A great many things in our world are made of sheet metal. For example, many vehicles, cars, buildings, and airplanes are made with sheet metal. There are many different methods used for sheet metal fabrication, and an endless number of things to know and learn about the processes. Here are a few:
1. Sheet metal thicknesses differ
Not all sheet metal is exactly the same. Sheet metal can be made very, very thin or fairly thick. The thickness of any given sheet metal is measured in millimetres except in the United States where it is measured by guage. However, the guage of a metal changes depending on the type of metal it is, and it is not considered the best way to measure the thickness of sheet metal.
In sheet metal fabrication, very thin sheet metals are called leaf or foil sheet metal, which anything thicker than 6 mm is called plate sheet metal.
2. Sheet metal is made out of different types metals
In sheet metal fabrication, different metals can be made into sheet metal to accommodate the needs of the product being made. Sheet metal can be made of copper, aluminium, stainless steel, galvanized steel, zinc, brass, tin, nickel. Even silver, platinum and gold can be made into sheet metal.
3. There are multiple ways to cut sheet metal
Many methods have been developed for cutting sheet metal. Depending on the type of metal, a different cutting method may be preferred. If the metal is soft and the cutting method is too rough, it could dent or damage the metal and it would no longer be usable.
One way to cut sheet metal is with special scissors or blades meant for cutting sheet metal. These “tinsnips” or “aviation snips” as they are commonly called, cut sheet metal easily but are usually better for thinner or softer sheet metals. This is a way that is accessible to everybody as tinsnips are an easily accessible tool.
Other ways to cut sheet metal include sawing, water jets, lasers and fire or heat. Some of these methods are less accessible and require special machinery to be able to do them in such a way that the cut would come out precise and clean.
4. Sheet metal is very versatile
With all of those different methods of cutting, pretty much any shape can be cut out of any thickness of sheet metal. There are even more processes used to bend and shape that sheet metal into whatever it needs to be. As such, sheet metal is a very useful material that can be used for anything, big or small. Depending on the material used, it can be very durable or very malleable, so there is no limit to what it can be used for. As such, sheet metal is used in almost every industry and sector.
5. It takes a lot to make it usable
Sheet metal fabrication is no easy task. When sheet metal is being used to create something, it must be rough cut first – this means a big piece must be cut from the whole sheet or roll. This makes it easier to form. Then pieces are either cut off or punched out of it to create all the pieces that are needed to create whatever product is being made. They may also need to be bent in addition to being cut. Next, different pieces must be connected or attached with screws, rivets or by being welded. Finally, the final product gets the finishing touches. Often it is polished and smoothed to remove any imperfections, and sometimes it is painted to help combat corrosion and to make it look perfect.
