Sheet Metal Work And Its Types

By Author: Stuart Small
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The formation of sheet metal, thin and flat pieces metals of varying thicknesses is known as sheet metal work. Different types of sheet metal works include:

Deep drawing
Cutting
Perforating
Spinning
Press brake forming
Roll forming
Rolling
Stamping
Bending
Ironing
Wheeling
Decambering

Deep drawing

Drawing process where the depth of the part being made is more than half its diameter is known as deep drawing. In this process, metal blank is stretched around a plug then make it move into a die, a molding cutter. Kitchen sink is a perfect example of deep drawing technology. Aerospace, automobile, dairy, lighting, pharmaceuticals, and plastics are the industries that are rely on deep drawing process.

Cutting

To give the sheet metals different shapes it has to be cut into tiny pieces. To cut sheet metals various tools from hand tools to very large powered shears are used. CNC (Computer Numerical Control) and Lasers cutting or multi-tool CNC punch press are the most modern sheet metal cutting processes.

Perforating

Perforating ...
... is used to design, produce, and fabricate metal to meet the precise specification. Perforated metal offers a solution that is both decorative and functional.

Spinning

Spinning, performed by hand or by a CNC lathe, is the process in which a disk or tube of metal is rotated at high speed and formed into an axially symmetric part. The process has both artisans and commercial applications. To produce architectural detail, specialty lighting, decorative household goods and urns artisans use the process and among its commercial application include rocket nose cones, cookware, gas cylinders, brass instrument bells, and public waste receptacles.

Press brake forming

In need of a metal housing for a particular part, brackets for machines and equipments, metal framing, and even decorative touches press break forming is used. It is considered as an ideal solution for those who are in need of replacement parts, large numbers of brackets, and fastening solutions as well as prototypes for almost any type of machinery.

Roll forming

The process includes a large strip of metal to be passed through continuous sets of rolls, or stands to collect the needed cross-section profile. For producing parts with long lengths or in large quantities it is an ideal process. The process of roll forming is a simpler one.

Rolling

In this process a metal sheet is passed through a pair of rolls. On the basis of the shape of the final product rolling is classified into two classes-- Flat, shape of the product is either classed as sheet or plate, and Profile rolling, the final product may be a round rod or other shaped bar. Hot rolling and cold rolling are the two types of rolling according to the temperature of the metal rod.

Stamping

Punching by using a machine press or stamping press, blanking, embossing, bending, flanging, and coining are the different operations that are associated with stamping. This is both a single stage and a multiple stage operation.

Bending

Process in which a metal is deforming plastically to change its shape is known as bending. In this process one axis of the material is deformed not the surface area of the material. Press breaks are usually used for bending. As a flexible process it is used for getting different shapes.

Ironing

The process of uniformly thinning the work piece in a specific area is known as ironing in the metal sheet forming.

Wheeling

To use English Wheel to form smooth, compound curves from flat sheets of metal is known as wheeling.

Decambering

The process of removing camber, or horizontal bend, from strip shaped materials is known as decambering. Flattening or leveling processes resemble in decambering.

Author About:

Stuart Small from Stevens Rowsell Sheet Metal Engineering writes about Sheet metal work. For more information about Sheet metal work visit www.stevensrowsell.com