Have you seen a brilliant ship that floats smoothly on the waves of the sea? Or seen a contemporary structure with its sleek and shiny metal skin? These two examples give you an idea of what you are capable of doing with sheet metal. Sheet metal is a flat piece of metal that is often thin and can be molded and shaped into all variety of designs and products. That process of taking base materials and building finished goods are what we know as fabrication” Making things out of sheet metal is really the combination of both of these thoughts — starting with a lowly material and making something beautiful with it, or even better, something functional.
The process of sheet metal products is not only a great requirement but also a very fascinating and valuable aspect of its development. It begins when we purchase raw materials such as aluminum, steel or titanium from suppliers. These raw materials are critical as they act as a base for our products. After we have the materials, we have different machines that we use to cut and design the materials. We have machines that laser cut, which can cut very precisely, we have shears that cut metal, and we have presses that would bend and form the metal into various shapes.
Once the metal is formed into its end shape, we do some finishing work on it to pretty it up and help protect it. Finishing can include polishing, which gives something a shiny surface, or powder coating, which gives it color and prevents rust. After completing these steps, we take the product with utmost care and check it for quality before sending it to customers. This meticulous verification is crucial to ensure that we uphold a standard of excellence in every product we create.
Sheet metal is one of the most versatile material that we have in the manufacturing world. Its uses are countless, and its use range from building houses to making vehicles. You find one of the most common usages of sheet metal in HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning). These systems play a crucial role in ensuring comfort in buildings. We make ducts, the channels that distribute air around a building to maintain it warm or cool, out of sheet metal.
But while the HVAC industry makes use of this type of material, the automotive domain plays an even bigger role in shaping sheet metal. We use it to produce many facets of vehicles, such as doors, hoods, and trunks. Without this sheet metal, many of the cars that pass you on the road would struggle to function. Not only that, but sheet metal is used for producing airplane parts such as wings and fuselages within the aerospace industry. This demonstrates just how applicable sheet metal is in various aspects of our life.
The edges of the sheet metal should also be smooth and not jagged. The rough edges are dangerous and can influence the actual working of the product. Once we complete making the product, we perform a test of all the specifications given by the customer to make sure that the product matches their requirement. It is attention to detail like this that allows us to deliver premium products our customers can rely on.
The technological advancements would require sheet metal companies to keep on evolving to sustain in the market. In an era where clients are demanding shorter lead times and lower prices, they still expect high-quality products. Sheet metal manufacturers are responding to these demands with investments in the newest machinery and tools. They also utilize computer-aided design (CAD) software for more precise and efficient designs. Designers can now visualize and modify products before they are created thanks to this technology, saving time and money.