SolidTube for SOLIDWORKS

Do you create complex tube connections with normal cuts for laser processing in SOLIDWORKS? Make your life easier with SolidTube!
After creating the tubular structure, individual tube connections can be adapted with special cuts for laser processing.

Cut at Face
Create tube machining operations based precisely on existing faces.

Contour Cuts
The contour cut trims one tube along the outer contour of another tube. This creates complex cut contours, especially when tubes meet at an angle, such as a round tube intersecting a rectangular tube.
For even greater flexibility during the design process, SolidTube also allows contour cuts to be made along the inner contour of another tube. The profile to be cut is inserted into the tool profile. SolidTube automatically creates two different cuts: the contour cut along the inner contour of the tool profile and a matching cut-out in the tool profile for insertion.

Miter Cuts
Cut tubes at an angle – with just a few clicks. SolidTube automatically calculates the cut angle, regardless of whether the two selected tubes have the same cross-section or result in an asymmetrical cut.

For all cuts, the cut geometry required for laser processing is automatically taken into account, and the normal cut is created automatically.
This makes it possible to process even complex tube connections directly in the 3D model, without manually creating complicated auxiliary geometry.

Kinked tubes pose special challenges during design and, in particular, during subsequent laser processing.
Creating these geometries manually in SOLIDWORKS is time-consuming and often requires numerous features, sketches and auxiliary geometries. SolidTube makes this process significantly easier.

SolidTube provides specialized functions for creating kinked tubes and can generate complete tube runs automatically by simply selecting connected sketch lines. The required cuts and machining operations are generated automatically based on the selected corner geometry.



Among other things, the following corner configurations can be defined:

• rounded corner across the tube cross-section

• chamfered corner across the tube cross-section

• straight connection with a simple weld gap

• connection with a semicircular weld gap

This allows complex kinked tube runs to be created directly in SOLIDWORKS as production-ready 3D geometry. The resulting tubes can then be unwrapped using SOLIDWORKS.

For an even more automated workflow, the SolidTube STEP Export can automatically unwrap the tubes before exporting them as STEP files.

Geometric identification of identical parts
Geometrically identical tube components are detected automatically.
This means identical components do not have to be handled multiple times as separate items and are automatically grouped with the corresponding quantity in the bill of materials.

Automatic item numbers
Item numbers are assigned automatically to the tube components. These numbers are available for all subsequent processes, such as exporting bills of materials. In addition, the item numbers are also written to the custom properties of the parts, making them available to external processes such as further processing in the PDM / PLM system.

Automatic bill of materials creation
Bills of materials can then be generated automatically based on the detected components and item numbers. These bills of materials can be customized individually. You can define both their content and filter them by properties such as profile size. This allows you to export different types of bills of materials, such as order lists, cut lists, assembly lists, and many more, automatically with a single click.

Automatic labeling
Components can be labeled automatically with their information. This makes it possible, for example, to display item numbers directly on the components or make them visible for manufacturing, while also making them available for corresponding marking processes.

STEP export
The production-ready tube components can be automatically exported as STEP files.
These STEP files can then be transferred to downstream nesting software or directly to production planning.

This turns the SOLIDWORKS design into a structured handover to downstream manufacturing processes. Without media discontinuities. Your 3D model is and remains the single source of truth.