Shell feature for hollow parts in Solidworks - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Shell feature for hollow parts

Goal

Understand how the Shell feature affects part volume and surface area in SolidWorks to create hollow parts efficiently.

Sample Data

Part Name	Original Volume (cm³)	Shell Thickness (mm)	Hollow Volume (cm³)	Surface Area (cm²)
Cube	1000	2	728	600
Rectangular Box	1500	3	1050	900
Cylinder	785	1.5	600	500
Sphere	1130	2	850	700
Pyramid	900	2.5	630	550

Dashboard Components

• KPI Card: Average Shell Thickness
  Formula: Average of Shell Thickness column
  Result: 2.2 mm
• KPI Card: Total Original Volume
  Formula: SUM of Original Volume column
  Result: 5315 cm³
• KPI Card: Total Hollow Volume
  Formula: SUM of Hollow Volume column
  Result: 3858 cm³
• Bar Chart: Volume Reduction by Part
  X-axis: Part Name
  Y-axis: Volume Reduction (Original Volume - Hollow Volume)
  Values: Cube (272), Rectangular Box (450), Cylinder (185), Sphere (280), Pyramid (270)
• Table: Part Details
  Columns: Part Name, Original Volume, Shell Thickness, Hollow Volume, Surface Area

Dashboard Layout

+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| Average Shell Thickness | Total Original Volume | Total Hollow Volume  |
+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
|                      Bar Chart: Volume Reduction by Part                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                               Table: Part Details                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

Interactivity

A filter allows selecting specific parts by name. When a part is selected, all KPIs, the bar chart, and the table update to show data only for that part. For example, selecting "Cube" updates KPIs to show its shell thickness, original and hollow volumes, and the bar chart shows volume reduction only for the Cube.

Self Check

Add a filter for Part Name = "Cylinder". Which components update and what values do they show?

• Average Shell Thickness KPI updates to 1.5 mm
• Total Original Volume KPI updates to 785 cm³
• Total Hollow Volume KPI updates to 600 cm³
• Bar Chart shows volume reduction of 185 cm³ for Cylinder only
• Table shows only the Cylinder row

Key Result

Dashboard shows how the Shell feature changes volume and surface area for different parts, highlighting volume reduction and shell thickness.

Practice

1.

What is the main purpose of the Shell feature in SolidWorks?

easy

A. To hollow out a solid part by removing internal material

B. To add extra thickness to a solid part

C. To combine two solid parts into one

D. To create a new solid part from a sketch

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the Shell feature function

   The Shell feature removes internal material from a solid part, leaving a hollow shell with specified wall thickness.

2. Step 2: Compare options with the Shell feature purpose

   Only To hollow out a solid part by removing internal material correctly describes hollowing out a solid part by removing inside material.

3. Final Answer:

   To hollow out a solid part by removing internal material -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Shell feature = hollow part creation [OK]

Hint: Shell feature hollows parts by removing inside material [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Shell with adding thickness
• Thinking Shell combines parts
• Assuming Shell creates new solids from sketches

2.

Which of the following is the correct way to specify wall thickness when using the Shell feature?

easy

A. Enter the thickness value in the Shell property manager before selecting faces to remove

B. Draw a sketch of the thickness and extrude it

C. Use the Fillet tool to set thickness

D. Apply a material color to indicate thickness

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify how wall thickness is set in Shell feature

   Wall thickness is entered as a numeric value in the Shell property manager before removing faces.

2. Step 2: Eliminate incorrect options

   Options B, C, and D do not relate to setting wall thickness in Shell feature.

3. Final Answer:

   Enter the thickness value in the Shell property manager before selecting faces to remove -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Wall thickness input = Enter the thickness value in the Shell property manager before selecting faces to remove [OK]

Hint: Set thickness in Shell property manager before removing faces [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Trying to set thickness via sketches
• Using unrelated tools like Fillet
• Confusing color with thickness

3.

Given a solid cube of 100mm edge length, you apply a Shell feature with 5mm wall thickness and remove the top face. What is the height of the hollow part after shelling?

medium

A. 90 mm

B. 100 mm

C. 95 mm

D. 85 mm

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand shelling effect on height

   Shell removes 5mm thickness from all internal faces except the removed top face, so height reduces by wall thickness at bottom only.

2. Step 2: Calculate hollow height

   Original height 100mm minus 5mm wall thickness at bottom = 95mm hollow height.

3. Final Answer:

   95 mm -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Height after shell = 100 - 5 = 95 mm [OK]

Hint: Subtract wall thickness only where faces remain [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Subtracting thickness twice
• Ignoring removed face effect
• Assuming hollow height equals original height

4.

You applied a Shell feature with 3mm thickness but the shell did not create a hollow part. What is the most likely reason?

medium

A. The part is already hollow

B. You forgot to select faces to remove

C. The material color is not set

D. The wall thickness is larger than half the smallest part dimension

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify shell failure cause

   If wall thickness is too large (more than half the smallest dimension), shelling cannot hollow the part.

2. Step 2: Check other options

   Not selecting faces or material color does not prevent shelling; part being hollow is unrelated to failure.

3. Final Answer:

   The wall thickness is larger than half the smallest part dimension -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Thickness > half dimension causes shell failure [OK]

Hint: Wall thickness must be less than half smallest dimension [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring size limits for thickness
• Assuming color affects shell
• Thinking shell needs face removal always

5.

You have a solid cylinder 50mm diameter and 100mm height. You want to create a hollow cylinder with 4mm wall thickness and an open top using the Shell feature. Which steps should you follow?

hard

A. Apply Shell with 4mm thickness without removing any face

B. Apply Shell with 4mm thickness, then select the top face to remove

C. Create a new sketch of a hollow cylinder and extrude it

D. Use Fillet tool to hollow the cylinder

Solution

1. Step 1: Set wall thickness in Shell feature

   Enter 4mm as wall thickness in the Shell property manager.

2. Step 2: Remove the top face to create an opening

   Select the top face of the cylinder to remove it, making the cylinder hollow with an open top.

3. Final Answer:

   Apply Shell with 4mm thickness, then select the top face to remove -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Shell + remove top face = hollow open cylinder [OK]

Hint: Remove faces to create openings after setting thickness [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not removing the top face for opening
• Using sketches instead of Shell
• Trying to hollow with Fillet tool