How is sheet metal processed?
Metal plates go through cutting, stamping, punching, shearing, forming, bending, welding, rolling, riveting, drilling, tapping and machining.
Hardware can be inserted into sheet metal components.
Components can be brushed, plated, anodized, powder coated, painted, silkscreen or otherwise marked.
Of course, parts can be riveted, tightened or welded into complex components.
Like most other technologies today, sheet metal processing is constantly developing.
Materials, equipment and tools are more professional than ever.
In order to make full use of sheet metal, you must use the right suppliers and manufacturing methods for your parts and their applications.
By definition, sheet metal starts as a plate, but it can be formed in many different ways to meet many different requirements.
The general cold forming processes are:
Cut.
Shearing has long been the main method of cutting steel plates, but it has now been replaced by faster methods.
L punch can be used for stamping and module to cut metal.
Compared with laser or water jet cutting, this is especially effective for cutting relatively simple parts.
Because it can run at the speed of hundreds of times per minute, the punch can quickly produce the right parts.
Punching can also be used to punch holes or other cuts in parts.
The combination of punch and laser cutting can create complex planar patterns with size-limited stamping features.
L CNC laser cutting uses a jet of oxygen, nitrogen, helium or carbon dioxide to burn the metal and produce clean finished product edges.
The speed of this process varies depending on the thickness of the metal, but the cutting can be very complex and accurate with tolerances of + /-0.005 inches or more.
Because there is no contact, the tool will not wear like a mechanical tool.
Two types of lasers are used for sheet metal processing: fiber lasers are used for thinner, more reflective materials for cutting, and multi-gas or CO2 lasers are more powerful and suitable for thicker plates.
Photochemical processing is a process that uses templates generated by CAD to control the etching process to leave a chemical pattern that removes unwanted metals.
Bend.
Most metals can be bent along a straight axis using various presses.
The shape of the bend can range from a soft curve (such as a curve along the vertical axis of a steel tank) to a sharp angle above, below, or on the right at 90 degrees.
The bending machine is used to produce these relatively sharp bends.
Rolling and forming methods produce open or closed uniaxial curves in continuous bending operations.
Most metals can be bent along a straight axis using various presses.
The shape of the bend can range from a soft curve (such as a curve along the vertical axis of a steel tank) to a sharp angle above, below, or on the right of 90 degrees.
The bending machine is used to produce these relatively sharp bends.
Rolling and forming methods produce open or closed uniaxial curves in continuous bending operations.
Crimping.
This includes rolling metal-shaped edges to provide smoother, stronger edges.
The hem can be open, leaving an air space at the bend, or it can be closed, in which the folded metal is pressed tightly against the body.
The crimping creates a circular edge on the sheet metal, also known as a barrel hem.
This can be used for simple sharp edges, or for specific operating functions, such as door hinges, which fix the pin around which the hinge rotates.