Sheet metal is a primary manufacturing material. It can be found in everythinga from cars to airplanes, houses, appliances and packaging. Creating these products and structures requires engineers to use highly specialized sheet metal design software. In most cases, sheet metal designers will work with powerful computer aided design (CAD) tools to develop blueprints in both 2D and 3D formats.
Presently, there are hundreds of CAD sheet metal design programs on the market. Users can choose from basic software that can be downloaded for free to sophisticated software that allows designers to visualize sheet metal components in 3D-rendered solid models. Choosing the right type of sheet metal design software depends on your needs and the nature of your project. To help new users decide on the right tool for them, we’ve taken a look at six of the leading CAD programs for sheet metal design.
Why is Software So Important for Sheet Metal Designers?
The first step to transforming an ordinary piece of sheet metal into a useful component or product is creating a detailed design. While products made from sheet metal can be detailed well enough using a 2D CAD program, many designers choose to work with 3D CAD software.
Using 3D solids allows engineers and designers to view a proposed design from any angle. 3D CAD programs can even be used to simulate how components will work together and how environmental stresses will impact a design. 3D CAD programs provide designers with more accurate representations of the product and enable them to make changes more easily. Once a design has been finalized, the 3D CAD files are converted into code that controls the machinery that cuts and forms the sheet metal.
When choosing what sheet metal design software to use, a designer will consider aspects such as:
- If the software can design in X, Y, and Z planes
- If the software can manipulate flanges
- If the software can configure radii
- If the software can determine K-factors
A CAD solution should provide a sheet metal designer with a complete set of tools that they can use to take a product from the initial ideation stage right through to testing and manufacturing.
The Top Software for Sheet Metal Design Work in 2023
Fusion 360
Created by Autodesk and released in 2013, Fusion 360 is becoming known as a reliable, cloud-based 3D CAD tool. With many of the same tools as well-established programs and the option of downloading a free version, Fusion 360 is becoming increasingly popular with CAD designers at all levels.
However, Fusion 360 requires a very fast, stable internet connection to run properly. Without a high-speed, robust internet connection, users run the risk of losing files. It also takes up a lot of hard drive space and uses a lot of computing resources. Most importantly, some sheet metal designers have found Fusion 360 to be severely limited in its ability to create crucial sheet metal components.
Creo
Creo was developed by Parametric Technology Corporation (PTC) and was first released in 1987 under the name Pro/ENGINEER. As one of the first examples of dedicated 3D CAD parametric modeling software, Creo is widely used by professional sheet metal designers as well as students.
Creo has a robust toolkit that allows for the parametric design of complex 3D geometric solids and is often used for large assemblies. Critics of Creo point to the fact that it can be very difficult to operate and that it is quite expensive when compared to other similar 3D CAD sheet metal design solutions.
Siemens NX Sheet Metal Design
One of the oldest examples of sheet metal design software, NX was released in 1973 and further developed by Siemens. Despite its venerable age, Siemens NX is still very much in use today. First released as Unigraphics, Siemens NX is a high-end 3D program used for parametric design, 3D modeling, and simulation purposes.
There is considerable debate about whether Siemens NX still holds its position as the best software for sheet metal design currently available. Many users prefer Siemens NX because of its integrated product development toolset, easy interface, and reasonable pricing. Designers that argue against using Siemens NX will point to the difficulty the program has in managing remote working environments, poor error reporting, and limited surface modeling features.
CATIA Sheet Metal Designer
The CATIA program was initially developed in 1977 by the French company Dassault Systèmes and was used to design the Mirage fighter jet. CATIA is still seen as the market leader by many sheet metal designers, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. Dassault Systèmes has further enhanced the remarkable capabilities of CATIA by offering the CATIA Sheet Metal Designer package via the 3DEXPERIENCE cloud platform.
Because of its intuitive, easy-to-learn interface and its wide range of features essential to sheet metal design, CATIA is the preferred CAD software for many professional designers. The CATIA Sheet Metal Designer package contains all of CATIA’s powerful core tools. This software allows users to accurately design sheet metal components and prepare them for manufacturing quickly and easily.
CATIA gives users the ability to validate assemblies and has enhanced product parameterization capabilities. Many designers prefer CATIA because it contains industry standards and rules built directly into its interface. Additionally, being able to access the 3DEXPERIENCE platform gives designers the ability to collaborate and access and store files securely via the cloud.
What Sheet Metal Design Software is Right for You?
Deciding what sheet metal CAD software to use depends on a range of factors. The skill level of the designer, the amount of money they wish to spend, and the complexity of the product or component they are designing.
Design students and smaller manufacturing companies may choose Fusion 360 because it can be accessed for free. Larger manufacturers and professional designers will find this program somewhat limiting, however. While Creo and Siemens NX are both powerful programs, they lack the agility that the CATIA Sheet Metal Designer cloud-based package provides. Any sheet metal designer, whether a beginner or an experienced professional, should carefully consider CATIA Sheet Metal Designer as their design solution.
