Sheet metal (usually steel or aluminum) plays an important role in construction and manufacturing. In the construction industry, it is used as building and shell or roof; in the manufacturing industry, sheet metal is used for auto parts, heavy machinery, etc. In manufacturing sheet metal parts, manufacturers often use the following forming processes.
Curling
Curling is a sheet metal forming process. After the initial production of sheet metal, there are usually sharp edges with “burr”. The purpose of curling is to smooth the sharp and rough edge of sheet metal to meet the needs of the project.
Bending
Bending is another common sheet metal forming process. Manufacturers usually use brake press or similar mechanical press for metal bending. The sheet metal is placed on the die, and the punch is pressed down on the sheet metal. The huge pressure makes the sheet metal bend..
ironing
Sheet metal can also be ironed to achieve uniform thickness. For example, many beverage cans are made of aluminum. The aluminum sheet is too thick for beverage cans in its original state, so it needs to be ironed to make it thinner and more uniform.
laser cutting
Laser cutting has become a more and more common sheet metal forming process. When sheet metal is exposed to high power and high density laser, the heat of laser makes the sheet metal in contact melt or vaporize, forming a cutting process. This is a faster and more accurate cutting method, using computer numerical control (CNC) laser cutting machine automatic execution.
stamping
Stamping is a common sheet metal forming process, which uses punch and die group to punch holes in sheet metal. During processing, the sheet metal is placed between the punch and the die, and then the punch presses down and passes through the metal plate, thus completing the punching process.