An Introduction to Sheet Metal Fabrication

Sheet metal is a versatile medium used in product manufacturing for centuries. With an almost unlimited list of usable metals and an almost equal list of fabrication techniques, sheet metal has become an invaluable staple in manufacturing. Here are some facts about sheet metal and how fabricating it can enhance your product design.  

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What is sheet metal?

Sheet metal is any metal formed into thin malleable sheets. The sheets range in material from brass to titanium and come in a wide range of predefined thicknesses, referred to as a gauge. Typically, most sheets are less than ¼ inch thick but can range in thickness from fractions of a millimeter to several inches.

Uses for sheet metal

Since its thickness and material composition is so versatile, manufactured sheet metal has been used in the United States since the late s to fabricate countless objects found in everyday life. Historically, it was used in shingle roofing, but as production techniques improved, sheet metal soon offered a cheap and durable material. It became so popular that manufacturers saw a boom until World War II when metal materials became so scarce that the industry faced collapse. Today you can find it used in vehicle and plane bodies, electronics enclosures, and prefabricated houses.

Benefits of sheet metal

The number one benefit of sheet metal fabrication is its cost-to-strength relationship. It provides all the strength of a machined enclosure or part, at a fraction of the cost. Fabrication produces little to no waste, unlike machining processes where the material is milled from an initial block. Car manufacturers rely on it to provide weight reduction while not compromising integrity. The range of gauge and material choices allows for greater versatility during product design. Additionally, it is much faster to scale mass production due to the flexibility of fabrication options. Since it is thin and has a lightweight form factor, any additional stock needed for manufacturing can be stored and transported easily.

Sheet metal fabrication techniques

There are dozens of ways to fabricate sheet metal based on the application. These include:

Bending

• Sheet metal is positioned within a bending machine and bent to the desired shape.
• The most common bending machine is called a press brake. The brake utilizes a die and hydraulic press to imprint the bend onto the metal.
• Typically, used to form electronics enclosures.

Stamping

• A sheet metal blank is placed into a stamping press where it is formed into the desired shape using a tool and die.
• It is the most versatile fabrication technique because parts are stamped multiple times forming complex shapes.
• Stamping techniques include flanging, embossing, punching, blanking, and coining.
• Utilized in countless applications, but most commonly in automotive body parts and metal brackets.

Deep drawing

• Sheet metal is pressed into a die or stretched onto a form using a punch to radially form a unique-shaped part.
• Only used when stamping is not possible because the depth of the drawn part needs to exceed its diameter.
• Typically used for making medical devices, kitchen sinks, and automotive fuel tanks.

Laser cutting

• A laser cuts or engraves metal by heating and burning it.
• Used to cut out parts that require extremely precise cuts, down to 0.025mm.
• The process is accurately repeatable and cost-effective with applications ranging from medical to aerospace to hobby enthusiasts.

Hemming and seaming

• In hemming, the edge of the sheet metal is bent back onto itself to reinforce the edge.
• Seaming involves the edges of two pieces of sheet metal joined together to form a joint.
• Seaming can commonly be seen in canning, while the automotive industry uses hemming.

Sheet metal is a great manufacturing technique to incorporate into your design. If you are unsure how to get started or would like some expert advice on using sheet metal in manufacturing, contact us and we would be happy to help.

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Sheet Metal Work

Sheet Metal Basics

Sheet metal is a common type of material that can be used for various applications. It is a flat and thin piece of metal that can be cut, stamped, and shaped into different forms and shapes. Some examples of products that use sheet metal are car bodies, airplane wings, kitchen utensils, and metal roofs.

Sheet metal stock is specified by the dimensions of the sheet, the type of material, and the gauge. The gauge is a measure of the thickness of the sheet metal, and it varies depending on the material. For example, a 14-gauge steel sheet is 1.897 mm thick, while a 14-gauge aluminum sheet is 1.628 mm thick. A table of common metal gauges and weights can be found here: https://www.custompartnet.com/sheet-metal-gauge.

Working with sheet metal is not a simple task. It usually involves multiple steps and processes to achieve the desired part geometry. The main challenge of sheet metal design is to choose the right process and the right order for each step. The process and order depend on factors such as the material properties, the thickness, and the available machines.

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Sheet Metal Work Processes

Sheet metal forming is a manufacturing process that uses various techniques to shape thin metal sheets into desired parts. There are a large variety of processes with subtle differences that can be used to achieve a desired shape from sheet metal. Some of the most common processes are:

Shearing

This is a process that cuts sheet metal by applying shear stress along a straight line. The sheet metal is placed between two blades, one fixed and one moving, that create a shearing force to separate the metal. There are different types of shearing methods, each using a different type of tool:

