Step-Files

STEP Files Can't Carry K-Factor — Why Your Flat Pattern Is Wrong After Import

A fabricator opens your STEP file. They run Insert Bends. SolidWorks creates a flat pattern. The dimensions are wrong. Not slightly wrong — off by several millimetres on every bend. Enough to cause rework. Enough to get a call from the shop floor. The reason is that STEP files don’t carry k-factor data. They never did. Understanding why, and what to do about it, is the difference between a clean handoff and a rebuild. ...

STEP Files vs Native SolidWorks: Why Fabricators Rebuild Instead of Convert

A customer sends you a .stp file. It’s a sheet metal part — clearly visible bends, uniform thickness, nothing exotic. You import it into SolidWorks, run Convert to Sheet Metal, and SolidWorks does… something. A flat pattern appears. You run the DXF export and send it to the laser table. Then the first batch comes back wrong: the developed length doesn’t match the customer’s tolerance, some bends are reversed, and the corner relief geometry is completely off. ...