In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a plastic storage box with curved surfaces in SolidWorks. This exercise covers essential features such as extrude, fillet, lofted surface, knit surface, shell, and lip/groove design. Perfect for practicing plastic part modeling skills.
Downloads
👉 Download the SolidWorks Part File (.SLDPRT)
👉 Download STEP File (.STEP)
Skills You Will Practice
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Creating sketches with geometric relations (equal, coincident, midpoint)
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Using Lofted Surface and Knit Surface to form curved shapes
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Applying Shell to create thin-wall plastic parts
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Designing Lip and Groove features for plastic covers
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Using Move/Copy Bodies to separate parts
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Base Sketch
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On the Top Plane, draw a center rectangle.
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Apply an Equal relation to keep sides proportional.
2. Extrude
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Perform Extruded Boss/Base, Mid-plane, depth = 15 mm.
3. Apply Fillets
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Add Fillet radius = 10 mm to the edges.
4. Create Reference Plane
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Create Plane 1, referencing the Front Plane and Right Plane.
5. Sketch Arcs on Plane 1
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Draw arcs R=120 on Plane 1.
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Use Tools → Sketch Tools → Segment, with 8 points.
6. Equal Relations
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Add Equal relation to all arcs to ensure uniform curvature.
7. Top Sketch
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On the top face of the cube, create a sketch.
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Use Convert Entities to project the blue edges.
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Drag two arcs to coincide with the midpoint.
8. Repeat for Opposite Side
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Repeat the same process on the opposite face.
9. Lofted Surface
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Use Lofted Surface, selecting the three sketches as profiles.
10. Planar Surface
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Create Planar Surface by selecting the edges.
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(Hide cube or isolate surfaces if necessary).
11. Knit Surface
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Use Knit Surface and check Create Solid.
12. Combine
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Use Combine to merge bodies if needed.
13. Apply Fillets
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Add Fillet radius = 1 mm to smooth the edges.
14. Apply Shell
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Use Shell tool, thickness = 1 mm, no face selected.
15. Split Body
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Use Split tool, cutting with Top Plane.
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Remove top or bottom part to separate the lid and base.
16. Move Body
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Use Move/Copy Bodies to move the top cover upward.
17. Lip and Groove Feature
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Groove Body = Top cover.
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Lip Body = Bottom part.
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Define groove face = cross-section of green body, boundary = outer edges.
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Define lip face = cross-section of bottom body, boundary = outer edges.
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Adjust groove and lip parameters to ensure proper fit.
18. Finalize the Model
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Inspect the assembled plastic box with curved surfaces.
Tips
💡 Use Equal relations for consistent arc dimensions.
💡 Knit Surface with Create Solid helps convert surfaces into a solid body.
💡 Always check Lip and Groove dimensions to ensure manufacturability for plastic injection molding.
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