Sheet Metal is used in various industries to manufacture the parts and products that we daily use. Everything from electronic enclosures and vehicle parts to aeroplane wings involves some form of sheet metal fabrication during the manufacturing process.

In this article we explore the fundamentals of sheet metal fabrication including the primary process to and applications across the industries.

What is Sheet Metal Fabrication? 

Sheet metal fabrication refers to the processes for transforming the raw metal into customized formed parts with the desired shapes and dimensions. It encloses a variety of techniques, machinery and workflow for laser cutting, CNC punching & bending, welding  and assembling metal.  The range of materials offered include aluminum, stainless steel, mild steel and copper. 

 How does sheet metal fabrication work? 

There are many different ways to give shape to the sheet metal but they are mostly divided into two categories: it can either be cut or formed.

There are many different ways of cutting and forming sheet metal, and for that many specific tooling types are used for cost cutting. For that purpose it is necessary to understand the various sheet metal fabrication processes. Very basic form of sheet metal fabrication begins with a flat sheet of metal and a blueprint  (Usually DFX or CAD file). This blueprint includes instructions like how to cut, form and finish the base material.

Capabilities:

1. Bending: This manufacturing process uses dies to produce a U-shape, V-shape or channel shape along a straight axis in ductile materials. Bending sounds like an easy and straightforward process  but it can be more complex than expected.

2. Laser cutting: This manufacturing process uses a high-power laser beam to cut a material sheet heat and vaporize the material away. Most commonly, emitted at a wavelength of 10.6mm (infrared), a CO2 laser is used to pierce through a variety of materials. Efficient, low cost, and productive - these are regularly used in the world of manufacture. 

3. Punching: Punch presses can be useful in a range of materials including steel, zintec, galv, stainless steel and aluminum. The choice of hole punched can be as simple as a circle or rectangle right through to special shapes to suit a specific cut out design. Complex shapes can be produced by using a combination of single hits and overlapping geometries.

4. Welding: When joining and fastening sheet metal, one of the go-to techniques is definitely welding, which involves fusing parts together at high temperatures. Welding majorly tends  to warp and create heat zones which can be not ideal for a finished product.

Sheet metal materials 

The mechanical properties of materials used for sheet metal fabrication are the same as the base metal, so according to your need choose an appropriate material.  However, for sheet metal fabrication most suitable materials are those which you can manipulate and do not lose their physical properties. Aluminum and steel are examples of such materials.

Additionally, as sheet metal fabrication projects often include bending, machining or welding, there are a number of factors to pay particular attention to when selecting an appropriate material like ductility (elongation at break), machinability, weldability, tensile strength, corrosion resistance, weight, cost etc.

Aluminum, stainless steel, mild steel, and copper are the standard materials that we use for sheet metal fabrication. The aluminum series 5xxx is more suited to sheet metal fabrication than the aluminum series 6xxx, commonly used for CNC machined parts. This is because aluminum series 5xxx is more ductile and tears less easily when bent.

Sheet Metal Finishes:

The finishing of sheet metal is one of the most crucial steps in ensuring that the product not only works, but works for as long as possible. The types of finishes available for sheet metal are no different from those used for other metal fabrication processes. It depends heavily on the part’s individual requirements and the properties of the selected material. Here are some common finishes that are used for sheet metal.

1. Bead Blasting: Mainly it is used  for visual purposes and to prepare surfaces for other coatings. It comes in several different kinds of grits which indicate the size of the bombarding pellets and it can be combined with anodizing.
2. Powder coating: Powder coating adds a thin layer of protective polymer coating on the surface of any part. 
3. Anodizing: This is basically an electrochemical process of placing a stable oxide coating on the material and usually the material is aluminum but it can be used on zinc, titanium, magnesium etc .
4. Chromate conversion coating: It is also known as Alodine or chemical film. This process immerses parts in a chemical bath until the coating has formed on the part. 
5. Brushing: It is basically produced by polishing the metal with the grit and resulting in a satin finish. It is mostly used for covering up the imperfections from machining for customer facing parts. 
6. Brushing + Electropolishing: This process is best for parts that need to be smooth at microscopic level. In this process the parts are brushed and then run through the electropolishing process.

Application of Sheet Metal Fabrication: 

1. Aerospace:

Sheet metal  is useful for the aerospace engineers for the few space ready parts. Engineers create designs for the aircraft or spacecraft from sheet materials including aluminum and steel, but they can also use other less common sheet materials like titanium, and tungsten.

2. Automotive:

For the automobile industry, sheet metal is one of the best materials to kick off. Vast range of automotive components being manufactured with sheet metal. The hood, the side panels, and the roof are all made from sheet metal that has been cut by laser and punching operations. 

3. Healthcare:

In the healthcare industry, there are many constraints and demands when it comes to selecting the material.  High precision tools like surgery tools and scalpels can be made from sheet metal because these materials are chemically inert for the human body and can be easily cleaned and sterilized. 

As the term sheet metal fabrication covers a wide range of processes and techniques, the main advantages are fast, affordable and high quality of production with a vast number of techniques and materials having high strength. So explore Mech power’s diverse Sheet Metal Fabrication capabilities, from high-speed CNC Punching to precise Laser Welding, and experience craftsmanship at its finest. Contact us to get more information about our sheet metal fabrication service.