# How to make cut-out sheet metal tabs

**URL:** <https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [October 27, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466 "2026-10-27T19:31:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/97f17d/32.png) [@Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/u/Uncle_Hairball)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466/1 "2026-10-27T19:31:20Z")

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I need to make a U-shaped sheet metal part that has tabs cut out of the sides, that remain unbent when the sides of the U are formed, like the image below. The problem is that I cannot find any way to get Solidworks to make this. I can brute force it by cutting the radius out of the opening and forming the tabs as separate bodies, then merging them, but this an awful work flow and I’d like it to be a genuine sheet metal part.

I have tried edge flanges and sketched bends, but neither worked.

Can anyone tell me how to do this?

 ![image](https://forum.cadmunity.com/uploads/default/original/2X/d/d1a52b48a8da2b44a15093ae0b6ea610cfd00a9f.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![jcapriotti](https://forum.cadmunity.com/user_avatar/forum.cadmunity.com/jcapriotti/32/24_2.png) [@jcapriotti](https://forum.cadmunity.com/u/jcapriotti)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 7:58pm UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466/2 "2026-10-27T19:58:19Z")

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[U bracket with tabs.SLDPRT](https://forum.cadmunity.com/uploads/short-url/wfcYbgEvgKryPWxOX8rpyu63GX4.SLDPRT) (286.9 KB)

 ![image](https://forum.cadmunity.com/uploads/default/original/2X/0/083403cc8e4e3e9bf93c3ddb014a371edc0d501c.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/97f17d/32.png) [@Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/u/Uncle_Hairball)\
**Post date:** [October 27, 2026, 8:22pm UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466/3 "2026-10-27T20:22:00Z")

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Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to help me out.

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**Author:** ![DLZ\_SWX\_User](https://forum.cadmunity.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@DLZ\_SWX\_User](https://forum.cadmunity.com/u/DLZ_SWX_User)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 11:33am UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466/4 "2026-10-29T11:33:22Z")

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Sketch bend should work also.

 ![image](https://forum.cadmunity.com/uploads/default/original/2X/7/7c65f2aba2cb1ae62a100540c7a15b7de78e4cc3.jpeg)  
 ![image](https://forum.cadmunity.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/1faf4e08e20514b9262408067069db670b006d94.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/97f17d/32.png) [@Uncle\_Hairball](https://forum.cadmunity.com/u/Uncle_Hairball)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://forum.cadmunity.com/t/how-to-make-cut-out-sheet-metal-tabs/6466/5 "2026-10-29T18:55:24Z")

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Yes, I would have thought so, but was never able to get it to leave the tabs unbent.