Sheet metal working is a manufacturing process widely used in various industrial fields, which involves processing raw materials such as metal sheets, plates, etc. through a series of technological operations into metal products with specific shapes, sizes and performance requirements.Sheet metal fabrication covers a multitude of process steps, each with its own unique characteristics and applications.
- Shear process:
Shearing is one of the most basic processes in sheet metal working, which is mainly used to cut raw materials into desired shapes and sizes.The shearing process includes mechanical shearing, laser shearing, plasma shearing, and other methods. Mechanical shear is suitable for larger thickness plates, while laser shear and plasma shear are suitable for thinner materials, which can realize high-precision and high-efficiency cutting.
- Stamping process:
Stamping is one of the commonly used processes in sheet metal processing, which utilizes a press and a die to stamp the raw material to obtain the desired shape and size.The stamping process has the advantages of high productivity, low cost and high material utilization, and is widely used in sheet metal processing in the automotive, electronics and home appliance industries.
- Bending process：
Bending is the process of bending sheet metal material to a predetermined angle and shape. The bending process can be realized in various ways, such as mechanical bending, hydraulic bending, pneumatic bending and electric bending.The bending process occupies an important place in sheet metal processing because many products need to be bent to obtain the desired shape and structure.
- Welding process：
Welding is the process of solidifying two or more metal parts into a single unit by melting their contacting parts and then cooling them.In sheet metal processing, the welding process is commonly used to join multiple sheet metal parts together to form a complete product.Welding process includes arc welding, gas welding, laser welding, argon arc welding and other methods, the choice of which welding method depends on the nature of the material, welding requirements and processing conditions and other factors.
- Surface treatment process：
Surface treatment is the process of processing the surface of sheet metal products to improve their corrosion resistance, aesthetics and functionality. Common surface treatment processes include spraying, plating, anodizing, sandblasting and so on.These processes can give sheet metal products rich colors, good texture and excellent corrosion resistance, so that they can maintain good performance under various environmental conditions.
- Assembly process：
Assembly is the process of putting multiple sheet metal parts and other components together as designed. Assembly processes include threaded connections, riveting, welding, and many other methods.The assembly process occupies an important position in sheet metal processing because it is directly related to the quality and performance of the final product.
- Summary：
Sheet metal processing covers a wide range of processes such as shearing, stamping, bending, welding, surface treatment and assembly.Each of these processes has its own characteristics and cooperates with each other, which together realize the efficient, high-precision and high-quality production of sheet metal products. With the continuous progress of science and technology and the rapid development of industry, sheet metal processing technology will continue to innovate and improve, providing more high-quality and efficient metal products for all walks of life.
Sheet Metal Processing Coating：
Flat plate: can also be subdivided into matte, flat, high-gloss, flat plate Advantages: beautiful appearance, good silkscreen effect, Disadvantages: high cost of spraying, high rate of reworking of spraying, easy to scratch, the outer surface scratches can not be repaired, which high-gloss spraying is very difficult. In this case, avoid using flat light, especially the big chassis, because it is easy to bump when dealing with big chassis.
Grit: can be subdivided into fine grit and coarse grit. Advantages of grit: not easy to scratch, spraying cost is very low in the three; disadvantages: the surface oil is not easy to remove.
Orange pattern:It can be subdivided into small orange pattern and big orange pattern. Advantages of orange pattern:Not easy to scratch, good silkscreen effect, easy to remove surface oil, spraying cost is slightly higher than the sand pattern, but much lower than the plain pattern. Disadvantages:Aesthetic degree is slightly lower than the plain color.
Sheet metal processing and cutting：
Sheet metal processing accounts for one-third of the world’s metal processing and is widely used in a variety of occupations. Sheet metal processing plants cut precision sheet metal with laser cutting, plasma cutting, flame cutting and stamping.Laser cutting has been booming in the middle these years, and in the cutting range of sheet metal, it can cut from micron-sized ultra-thin plates to plates tens of millimeters thick. In a sense, laser cutting machines have brought convenience to sheet metal processing. Easier to understand and learn than traditional cutting methods, laser cutting offers many advantages in terms of processing operations and speed of business requirements for sheet metal processing.That’s why I believe that laser cutting machine will be the trend of the future. With high power, high energy density and softness, laser cutting is the two choices for the extent, speed and power of plate cutting.
Punching for sheet metal fabrication:
It is the process of forming a work piece into a bridge shape using a die in a punch press or hydraulic press. Hole-pulling is the process of turning up the edge of a round hole formed in a work piece using a die in an ordinary punch press or other equipment. Tapping: refers to the process of machining internal threads on a work piece. Leveling: refers to the unevenness of the work piece before and after processing, with other equipment to level the work piece process.Debur ring: is the process of making a second repair to a work piece with pre- tapped teeth. Drilling: refers to the process of drilling holes in the work piece with a drill on a drill press or milling machine. Chamfe ring: refers to the use of molds, files, grinders and other processing work piece sharp corners of the process. Flash: is a certain shape of the work piece transition to the flat process.
Sheet metal processing welding:
Its process is mainly 2 or 2 or more parts group welding together, to achieve the purpose of finished products or assembly parts processing; or a single part of the edge of the seam needs to be welded, so that the bending side of the precision in order to increase the strength of the bending edge.Commonly used for removable steel connections, they can be categorized into screw connections and bolted connections. Riveting is a method of connecting structural metal parts or assemblies with rivets. There are many kinds of rivets. Some of the rivets we commonly use are closed round head self-tensioning rivets, closed countersunk head self-tensioning rivets, and open round head self-tensioning rivets, which use adhesive glue to bond the desired connection together.
To summarize：
Some sheet metal is shaped by hand or by die stamping to form desired shapes and sizes, and more complex parts can be formed by welding or a small amount of machining. For example, chimneys, tin stoves, and automobile housings commonly used in the home are sheet metal parts called sheet metal fabrication.For sheet metal, the main processes are shearing, bending and trimming, bending, welding, riveting and so on. Sheet metal processing can be done by stamping, bending, stretching and so on. The corresponding parts are cast parts, forged parts, machined parts, etc.
