Sheet metal fabrication is now considered to be one of the most rewarding form of art. Using it can create a variety of useful items and decorative pieces. From boxes, pans, funnels and buckets to a customized tool rack or a metal shelf, sheet metal can be used to make objects covering a wide range. Sometimes this process can be used for creating metal art as well.
The sheet metal fabricators use different techniques and machinery to shape and bend metals into components, which are supplied to different industries like aircraft, automotive and white goods. The method requires usage of a variety of equipments. From hand held tools like tin snip for cutting thin strips of metal manually to computerized hydraulic press brakes that punch out products related to aerospace industry, the variety is surely impressive.
The demand of hollow and complicated form of sheet metal is increasing every day. Thus the fabrication industry is always prepared to fulfill the increasing demands. There are plenty of ways of fabrication can be done. Cutting or shearing is the first step to transform plain metal to sheet metal. For lighter work manually operated scissors are usually used. The bench shears are used for heavier gauge metals.
Shaping metals is the next step in fabrication. Beading, grooving, folding, crimping and bending are the different techniques used by fabricators. Shaping requires the usage of several machinery, tools and presses. Folding and bending are used to create sections and angles in the metal components. Embossing is also a good technique. It is used to strengthen and decorate the partly finished sheet. Seaming is a technique used to join two prices of sheet metal. This technique is often applied in roofing. And last but not the least is flanging, which is done to add a rim or a lip to facilitate easy, and fast joining.
In order to know the process of how a sheet metal fabricator works, it is essential to know the technical names of the processes involved in the method. The different types of fabrication techniques are Marforming, Deep Drawing, Spinning and Flow Forming. Deep drawing is the process where the metal is placed under severe pressure to give it form and shape. Marforming is very similar to that of deep drawing, except for a few things. Marforming combines solid dye and rubber pad forming techniques and are especially used for generating components with vertical or sloping walls.
Most of the techniques used by the fabricators are computer controlled. The machines used for implementing these techniques are difficult to handle manually. Thus technology is used largely to make them work faster and efficiently. The equipments involved in the procedure of fabrication are widely used in the heavy industry sector.
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