See more at: Learn about the Tab and Slot Sheetmetal feature in SOLIDWORKS 2018 with a non-sheetmetal multi-bo. SOLIDWORKS 2018 introduces a powerful Tab and slot tool to automate this design step. Tab and slot can be created on parts in an assembly, a single part, or a multibody part. You start by choosing an edge to define the tab, and a face to define where the slot where will terminate. Offsets can be applied to control the tab distance from the ends.

The business card holder below was created as an example to illustrate the benefits of the Tab & Slotfeature. An additional goal of the design was to create a finished product cheap enough to be used as giveaway items for marketing events.

TheTab & Slotfeature creates interlocking tabs for self-fixturing assembly design, which is particularly useful for sheet metal parts and assemblies. It can also be used for other solid bodies, as is the case in this simple woodworking example. For more details on how the feature works, check out our existing blog: What’s New SOLIDWORKS 2018: Tab and Slot Feature

Once I was confident in the 3D design, it was time to get it into a 2D format for the laser cutter. I exported the individual bodies as DXF format and brought them into DraftSight (the free 2D CAD tool) for final preparations. I matched the parts against the vendor’s cutting template, and assigned entities to proper layers for cutting vs etching.

Below you can see the finished parts cut from 1/8” Birch plywood. I used a popular online vendor for hobbyist laser cutting, and the cost worked out to $2 per business card holder- right down there with some of the cheapest promo items! Thanks to the digital nature of the manufacturing process, each business card holder could potentially be engraved with individualized names for virtually no added cost.

It’s worth noting that I was only intending to use the tabs for alignment, as the clearance value of approximately .002” resulted in a somewhat loose fit. To secure the parts I applied small dots of cyanoacrylate (engineer speak for superglue) on each tab prior to final assembly. I was quite happy with the end result!

For more information, request a SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD quote or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!

SOLIDWORKS 2018 IS HERE!

SOLIDWORKS 2018 provides new tools and enhancements to help you get your design to manufacturing faster, with higher quality and at lower costs. From a more intuitive user interface to improved sheet metal design tools, many of the new enhancements and improvements were added based on your requests. Take a look at some of the new features and discover how SOLIDWORKS 2018 can help accelerate innovation and grow your business.

SOLIDWORKS CAM for CNC Machining

Solidworks 2018 Tab And Slot Features

Users can now seamlessly integrate design and manufacturing with easy-to-use, world class CAM technology. Powered by CAMWorks, SOLIDWORKS CAM is production-proven, seamlessly integrated CAM for SOLIDWORKS that provides rules-based machining and automatic feature recognition to dramatically streamline, and even automate, CNC manufacturing operations.

Work Directly With Mesh Data

Work with mesh data similar to surface or solid geometry. Combine, intersect, split, move/copy, cut with surface, and check for interference. Also, quickly fit surface bodies to regions of mesh models.

More Flexibility with 3D Interconnect

Solidworks Tab And Slot Feature

Seamlessly work with more file formats including ACIS, STEP, and IGES, and automatically update your design whenever new files are received. Also, 3D Interconnect now supports internal file information like custom properties, materials properties, and reference axes.

New, More Intuitive User Experience

SOLIDWORKS 2018 supports freehand sketching with pen or touch on compatible devices. Enhancements to mouse gestures and user interface customization also help speed product development.

Refined Sheet Metal Design Tools

SOLIDWORKS 2018 includes tab and slot features for self-fixturing of parts for welding, a normal cut feature to ensure clearances are included for manufacturing and tools to easily create or flatten corners that include three bends.

Collaborate More Efficiently for Model Based Enterprise

Speed up design detailing while also streamlining and automating downstream manufacturing tasks, such as CNC programming and inspection, by importing 3D models along with PMI from all major CAD formats, as well as STEP 242.

Powerful Usability Enhancements for Electrical Routing

Routing is faster and easier with more detail than ever before. New features include drag and drop of inline connectors and support for shrink-wraps and boots. Users can also now flatten a route in drawing with support for clips and disjointed routes.

Generative Design for Better Part Geometry

Use the SOLIDWORKS Simulation Topology Study tool to automatically optimize the shape of a design based on weight, function, and manufacturing criteria. Improve performance or reduce product weight based on simulation and manufacturing constraints.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection Support for MBD

With the enhancements in SOLIDWORKS 2018, you can now create inspection documentation directly from 3D models with Production Manufacturing Information, as well as from 2D drawings, PDFs, and TIFFs. SOLIDWORKS Inspection is now integrated with SOLIDWORKS PDM, and supports SOLIDWORKS part and assembly files (*.sldprt, *.sldasm), as well as non-native 3D CAD formats.

SOLIDWORKS Manage for Project and Process Management

SOLIDWORKS Manage provides data management, project management, and process management all in one familiar package. It adds powerful project, process, and item management capabilities to SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional.

Automated PDF Creation for SOLIDWORKS Drawings

SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard can automatically create PDFs from SOLIDWORKS drawings via workflow transitions. The new features eliminate the manual creation of PDFs to enable better collaboration and help the migration from Workgroup PDM.

Automatic Revision Table Update

SOLIDWORKS PDM can now manage and automatically update SOLIDWORKS revision tables, allowing users to streamline their engineering change processes by reducing manual data entry and drawing updating.

Cloud-Connected SOLIDWORKS

Empower desktop computers with cloud convenience through online licensing. SOLIDWORKS Online Licensing makes using your license on multiple machines effortless. The SOLIDWORKS login moves customized content and settings to any machine on which SOLIDWORKS is installed. The SOLIDWORKS Admin Portal allows easier management of SOLIDWORKS products and services.

Check out all the new features in action.