In a part, click Tab and Slot (Sheet Metal toolbar) or Insert Sheet Metal Tab and Slot. In the PropertyManager, specify options. In the graphics area, select an edge for the tabs and a corresponding 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. Using nonlinear edges for tab and slot. Luckily SOLIDWORKS listened to these user demands and with the release of SOLIDWORKS 2019 they introduced a lot of new functionality for sheet metal tab and slot. This eliminates the need for additional features, as you get the job done the first time. In SOLIDWORKS 2018 you could only. In SOLIDWORKS 2018, the new feature makes the process of creating Tabs and Slots quick, simple, and automated. This brand new Tab and Slot feature can be used on both sheet metal parts and standard solids too.
A costly part of the manufacturing process is creating fixtures, so many designers are now turning to self-fixturing, design techniques to reduce assembly and set-up costs in the manufacturing process. SOLIDWORKS 2018 introduces a powerful Tab and slot tool to automate this design step.
Solidworks 2018 Tab And Slot Features
- Tab and Slot features can be used on a single solid body (a sheet rolled into a tube), multi-bodies and in the Edit Component mode in an assembly. 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.
- In a part, click Tab and Slot (Sheet Metal toolbar) or Insert Sheet Metal Tab and Slot.; In the PropertyManager, specify options. In the graphics area, select an edge for the tabs and a corresponding face for the slots.
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. Spacing can be defined equally among a given number of instances or by a defined length. The length of each tab can easily be specified, and the height can be a blind value, or up-to or offset-from the selected surface.
Corner treatments, such as fillets and chamfers can be applied to the tabs and their size can be specified. The clearance between the slot and tab can be defined as well and SOLIDWORKS creates features in both components to meet these specifications.
These tab and slot features are fully editable, for instance, an additional tab and slot can be added on the side by adding a new group to the definition.
The new tab and slot feature not only reduces design time by automating the creation of these features but reduces manufacturing costs by minimizing the need to build expensive fixtures that can delay manufacturing.
Tabs and slots are commonly used to align interlocking sheet metal components, and the new Tab and Slot feature in SOLIDWORKS 2018 allows for corresponding tabs and slots to be created in one operation. This is definitely easier than using a complicated design library feature or separate extrude, cut, and pattern features.
The required selections for the Tab and Slot
Solidworks Tab And Slot Feature
feature are the edge to add tabs to and the face for the slots. The tabs can be offset from either end of the edge. The spacing can either be set with an equally spaced quantity or spacing length. The length of the tabs needs to be specified and the height of the tabs can be defined with different end conditions. Fillets or chamfers can be added if needed. And the clearance between the tabs and slots can be specified.Some other notes about the Tab and Slot feature:- Two linked features are created in the FeatureManager Design Tree (one for the tab and one for the slot).
- It can be inserted at any position along the slot body.
- Groups can be used to manage multiple edges.
- It works with planar and cylindrical geometry.
- The bodies do not need to be in contact.
- It works on regular, non-sheet-metal solid bodies as well.
For more information, check out our YouTube channel, get a SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD quote or contact us at Hawk Ridge Systems today. Thanks for reading!