Introducing our SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Design Resources Page

Last updated on December 19th, 2023 at 10:11 am

Do you design sheet metal parts in SOLIDWORKS? If so, be sure to check out our new SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Design Resources page!

At ASM, we don’t just fabricate exceptional sheet metal parts—we also share our internal Design for Manufacturing (DFM) knowledge to help customers design better parts.

This exciting new page on our website, developed as part of our mission to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing, features short videos offering DFM tips and tricks from our in-house SOLIDWORKS expert, Estimating Leader Dave Pincince. You’ll also find blog posts focusing on a wide range of sheet metal design topics.

Whatever information you need pertaining to SOLIDWORKS sheet metal design, our goal is to make sure you can find it on our resources page.

Sharing Our SOLIDWORKS Design Expertise

With 25 years of experience in sheet metal fabrication and 13 years of SOLIDWORKS experience, Dave is our secret weapon when it comes to optimizing designs in SOLIDWORKS.

Every day, Dave leverages his DFM expertise to analyze prints for manufacturability when quoting parts. He works closely with customers to address design issues and recommend modifications to optimize designs for manufacturability and cost. Customers know they can depend on Dave to nip countless design problems in the bud before those problems cause major headaches during prototyping or production.

With our new resource page, we have the opportunity to share Dave’s valuable SOLIDWORKS expertise with engineers far and wide—not just the ones who have been fortunate enough to work with him. Whether or not you order your parts from ASM, we’re here for you. (Though we certainly hope you’ll consider working with us!)

Dave’s short videos are packed with useful information, answering customers’ top questions about SOLIDWORKS and demonstrating how to use the software step by step. Need to determine the ideal

sheet metal bend radius or the maximum height for a louver? Hoping to simply navigate SOLIDWORKS more easily? Dave’s got you covered.

If there’s a SOLIDWORKS topic you’d like us to tackle, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Filling Gaps in Sheet Metal Design Training 

While there are programs available to train engineers on designing precision machined parts in SOLIDWORKS, equivalent training for sheet metal design is much harder to find. As a company dedicated to high-quality sheet metal fabrication and committed to championing American manufacturing, we’re inspired to share knowledge that can help fill gaps in engineers’ training.

For example, not all engineers using SOLIDWORKS for sheet metal design know that it’s a best practice to design a part using the sheet metal toolbar from the outset rather than converting a part to sheet metal after designing it. Using the sheet metal toolbar right in the beginning ensures that design flaws that could impact manufacturability are flagged as you go.

Some of the videos on our resources page are highly specific, focusing on considerations like bend radius and the k-factor. We believe that by sharing our SOLIDWORKS knowledge from A to Z, we empower customers to create top-tier parts and thereby support the US manufacturing industry as a whole.

Our SOLIDWORKS Sheet Metal Design Resources Page is an asset you can bookmark and return to whenever you have a question about designing sheet metal parts in the popular CAD program.

Once we’ve covered all the fundamentals of sheet metal design, we’ll move on to more complex topics to help you take your SOLIDWORKS skills to the next level. We’ll update the page weekly to make this resource as comprehensive as possible.

ASM is here for you every step of the way, from design to manufacturing. Request a quote to work with our expert team today!