The procedure of sheet metal manufacturing is an extensive one and there are multiple stages before you get to the end. It is used to design and build anything from metal and the process usually has to combine multiple such parts to create something larger. To put them together, welding is a common practice that is used to do to it effectively and you can even have these parts of various sizes and shapes based on the requirements.
Sheet Metal Part | Image from AE-MFG
Steps involved
As stated, there are multiple processes to undertake before you can deliver the ultimate product and they are as follows.
- Design – First and foremost, for you to get the sheet metal manufacturing underway, you would need the right dimensions and that requires specification from the client. You also need this to plan out the remainder of the procedure and to calculate the net costs involved. There is various software that you can use to come up with a feasible and clearly laid-out design.
- Program – Once you have finalised on the right design, you need the program used for manufacturing the parts to understand it. Thus, there are languages that can code it into the machinery and you would need to understand the programming of it thoroughly. It is implemented in those languages and what you are looking for is to avoid any wastage of metal.
- Cutting – The third stage of sheet metal manufacturing after the machine has been appropriately programmed. The laser in the machine cuts the metal as per the specification. These are used because of their high precision rate and the comfort with which they can cut the metal. The next step is to punch them to give them the right shape and it again needs to be in a mannered way.
- Bend – This can be achieved by a number of machines available at helm be it automated or manual. They put the sheets together and then apply force to get it to curl as per the demands of the specification.
- Welding – Again, here you have several ways especially when it comes to metals. You could be using a robotic welding or spot welding based on what your budget allows or the requirement.
- Assembling – This is the penultimate step and is extremely crucial. It is dependant on how complex the end results would be. These could vary from electrical aspects to putting together pieces after welding and even the installation of hardware. You would also need to put them together strongly via screws and nuts to keep them intact.
- Coating – You would also need to ensure that the product is secured from any external environment and therefore, needs to be coated. Also, it has to be durable to not wear-off soon and keep the product protected.
Thus, the process of sheet metal manufacturing is indeed a complex one. Subsequently, you need to seek out the right people to do it if you are outsourcing it or learn it thoroughly if you plan to do it yourself.