Shell feature for hollow parts in Solidworks - Real Business Scenario

Scenario Mode

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

📋 Request: Your manager wants a report showing how using the Shell feature in SolidWorks reduces material usage and cost for hollow parts.

📊 Data: You have data on part dimensions, material volume before and after applying the Shell feature, and material cost per cubic centimeter.

🎯 Deliverable: Create a dashboard showing volume saved, cost saved, and percentage reduction for each part after applying the Shell feature.

Sample Data

Part ID	Part Name	Original Volume (cm³)	Shell Thickness (cm)	Volume After Shell (cm³)	Material Cost per cm³ ($)
101	Box	500	0.5	350	0.10
102	Tube	300	0.3	210	0.12
103	Container	800	0.7	560	0.09
104	Cover	200	0.4	140	0.11
105	Case	450	0.5	315	0.10

1

Step 1: Create a new column 'Volume Saved' by subtracting 'Volume After Shell' from 'Original Volume'.

Volume Saved = Original Volume (cm³) - Volume After Shell (cm³)

Expected Result

For Part 101: 500 - 350 = 150 cm³ saved

2

Step 2: Create a new column 'Cost Saved' by multiplying 'Volume Saved' by 'Material Cost per cm³'.

Cost Saved = Volume Saved * Material Cost per cm³

Expected Result

For Part 101: 150 * 0.10 = $15.00 saved

3

Step 3: Create a new column 'Percentage Reduction' by dividing 'Volume Saved' by 'Original Volume' and multiplying by 100.

Percentage Reduction = (Volume Saved / Original Volume) * 100

Expected Result

For Part 101: (150 / 500) * 100 = 30%

4

Step 4: Build a dashboard table showing Part ID, Part Name, Original Volume, Volume After Shell, Volume Saved, Cost Saved, and Percentage Reduction.

Configure table with columns as listed and format 'Cost Saved' as currency, 'Percentage Reduction' as percentage with one decimal place.

Expected Result

Dashboard table clearly shows material and cost savings for each part.

5

Step 5: Create a bar chart visualizing 'Volume Saved' for each part to highlight material savings.

X-axis: Part Name, Y-axis: Volume Saved (cm³)

Expected Result

Bar chart shows highest volume saved for Container, followed by Box and Case.

6

Step 6: Create a bar chart visualizing 'Cost Saved' for each part to highlight cost savings.

X-axis: Part Name, Y-axis: Cost Saved ($)

Expected Result

Bar chart shows cost savings aligned with volume saved and material cost.

Final Result

Container

↓

Box

↓

Case

↓

Tube

↓

Cover

↓

Container

↓

Box

↓

Case

↓

Tube

↓

Cover

✓Applying the Shell feature reduces material volume by about 30% for all parts.

✓Material cost savings range from $6.60 to $21.60 depending on part size and material cost.

✓The Container part shows the highest volume and cost savings due to its larger size.

✓Using the Shell feature can significantly reduce manufacturing costs and material waste.

Bonus Challenge

Add a calculation for estimated weight saved by multiplying 'Volume Saved' by material density, and visualize it.

Show Hint

Use a new column 'Material Density (g/cm³)' and calculate Weight Saved = Volume Saved * Material Density.