Rich Sheet Metal Works

No matter how skilled the operator, many sheet metal shearing methods don’t create a smooth edge, especially with certain thicknesses or types of metal. To combat this, sheet metal specialists will use shaving and trimming to give the blank a smooth edge.

In the hands of a sheet metal specialist, it may look like they’re punching or cutting the sheet metal in an imprecise location, but they actually choose their dies and locations with deliberation. When the cutting is done correctly, it’s done with planned clearances that will create a clean cut.

Did you know that aluminum is the second-most abundant metallic element in Earth's crust? It has been used in the world of engineering for anything from soda cans to cell phones and planes.

Brass is not as hard or as strong as steel, but it is harder and stronger than copper. This makes it easier to form into shapes like hexes, tubes, cylinders, and for pipes. Brass is corrosion-resistant and resistant to salt water.

In certain cases, manual or powered hammering are used in sheet metal fabrication. However, this is primarily used as a rework option, as bending with a press brake or tube bender will yield much more precise results.

Did you know that sheet metal bending is typically performed on a machine called a press brake, which can either be manually or automatically operated? This is why the bending process is sometimes referred to as press brake forming.

In sheet metal production, platinum sheet metal is also sometimes utilized as a catalyst for other production uses. The utilization of precious metals in sheet metal production, such as gold and silver, as well as platinum, is typically reserved for decorative purposes.

Stainless steel sheets are available in different grades based on qualities like corrosion resistance and formability. The three most common stainless steel sheet grades on the market are 410, 316 and 304.

Do you look at a piece of sheet metal and wonder how it can be made into a tube? The right machine can bend metal with 4 different punches or slides at once to create a tube. First the blank is punched down, then punches from the sides bend it up, then a punch on the top finishes the tube.

One of the most common methods of sheet metal fabrication is called deep drawing, which involves squeezing the metal until its thickness is sufficiently reduced. This process is normally performed with a punch, which exerts a calculated amount of energy on the metal to draw it out radially.

In 1780, the rare metal tungsten was discovered by Swedish chemist Karl Willhelm Scheele. He coined the word tungsten by combining the words tung (heavy) with sten (stone). Tungsten is critical to modern TIG welding processes.

In most instances, MIG and TIG welding have replaced OAG (oxy-acetylene gas) welding. Why? While it uses a filler rod for the joint, the OAG welding process actually heats the sheet metal to be welded, which can create undesirable distortions.

Sheet metal is used in a wide array of applications over a broad variety of industries. In the automotive industry, sheet metal is used to create car bodies; in the airplane industry, the metal is used to fabricate airplane wings; in medicine, medical tables; in architecture, sheet metal, sometimes decorative, is used on the facades of buildings.