Important Considerations in Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication

Custom sheet metal fabrication is a manufacturing process wherein sheet metal is formed into various geometries based on a customer’s requirements through material deformation or removal. A metal fabrication shop usually has equipment for the specific purpose of fabricating sheet metal based on engineering designs provided by a customer. There are also instances that wherein custom sheet metal fabrication would require the fabricating shop to create a certain sample that will be subject to modifications or approval.  

What is sheet metal?

In the processes of fabrication, sheet metal acts as the work piece which can be cut, bent or stretched into nearly any shape that would satisfy a customer’s requirement for customization. The material thickness of a work piece in order to be classified as sheet metal should be 0.006 and 0.25 inches thick. In instances when the work piece is much thinner, it is already classified as foil or if it is much thicker, it is called a plate. Gauge is the term used to refer to the thickness of sheet metal. It ranges from 3 to 38 with higher gauge meaning a thinner piece of sheet metal with exact dimensions based on the kind of material whether it is aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, magnesium, nickel, stainless steel, tin or titanium.

The importance of CAD in custom sheet metal fabrication

Customization means a product is made according to your specifications which mean you have to provide the fabrication shop with an idea of your requirements. Through computer aided design (CAD) the fabricators will be able to visualize your project. CAD drawings will show all the important dimensional and angular relationships that will save on costly mistakes. For example, if a construction project requires custom sheet metal fabrication, it would be very difficult to communicate construction and structural designs with words alone. 3D drawings will show how the product will actually look like and its relationship to the project when finished. Custom sheet metal fabrication will work closely with you in every step of the project so that the product will meet all aesthetic and functional requirements.

The process of shearing in custom sheet metal fabrication

Custom sheet metal fabrication is usually divided into two categories: forming and cutting. Forming makes used of applied forces to plastically deform sheet metal through bending and stretching while cutting involves applied forces that would cause sheet metal to fail and separate. Shearing is the most common cutting process which is applied using two tools: one above and one below the sheet. The tool above the sheet delivers a quick downward blow to the material that rests over the lower tool. A small clearance usually 2 to 10% is created between the edges of the upper and lower tools so as to facilitate the fracture of the material. The size of the clearance is dependent upon factors that include the specific shearing process, material and sheet metal thickness. The effects of shearing on the material change as the process progresses is visible on the edges of the sheared material since it results into a vertical burnished zone of material.