that the sketch of the part shown in preview in Figure 29.1 has all sharp corners, and that
the bend radius is automatically added to each corner by the software. SolidWorks automatically
adjusts when bend directions are combined to make sure that the inside radius is always the same,
regardless of bend direction.