What is Sheet Metal Fabrication?
Sheet metal fabrication is the process of turning flat sheets of steel or aluminium into metal structures or products, by cutting, punching, folding and assembling. Sheet metal can be cut, bent or stretched into nearly any shape, which is generally done by cutting and burning the metal.
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Advantages of Sheet Metal Fabrication
Low cost
Sheet metal fabrication is a very cost effective way to produce metal parts. The process is relatively simple and does not require expensive tools or machines.
High strength
Sheet metal fabrication can be used to create parts that are very strong. The process of fabricating sheet metal parts creates a strong bond between the layers of metal, which results in a strong finished product.
Durability
It can be used to create parts that are very durable. The process of fabricating sheet metal parts creates a strong bond between the layers of metal, which results in a strong finished product.
Light weight parts
Sheet metal is often used to create parts that are durable and light castings. Greatly improve the transportation and use of parts difficulty.
Fast production
Sheet metal fabrication is a very fast way to produce metal parts. The process is relatively simple and can be completed very quickly.
Wide application
It has been widely used in electronic appliances, communications,buildings, airplanes, automobile industry, medical equipment and other fields.
Sheet Metal Fabrication Cutting Techniques
Cutting is usually the first phase in the sheet metal fabrication process. You can cut different shapes or structures from rectangular metal sheets to meet design requirements. The main cutting techniques involved two categories: cutting without shear and with shear.
Cutting Without Shear
Laser Cutting
Sheet metal laser cutting involves using focused laser beams to melt metals in localized areas. Laser cutters are compatible with a long list of metals, ranging from non-ferrous metals to mild steel and stainless steel.
This technique consists of two concurrently running sub-processes. The first one involves concentrating a high-powered laser beam on the sheet metal. The material absorbs the laser beam's thermal energy, making it vaporize.
At the same time, the second process involves a cutting nozzle providing blowing gas for laser cutting. This gas is usually oxygen or nitrogen. It helps to prevent the processing head from splashes and vapors during sheet metal fabricating engineering.
Plasma Cutting
Plasma cutting is a thermal cutting process involving metal with ionized gas called plasma. The method uses substantial heat to cut the metal, which creates large burrs and an oxidized zone close to the cut area. In addition, it allows faster cutting, high precision, and repeatability in sheet metal manufacturing.
The plasma cutting tool works effectively only on electrically conductive sheet metals. Consequently, it is one of the most suitable methods for cutting conductive materials with medium aluminum thickness.
Waterjet Cutting
This cutting process involves using a high-pressure stream of water to cut metal sheets. Waterjet cutting is versatile and can cut various hard and soft materials using pressurized water and abrasive. It is ideal for cutting soft materials, metal foils, fabrics, or rubber. At the same time, it is suitable for cutting hard materials like copper, carbon steel, aluminum, and carbon steel.
The pressure involved is usually about 60,000 psi, with a 610m/s supply of velocity to cut through different types of metal sheets. However, waterjet cutting is a better substitute for the laser cutting technique.
Cutting With Shear
The processes under this category cut metal materials using shearing force to overcome the metal's ultimate shear strength. They usually involve using dies, punches, and shear presses to enable adequate cutting of the metal. The techniques here include the following:
Shearing
Shearing is suitable for high-scale applications and cutting soft materials that don't need clean finishes, like brass, aluminum, and mild steel. It cuts straight lines on sheet metals with a flat surface. The shearing method involves applying a shear force on the surface, causing the flat metal material to split at the cutting point.
This is often the ideal process for making straight edges on a metal sheet with rough edges. It is cost-effective for high-volume operations when manufacturing thousands of sheet metal fabrication parts within a short lead time. However, shearing may not be perfect for applications that need quality finishes due to the burrs and material deformations it causes.
Punching
Punching uses shear force to make holes in the sheet metal. In this sheet metal fabrication process, the scrap material is the material removed from the hole, while the final component is the remaining material on the die.
Punching is suitable for making cutouts and holes of different shapes and sizes. However, using the punching process can take much time. You have to match the dies and punching knives correctly.
Blanking
Blanking is an ideal process for economic sheet metal fabrication. It involves removing a portion of sheet metal from a larger piece of the stock material using a blanking punch and die. The punch makes a "blanking force" through the sheet metal while the die holds it during the process.
The extracted material is the preferred component, while the remaining material on the die is the leftover black stock. This process is suitable for making economic custom parts due to its high repeatability, dimension control, and excellent accuracy.
Sawing
Sawing cuts metal materials using a sawtooth tool to create a series of tiny cuts in the metal. A sawtooth uses shear force and friction to tear apart a small part of the metal material. Band saws have various fine and marginally bent teeth suitable for cutting brass, aluminum, and other non-ferrous sheet metal.
Horizontal band saws help to cut longer bar stocks to desired sizes. On the other hand, vertical band saws help to achieve complex cuttings that need accurate contours in the metal parts.
Sheet Metal Fabrication mportant In Manufacturing
Sheet metal fabrication is a process of forming and cutting metals into various shapes, typically for industrial applications.
It involves the use of specialized equipment to cut, bend, roll, form and assemble sheet metal parts from different materials such as aluminum, steel or stainless steel.
Through this process, intricate three-dimensional components can be created with precise measurements that meet strict industry standards.
