Sheet metal 

Sheet metal processing is a process of turning metal flat plates, typically between 0.15 mm and 10 mm thick, into parts and structures of various shapes. The raw material for this process is flat metal sheet. Sheet metal fabrication is used to make shells, chassis, brackets, stamping features, crimps, and other objects. It is also used for decorative purposes, to make patterns on metal plates.

How Does Sheet Metal Manufacturing Work?

The transition from raw material to finished product typically requires one or more of three processes: material removal (cutting), deformation, and assembly. If all these procedures are required, they are usually performed in chronological order.

Material removal

This includes cutting the raw material to produce the desired shape. For maximum precision, speed, and efficiency, CNC waterjet, plasma, and laser cutting techniques are often employed. In some cases, EDM (electrical discharge machining) is also an option.

Laser cutting

In laser cutting, a high-density laser beam is directed onto the workpiece, causing it to melt, evaporate, or burn, effectively cutting the material. Laser cutters are used for cutting, drilling and engraving. There are three types of lasers used for laser cutting; CO2 (carbon dioxide), Nd (neodymium), Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet).

CO2 cutting

CO2 lasers have high energy efficiency and high power-to-output ratio for cutting thin materials, engraving, and drilling. ND lasers have high energy but low repetition efficiency. They are used for engraving, drilling and welding. Nd:YAG lasers have a very high power output and can cut thicker materials. However, they are more expensive than carbon dioxide.

Laser cutting

The laser cutting machine can process aluminum, steel, copper, stainless steel and other metals. They are best suited for cutting thin workpieces (up to 15 mm for aluminum and 6 mm for steel), for engraving and drilling.

Waterjet cutting

In waterjet cutting, nozzles are used to focus the waterjet at very high pressure to cut the workpiece. For relatively soft materials, such as rubber and wood, only water is used. A mixture of water and abrasive particulate matter is used to cut harder materials such as metals.

Waterjet cutting can cut materials of various thicknesses. The maximum thickness that can be cut depends on the material. Of all the CNC cutting methods, waterjet cutting is the most accurate, with tolerances between 0.05 mm and 0.1 mm. One of the reasons for its high accuracy is that, unlike plasma and laser cutting, waterjet cutting does not generate heat, so there is no heat-affected zone in the workpiece.

Waterjet cutting is very versatile as it is used to cut hard materials such as aluminum, steel, copper, stainless steel, and other metal alloys, as well as softer materials such as polymers, elastomers, wood, and foam.

Plasma cutting

Plasma cutting is achieved by applying heat and energy to a gas to convert it into plasma. Then, an inert gas or air is used to accelerate the thermal plasma jet so that it ejects from the cutting nozzle and reaches the workpiece. The plasma forms an arc with the workpiece, melting and cutting the workpiece. As an electrical process, plasma cutters can only work with conductive materials.

The plasma cutter can cut very thick materials, up to 300 mm for aluminum and 200 mm for steel, with tolerances of 0.2 mm. Other materials processed with plasma cutters include stainless steel, copper, and other metal alloys. Depending on the complexity of the part to be produced, 2-axis or 3-axis tools can be used.

While plasma cutters are not as diverse or precise as waterjet cutters and laser cutters, they are the best choice for thick conductive metal parts because they are faster and more cost-effective to cut such materials.

Bending deformation

The process is the controlled application of force to bend or shape the plate into the desired shape. The deformation process includes bending, forming, stamping and stretching, using molds and hydraulic and magnetic brakes.

assemble

This is the process of joining various machined workpieces together to form a final product. The assembly process includes welding, brazing, riveting, and sometimes the use of adhesives.

material

The most suitable metals for this process are aluminum and its alloys, steel, copper and its alloys, and stainless steel. The following table lists the most commonly used metal grades in sheet metal fabrication.

Aluminum-copper stainless steel:

DIN 3.3523 | EN AW5052 DIN 2.0065 | EN CW004A 1.4319 mild steel

DIN 3.3211 | EN AW6061 DIN 2.0265 | EN CW505L 1.4301 mild steel

DIN 3.3535 | EN AW5754 or EN 13601 | EN CW009A 1.4404

Post-processing operations

Common post-processing operations in sheet metal processing are shot peening, anodizing, powder coating and painting. For deformed or welded materials, heat treatment is performed to eliminate residual stress.

Advantages of sheet metal manufacturing

• Durability: This process produces highly durable products that can be used for prototyping and end-use

• Scalability and cost efficiency: Whether you need a one-off part or a production run of thousands of parts, sheet metal fabrication provides a fast and cost-effective solution.

• Material selection: A wide range of metals can be processed by this manufacturing method. You can choose from hundreds of metals with different properties.

• Fast turnaround: CNC technology is used to manufacture sheet metal to make the process fast and effective

Industries that use sheet metal manufacturing

Any industry that uses metal parts is likely to find the need for sheet metal fabrication. Some of the industries that employ the process are:

• Machine building

• Engineering and design

• Metal engineering

•Electronic Equipment

• Furniture and urban infrastructure

•robot

• Medical and health care

•Car

•musical instrument

• Civil construction

conclusion

In latitude, we provide high-precision, fast, and high-quality sheet metal fabrication services for the manufacture of sheet metal parts such as aluminum, steel, copper alloys, etc. Using automatic cutting technologies such as CNC laser cutting, plasma cutting, waterjet cutting, and deformation and assembly technology, we guarantee the high precision and quality of finished parts.