# Design Sheet Metal Parts with Ahner SolidWorks Bend Tables

- Canonical URL: https://www.ahner-industrial.com/post/solidworks-bend-tables-sheet-metal-download
- Page type: article
- Published: 2026-08-07T00:00:00-04:00
- Updated: 2026-08-07T00:00:00-04:00

Use Ahner SolidWorks bend tables for mild and stainless steel to model more realistic flat patterns and review forming assumptions earlier.

Ahner Industrial now offers SolidWorks bend deduction tables so designers can begin with known shop bend data instead of a generic CAD default. Loading material-specific thickness, radius, and bend deduction values early can produce more realistic flat patterns, reveal forming constraints sooner, and make the assumptions behind a design easier to review before quoting or release.

> **Short answer:** [Download the complete Ahner SolidWorks table bundle](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/downloads/solidworks/ahner-solidworks-bend-tables-v1.zip), choose the table for your material, and apply it when you create or edit the SolidWorks Sheet-Metal feature. The table gives the model a repeatable starting point for thickness, radius, and bend deduction, helping you evaluate formed dimensions and the developed blank while design changes are still inexpensive. Version 1 uses the smallest compatible bottom-die opening in Ahner's current shop data for each material and thickness. [View the installation summary](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/ref-info#solidworks-bend-tables).

## How do bend tables help while you are designing?

A bend table connects the formed model and flat pattern to a defined set of manufacturing assumptions. That is useful before a design reaches the shop because a bend deduction changes the developed blank, while the selected radius and thickness affect clearances, flange geometry, reliefs, and the space available around formed features.

Using the Ahner tables during design can help you:

- replace an unverified SolidWorks default with a consistent material-specific starting point;
- see how bends affect the flat pattern before adding every downstream feature;
- evaluate flange lengths, hole-to-bend spacing, reliefs, and formed clearances earlier;
- keep designers, estimators, and manufacturing reviewers aligned on the table version used;
- identify dimensions that depend on a particular radius or tooling condition and belong on the controlled drawing; and
- reduce late CAD revisions caused by discovering different bend assumptions after a part is quoted or programmed.

The table does not make a design automatically manufacturable. Pair it with Ahner's [bend calculation and tooling reference](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/bend-calculations) to review the selected bottom die, minimum flange guidance, tonnage, and other setup information, then confirm critical geometry during manufacturing review.

## What is included in version 1?

The downloadable bundle includes two Excel workbooks and the selected source data used to build them.

| File | Coverage |
| --- | --- |
| Mild steel 1.0038 workbook | 10 thickness setups from 0.030 through 0.250 inch |
| Stainless steel 1.4301 workbook | 9 thickness setups from 0.030 through 0.180 inch |
| Selected bend-data CSV | The material, thickness, angle, radius, deduction, and bottom die used in each table row |
| README | Installation steps, tooling policy, version, and production-use boundaries |

Each workbook contains bend deduction values for 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees. The files use inches and are organized as combined SolidWorks gauge/bend tables so thickness, bend radius, and deduction data stay together.

This is a versioned release dated August 7, 2026. Keep the README with any copy placed in a shared CAD library so designers can identify which table produced a flat pattern.

## Why do the tables use the smallest compatible die opening?

Ahner's bend dataset can include more than one bottom-die option for the same material and thickness. A SolidWorks table needs one defined setup for a predictable default. For version 1, we selected the smallest opening represented as compatible in our current shop data for each material-thickness pair.

That rule keeps the CAD default specific and repeatable. It does **not** mean the smallest opening is automatically the right production choice for every part. Flange length, hole proximity, surface requirements, grain direction, bend sequence, tonnage, part handling, and available tooling can change the practical setup.

If your design depends on a particular inside radius or die opening, put that requirement on the controlled drawing and discuss it with the fabricator. Do not expect the spreadsheet alone to communicate a critical forming requirement.

## How do I install the Ahner table in SolidWorks?

1. [Download the complete ZIP bundle](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/ref-info#solidworks-bend-tables) and extract it to a stable folder.
2. Put the material-specific .xlsx files in your controlled CAD standards location or SolidWorks Sheet Metal Gauge Tables folder.
3. Create a new Base Flange, or edit the existing Sheet-Metal feature.
4. Under **Sheet Metal Gauges**, select **Use gauge table**, then browse to the Ahner workbook for the part material.
5. Select the required thickness setup and confirm the populated thickness and radius.
6. Rebuild the part, flatten it, and compare the developed result with your released method before sending production data.

