Views: 0 Author: Mancy Li Publish Time: 2023-04-24 Origin: Zhongshan Yishang Metal Products Co., Ltd
Sheet metal fabrication is a set of manufacturing processes for turning sheet metal into functional parts. For this guide, we have divided the processes into three categories: cutting, deformation, and assembly.
Common sheet metals include steel, stainless steel, aluminum, zinc, and copper, and these materials usually come in gauges between 0.006 and 0.25 inches (0.015 and 0.635 centimeters) thick. Thinner gauges are more malleable, while thicker ones may be more suitable for heavy-duty parts with strenuous applications.
For partially flat or hollow parts, sheet metal fabrication can be a cost-effective alternative to processes like casting and machining. The process is also quick and produces minimal material wastage.
Sheet metal fabrication is widely used for industrial and consumer parts and in specialist industries like automotive, aerospace, energy, and robotics.
One of the three main ways to manipulate sheet metal is to cut it. In this sense, sheet metal fabrication can be considered a subtractive manufacturing process (like Sheet metal fabrication), because usable parts can be made by simply removing sections of material.
Manufacturers can cut sheet metal using a variety of different pieces of machinery, some of which are unique to sheet metal fabrication.
One of the key methods for cutting sheet metal cutting is laser cutting. A laser cutter uses a powerful laser intensified with a lens or mirror. It is a precise and energy-efficient machine suitable for thin or medium gauges of sheet metal but may struggle to penetrate the hardest materials.
Another metal plate cutting process is water jet cutting. Water jet cutting is a metal sheet manufacturing method that uses high-pressure water jets (mixed with abrasive materials) to cut metal. Water jet cutting machines are particularly useful for cutting metal sheets with low melting points, as they do not generate heat that may cause excessive deformation of the metal.
The third metal plate cutting option is plasma cutting. The plasma cutting machine generates an electrical channel for ionizing gas, forming a hot plasma jet that can easily penetrate even thick metal plates. Although not as accurate as laser or water jet cutting machines, plasma cutting machines have fast speed, powerful functions, and low installation costs.
These three cutting machines can be used for materials other than sheet metal, but there are also some technologies that are only used for sheet metal manufacturing.