Sheet metal fabrication is an important component in many manufacturing processes.
It allows manufacturers to create complex parts quickly and efficiently without compromising quality.
The ability to produce custom components that are suited for specific applications makes it a highly advantageous option for production lines across numerous industries.
Definition Of Sheet Metal Fabrication
Sheet metal fabrication is the process of using sheet material to create components and products. It involves cutting, forming, punching, and welding techniques on a wide range of materials such as steel, aluminum, brass, copper, or stainless steel.
The primary benefit of this manufacturing method is its cost-effectiveness; it requires minimal tooling and equipment for large production runs. Additionally, sheet metal fabrication typically has less environmental impact than other processes due to reduced waste generated during production.
As an added bonus, this process also allows for quick prototyping at low costs which speeds up product development cycles. Sheet metal fabrication provides an efficient solution for many businesses in need of cost-effective yet high quality products that can meet their specific requirements.
Techniques Used In Sheet Metal Fabrication
Sheet metal fabrication is the process of transforming flat sheet metal into components or structures with a desired shape and size. This can be achieved through various processes such as the following:
Cold forming is a process where metal sheets are bent along an axis to form complex shapes that require intricate details.
Punching presses are used to punch holes in thin sheets of material at high speed for precise dimensions without creating any burrs on the surface.
Bending allows for more complicated geometries to be created from sheet metals by using dies which provide guidance on how much bend should be given in each area. Lastly, welding is commonly used when joining two pieces together due to its stronger bond compared to other methods of joining materials such as mechanical fasteners or adhesives.
Cold rolling is the process of creating a flat surface on the metal by passing it between two rollers with varying forces applied to them. This technique helps shape the metal into its desired form while maintaining consistency in thickness across all areas of the material.
Laser cutting utilizes an intense beam of light to cut through the metal at specific points, creating intricate designs or precise cuts with minimal effort.
Hydroforming uses high-pressure hydraulic fluids to pressurize and mold sheets of metals into predetermined shapes without distorting their structure.
Sheet metal fabrication plays an important role in manufacturing since it enables designers and engineers to bring their ideas into reality quickly and cost-effectively while producing quality parts that meet customer requirements.
Sheet metal fabrication involves manufacturing parts out of metal. CNC machining involves manufacturing parts out of metal. So aren't sheet metal fabrication and CNC machining the same thing? Not at all!
The phrase "sheet metal fabrication" refers to a collection of different manufacturing techniques for manipulating sheet metal to create working parts and prototypes.
We primarily work with sheet metals in gauges ranging from 0.006" to 0.25," with the thinner sheets ideal for high-malleability and the thicker sheets preferred for high-stress applications. If your part design includes flatness or hollow spaces, sheet metal fabrication is typically a much cheaper manufacturing solution than machining—and it produces significantly less waste!
You'll find us creating parts from metal sheets of aluminum, copper, steel (including stainless and alloy), zinc, and more. Leveraging modern software and precision equipment, our sheet metal shop provides these fabrication processes:
Sheet metal forming
Sheet metal forming involves the various manufacturing processes used to manipulate metal sheeting without cutting.
Our sheet metal shop floor houses several Amada brakes to bend your sheet metal into various shapes, including channels, U shapes, and V angles. Amada's Automatic Tool Changer (ATC) capabilities enable us to seamlessly expedite many jobs by tripling or even quadrupling the number of setups we perform daily.
Sheet metal assembly
Sheet metal assembly also includes welding, the process of melting together two metal components. Not all metals are easily welded, but common sheet metals such as aluminum and steel weld easily.
Spot welding. This resistance welding process utilizes pressure and heat from an electric current to weld sheet metal parts together.
TIG welding. Tungsten electrodes and an inert gas work together to create a high-frequency current that heats the metal to a liquid form for assembly.
MIG welding. This type of welding creates an electrical arc between the sheet metal and an electrode wire. As the wire melts, its material is deposited on the metal to form the weld.
CNC stands for "computer numerical control" and is the foundation of today's precision machining processes.
Programmed by a skilled operator, a CNC machine navigates its high-quality cutting tool to the pre-programmed dimensions, cutting away material to make precise parts with tight tolerances and complex features.
CNC milling
When performing CNC milling operations, we secure a workpiece to a table that moves and rotates on different planes, giving access to the rotary cutting tool. CNC milling machines achieve different cutting results by employing varying angles, pressure levels, cutting directions, and tool speeds.
CNC turning
CNC turning rotates the workpiece along a central axis while a non-rotary, linearly moving lathe shapes the part's features. Our turning processes include straight and taper turning, spherical generation, grooving, parting, knurling, and threading. When combined into a single, pre-programmed CNC operation, these machining methods result in astoundingly intricate parts.
Multi-axis CNC machining
Our precision machine shop's multi-axis CNC vertical machining centers can mill and turn complex shapes and features with minimal setups.
Our Factory
King Siu Metal Products (Shen Zhen) Limited is located in Sun San Ping Xi South Road, Lunggang District, Shenzhen City, China. The main product range is Audio cabinet, Speaker grille, Heat sink and Metals accessories. In February, 1998, the factory acquired the ISO9002 quality system certification. It covers an area of more than 6,000 square meters, with around 102 employees, management and technical personnel exceed 20 people.
FAQ
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