SolidWorks documents that a gauge table can assign gauge thickness, allowable bend radii, and bend data, and that a combined gauge/bend table can keep those values in one file. The table can be selected while creating a Base Flange or later by editing the Sheet-Metal feature. See the official [SolidWorks gauge/bend table documentation](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/SolidWorks/sldworks/c_sheet_metal_gauge_bend_table.htm) for the controls in your installed version.

## How should I verify a flat pattern before release?

Start with a simple representative coupon or known part rather than an entire assembly. Then check the items that can silently change developed geometry:

- the workbook matches the material being ordered;
- the selected setup matches nominal stock thickness;
- the table radius matches the intended production condition;
- bend direction, angle, reliefs, and fixed-face choices are correct;
- the flat-pattern dimensions update after the table is applied;
- critical flange, hole-to-bend, and formed dimensions remain acceptable;
- the drawing revision identifies any controlling radius or tooling requirement.

For a second view of the same setup data, use Ahner's [bend calculation and tooling reference](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/bend-calculations). It shows the source bend values, effective radius, K-factor, tonnage guidance, minimum flange information, and bottom die used for planning. For dimensioning strategy, see [how to tolerance laser-cut and press-brake-formed sheet metal](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/post/how-to-tolerance-laser-cut-press-brake-formed-sheet-metal).

## What can change between CAD and the press brake?

A bend table is a controlled starting point, not a promise that every lot of material and every geometry will form identically. Material thickness and mechanical properties vary. Grain direction, tooling wear, part geometry, bend sequence, springback, and operator setup also affect the result.

SolidWorks defines bend deduction as a method for calculating flat length from the formed dimensions. Its documentation expresses total flat length as the two outside flange dimensions minus the bend deduction and notes that bend deduction is measured from the virtual sharp. See the official [bend allowance and bend deduction definition](https://help.solidworks.com/2024/english/Solidworks/sldworks/c_Bend_Allowance_and_Bend_Deduction.htm).

Because a changed deduction changes the developed blank, validate critical work against an approved drawing, actual material, and a reviewed production setup. Prototype, first-article, or test-bend validation may be appropriate when fit is sensitive.

## Quick answers

### When should I apply the bend table to a model?

Apply the material-specific table when the Sheet-Metal feature is created, before detailing the part around a generic radius or flat pattern. If you apply it to an existing model, rebuild and recheck the formed and flattened states because developed dimensions can change.

### Which materials and angles are covered?

Version 1 covers mild steel 1.0038 and stainless steel 1.4301. It includes bend deduction values at 15, 20, 30, 45, 60, 75, and 90 degrees for 19 material-thickness setups.

### Can I send Ahner a SolidWorks model that uses these tables?

Yes. Include the formed model, a controlled drawing, material and thickness, quantity, and any critical radius, tooling, tolerance, finish, or inspection requirements. The model helps define geometry; the drawing and RFQ scope should identify what controls.

## Turn the verified model into a quote

When the flat pattern and formed geometry are ready, [send Ahner your project for manufacturing review](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/contact#quote-form). Include the SolidWorks or STEP model, drawing, material, thickness, quantity, revision, and any feature that depends on the selected bend setup.

You can also review Ahner's [sheet metal forming capability](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/sheet-metal-forming) before submitting. Our team will evaluate the project against the actual geometry, available process, and production requirements rather than treating a generic table value as final approval.

## Technical sources

- [SolidWorks: Sheet Metal Gauge/Bend Table](https://help.solidworks.com/2026/english/SolidWorks/sldworks/c_sheet_metal_gauge_bend_table.htm)
- [SolidWorks: Bend Allowance and Bend Deduction](https://help.solidworks.com/2024/english/Solidworks/sldworks/c_Bend_Allowance_and_Bend_Deduction.htm)

## Related fabrication resources

- [Sheet Metal Forming](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/sheet-metal-forming): Review the related Ahner fabrication capability and project-fit guidance.
- [Bend Calculations](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/bend-calculations): Check bend deduction, K-factor, tonnage, and minimum flange guidance.
- [Material Reference Tools](https://www.ahner-industrial.com/ref-info): Look up common thicknesses, structural sizes, and material weights.

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