Revolved cut in Solidworks - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

👤 Your Role: You are a mechanical design analyst at a manufacturing company.

📋 Request: Your manager wants you to analyze the impact of using a revolved cut feature on a cylindrical part to reduce material and weight while maintaining strength.

📊 Data: You have the 3D model of a solid cylinder with dimensions: diameter 100 mm, height 150 mm. The revolved cut is defined by a sketch of a profile revolved 360 degrees around the cylinder's central axis, removing material from the inside.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a report showing the volume before and after the revolved cut, the percentage of material removed, and a visualization of the part with the revolved cut applied.

Sample Data

Feature	Diameter (mm)	Height (mm)	Cut Profile Radius (mm)	Cut Depth (mm)
Original Cylinder	100	150	0	0
Revolved Cut	100	150	30	50

1

Step 1: Calculate the volume of the original solid cylinder.

Volume = π x (Diameter/2)^2 x Height = π x (100/2)^2 x 150

Expected Result

Volume = 3.1416 x 50^2 x 150 = 1,178,097 mm³

2

Step 2: Calculate the volume of the revolved cut material removed. Assume the cut profile is a semicircle with radius 30 mm revolved 360 degrees along the height with depth 50 mm.

Cut volume = (1/2) x π x (Cut Profile Radius)^2 x Cut Depth = 0.5 x π x 30^2 x 50

Expected Result

Cut volume = 0.5 x 3.1416 x 900 x 50 = 70,686 mm³

3

Step 3: Calculate the remaining volume after applying the revolved cut.

Remaining volume = Original volume - Cut volume = 1,178,097 - 70,686

Expected Result

Remaining volume = 1,107,411 mm³

4

Step 4: Calculate the percentage of material removed by the revolved cut.

Percentage removed = (Cut volume / Original volume) x 100 = (70,686 / 1,178,097) x 100

Expected Result

Percentage removed ≈ 6%

5

Step 5: Create a 3D visualization of the cylinder with the revolved cut applied, showing the hollowed section inside.

Use SolidWorks Revolved Cut feature with the semicircle sketch revolved 360 degrees around the central axis, depth 50 mm.

Expected Result

3D model showing the cylinder with a hollow semicircular groove cut along the height.

6

Step 6: Prepare a report dashboard summarizing original volume, cut volume, remaining volume, and percentage removed with the 3D visualization.

Dashboard components: Text boxes for volumes and percentage, embedded 3D model viewer for visualization.

Expected Result

Clear report showing all calculated values and the visual model for easy understanding.

Final Result

-----------------------------
|   Revolved Cut Analysis    |
|---------------------------|
| Original Volume: 1,178,097 |
| Cut Volume:      70,686    |
| Remaining Volume:1,107,411 |
| Material Removed: 6%       |
|                           |
| [3D Model Visualization]  |
-----------------------------

✓The revolved cut removes about 6% of the material volume.

✓This reduces weight while maintaining the external shape.

✓The 3D visualization confirms the hollow semicircular groove along the cylinder height.

Bonus Challenge

Analyze how changing the cut profile radius to 40 mm affects the volume removed and percentage material reduction.

Show Hint

Recalculate the cut volume using the new radius and compare with original volume.