Weldment Tools In Design Library Standard Extrusion

3D CAD & Design, SOLIDWORKS Tech Tips

Download and Install Additional SOLIDWORKS Weldment Profiles

April 22, 2020
Juan Chapa

The SolidWorks Weldments Feature allows you to design a weldment structure as a multibody part that can be driven by 2D or 3D Sketch Entities. You can enable the Weldment Features Tab by Right Mouse Button (RMB) clicking on the existing command tabs while in a part environment:

SOLIDWORKS Sketch Entities

Once enabled, you can now check your current installed Weldment Profiles by making any type of sketch, exiting the sketch, and then selecting "Structural Member" Feature from the Weldments Tab. On a new installation of SOLIDWORKS you will only find a very limited number of options under Standard/Type etc.

Let's now download hundreds of additional structural member profiles. When you are connected to an internet connection, go to the Task Pane on the right side of the screen and then under SolidWorks Content and click on Weldments Folder. As you will see, you have the option to download different type Standard Type Structural Members. To start the download press and hold your Ctrl Button on your keyboard and click on the desired Standard. This will then prompt where to download the zip file, save it to your hard drive, the location is not important yet.

SOLIDWORKS Weldments Folder

Confirm the location of your weldment profiles, or alternatively choose a new location that can be shared or backed up more easily. Your Default Weldment Profile Location is:

C:\Program Files\SOLIDWORKS Corp\SOLIDWORKS\lang\english\weldment profiles

You can confirm or change the location in SOLIDWORKS by going to Tools > Options > System Options > File Locations > Weldment Profiles.

Best practice is to copy the weldment profiles folder outside of the installation directory and then point to that location. This way they can be maintained across multiple versions and will not be lost if the installation is removed for any reason. This also makes sharing this folder easier.

Your download will come as a .zip file that needs to be extracted. You can select to extract files and leave at the top-level directory of "Weldment Profiles" folder in order to maintain the necessary directory level of folders.

If performed correctly, you will now see the unarchived standard under your Structural Member feature selection. Notice that the folder names and levels are displayed directly in the weldment profiles dialog. If your files are extracted with too many or too few folder levels your dialog will not be able to see them. If you have multiple paths listed for weldment profiles, duplicate standard names will not merge, only one will be displayed.

SOLIDWORKS Structural Member library feature

In addition, you can create your own custom Standards, Types, and Sizes as long as you create the folder or file in the appropriate folder level. To create your own custom weldment profile, simply create a profile sketch of your choice, select the sketch on the Feature Design Tree and go to File/Save As and change file type to Lib Feat Part (Library Feature Part). This new profile will be found in the directory you selected.

About the author

Juan Chapa has been with MLC CAD Systems since 2008 as an Elite Application Expert and resides in the Rio Grande Valley in the great state of Texas. His background includes heavy machinery and food processing equipment design and simulation. Juan specializes in Data Management, Simulation, and SOLIDWORKS Electrical.