A Game Changer: Using Weldments in SOLIDWORKS

To start using Weldments in SOLIDWORKS, create simple layouts with simple line entities along a 2D or 3D sketch. With the power of structural members, you can then group and display all items in the part level. In this blog, I'll show why weldments in SOLIDWORKS is one of the most powerful and fundamental toolsets.

Automation and Changes Stick to the Part Level

Weldments are only available in the part level, but it makes your model behave like an assembly. Once an outline has been created, a couple of clicks will generate solid geometry and all cuts are added. By editing the sketch, weldment profile, or both, you can then automate the design change much easier.

Create Your Own Profiles

Profiles that are used in weldments can be saved and reused whenever you need. Custom profiles can be created or downloaded directly from within SOLIDWORKS giving you a collection of types and sizes to choose from.

Fast to Simulate

When you need to test your weldments, simulation allows the structural members to act like simplified beams, reducing the amount of time to run the study and also being able to gather results that are just as accurate as solid parts in an assembly file. Stresses, displacements, plus axial and bending moments can easily be gathered.

Cut List Creation

Creating a BOM in a drawing also works just like an assembly when using weldments. The Cut List is a special table where it describes each piece of the model needed along with the critical information if you decide to make changes in the part level. This information can be imported directly into a table which updates automatically whenever a change is made to your weldment models.

Overall, the weldments toolset in SOLIDWORKS is great for creating quick multibody designs, editing your existing layout, reusing profiles infinitely, and generating a cut list that updates in real-time. In the following example, I'll create a simple shelf structure using SOLIDWORKS Weldments.

Creating A Simple Shelf Structure 

First, I'll create a simple 2D sketch. Next, I'll exit the sketch, highlight it from the Feature, then go to Insert > Reference Geometry > Grid System. SOLIDWORKS will create a 3D sketch on the Top Plane if an existing plane is not pre-selected before starting the feature.

The desired inputs, shown below on the left, show how I'll create a three-stacked grid that is equally spaced. Once done, I’ll add a new 3D sketch and add the outlines for the legs.

With weldments, the structural member feature will create my Cut List pieces that can be separated into three distinctive groups.

It's done! Check out the awesome shelf structure below.

Thanks for reading! Looking to learn more about creating welded structures, try our SOLIDWORKS Weldments class. Plus, don't forget to for the latest updates and expert advice from our team of application engineers.