When NOT to Use Sheet Metal Features in SolidWorks — The Rebuild-Time Cost of Convert to Sheet Metal on Patterned Solid Bodies
There is a habit you pick up after a few years in SolidWorks: if a part needs to become a DXF for laser cutting, you Convert to Sheet Metal. It is the path of least resistance. The Flatten button is right there. The flat pattern drops into the feature tree. Export DXF and move on. For parts with actual bends, this is correct. For flat parts — gears, brackets, plates, gussets, gasket profiles — it is the wrong default, and on patterned bodies it can turn a sub-second rebuild into a ten-second rebuild. This post explains what the sheet metal feature stack actually costs you, why circular and linear patterns amplify the cost, and when to stop reaching for Convert to Sheet Metal at all. ...