• Blanking: This is a method that cuts out a piece of sheet metal with a desired shape and size, leaving behind a scrap. The piece that is cut out is called a blank, and it can be used for further processing. The tool used for blanking is called a punch and die, which have matching shapes to create the blank.
• Fine Blanking: This is a method that produces blanks with smooth edges and high accuracy. It uses a higher pressure and a smaller clearance between the punch and die than regular blanking. It also uses a blank holder to prevent the sheet metal from bending or tearing during the cutting process.
• Dinking: This is a method that cuts out small and irregular shapes from sheet metal, such as washers, gaskets, or buttons. It uses a hand-operated tool called a dinking machine, which has a sharp steel punch and a rubber pad. The punch is pressed against the sheet metal on the pad, creating a hole or a cutout.
• Lancing: This is a method that cuts sheet metal partially, leaving one end attached to the original sheet. This creates a slit or a tab that can be bent or folded for various purposes, such as ventilation, fastening, or joining. The tool used for lancing is also a punch and die, but with a gap between them to allow the sheet metal to remain connected.
• Punching: This is a method that creates holes in sheet metal by removing circular pieces of metal. The tool used for punching is also a punch and die, but with circular shapes to create the holes. The pieces of metal that are removed are called slugs, and they are usually discarded as waste.
• Nibbling: This is a method that cuts sheet metal by making small and overlapping cuts along a contour. It can create complex shapes and curves from sheet metal without using a specific tool. The tool used for nibbling is called a nibbler, which has a reciprocating blade that moves up and down to cut the sheet metal.
• Notching: This is a method that removes material from the edge or corner of sheet metal by making V-shaped or U-shaped cuts. It can be used to create slots, grooves, or angles in sheet metal for various purposes, such as bending, joining, or strengthening. The tool used for notching is also a punch and die, but with V-shaped or U-shaped shapes to create the notches.

Forming

Forming is changing the sheet metal geometry to achieve shapes beyond the flat two-dimensions of the sheet. These process can require some initial stamping to support proper forming. Common types of forming include:

• Bending: This process involves bending the sheet along a straight line or a curved path, using a press brake or a bending machine. The tool used for bending is called a die, which has a matching shape to the bend angle and radius.
• Drawing: This process involves stretching the sheet into a cup or a box shape, using a punch and a die. The punch pushes the sheet into the die cavity, which has a larger diameter or depth than the sheet thickness.
• Stretch forming: This process involves stretching the sheet over a curved surface, using a clamp and a form block. The clamp holds the sheet at both ends, while the form block applies tension and pressure to the sheet, causing it to conform to the curved shape.
• Spinning: This process involves rotating the sheet at high speed around an axis, using a lathe or a spinning machine. The tool used for spinning is called a roller, which contacts the sheet and gradually shapes it into a cone or a cylinder.
• Flanging: This process involves bending the edge of the sheet at an angle, using a flanging machine or a hammer. The tool used for flanging is called a flange, which has a groove or a notch that fits the edge of the sheet.
• Hemming: This process involves folding the edge of the sheet over itself, using a hemming machine or a press. The tool used for hemming is called a hemmer, which has a flat surface that presses the folded edge.
• Roll bending: This process involves bending the sheet into a circular or elliptical shape, using a roll bending machine or a roller. The tool used for roll bending is called a roll, which has a cylindrical or conical shape that rotates and bends the sheet.

When designing parts to be formed from sheet metal, you will need to consider the following:

• Spring back: This is the tendency of the sheet to return to its original shape after being bent or stretched. It is caused by the elastic recovery of the metal, which reduces the accuracy and consistency of the formed part. To compensate for spring back, the tooling must have an overbend or an overstretch angle that exceeds the desired angle by an amount equal to the spring back angle.
• Minimum bend radii: This is the smallest radius that can be achieved without causing cracks or tears in the sheet. It depends on the material properties, thickness, and grain direction of the sheet. To avoid cracking or tearing, the bend radius must be greater than or equal to the minimum bend radius for the given sheet material and thickness.
• Required Force (or pressure): This is the amount of force that must be applied to deform the sheet into the desired shape. It depends on the material properties, thickness, geometry, and friction of the sheet and the tooling. To reduce the force required, lubricants can be used to reduce friction, or thinner sheets can be used to reduce resistance.

The order of steps is important for sheet metal shearing and forming to achieve the desired end part. Consider the process shown below:

Progressive Work and Tool & Die Design

Progressive stamping is a metal forming process that uses a series of dies to create complex parts from sheet metal. The sheet metal is fed into the press by a coil or strip, and each die station performs a different operation on the metal, such as cutting, bending, punching, or drawing. The final part is produced after the metal passes through all the die stations in one stroke of the press.

Draw die design is a subset of tool and die design that focuses on creating dies for deep drawing operations. Deep drawing is a process that forms sheet metal into cylindrical or box-shaped parts by pulling the metal into a die cavity with a punch. Draw die design involves determining the optimal blank shape and size, draw reduction ratios, draw depth, blank holder pressure, lubrication, and material properties to achieve the desired part geometry and quality.

CAD Part Design

A sheet metal toolbox is a feature of many CAD software such as Solidworks that allows users to design and manipulate sheet metal parts. Sheet metal toolbox also helps users to flatten sheet metal parts, generate drawings, and export data for manufacturing.

For a simple example, see:

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