Understand the process of sheet metal processing: from sheet metal design to sheet metal production, enter the big and small things of sheet metal processing

About sheet metal fabrications

Sheet metal processing is widely used in various industries, such as: mechanical enclosures, kitchen stainless steel appliances, semiconductor equipment, etc. In addition, you can see the shadows of sheet metal products everywhere around your life, such as computer cases, microwave ovens, ventilation filters and even phone racks, etc., all of which are sheet metal processing The result. Now let's dive into the process of sheet metal processing, from sheet metal 3D design, laser cutting to welding assembly, and more, to learn about this timeless industry. This article is mainly focused on the Sheet Metal Fabrication industry, which is used for secondary processing of black and white iron sheet metal as a base material. Het automotive exterior sheet metal is in the field of metal forming will not be discussed here.

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Sheet Metal Fabrication Review

Both the words “sheet metal processing” and “sheet metal processing” are widely used, “sheet metal processing” refers to the processing on flat block shapes, while “sheet metal processing” explicitly refers to the processing carried out on metal objects such as black iron, stainless steel and galvanized sheet metal, etc., and sheet metal processing is used as the main focus in this article, sheet metal will be used for the metal products made. The history of sheet metal processing (1) can be traced back to the last century, used in the construction of knives and weapons, etc. During the Industrial Revolution, steel forged products such as Shear and Moulding were slowly developed to extend the forms of shear and Punching processing to cut or shape the plates by physical contact.

The current mainstream sheet metal processing is mainly laser cutting, mainly divided into two forms of carbon dioxide (CO2) and fiber laser cutting. The advantages of fiber laser energy saving and high unit area power have gradually become the mainstay of sheet metal processing. Parts that are cut are shaped by bending tools. Because each material has its Deforming properties, bending strengths and weaknesses often determine accuracy. Welding and assembly combines components to produce the sheet metal products customers expect. Below is a step-by-step introduction to the sheet metal processing process.

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Sheet Metal Design

Sheet metal design is the most crucial part after the order. Whether the customer's requirements and processing conditions can be effectively communicated to the client depends on the experience and care of the sheet metal design team, which mainly includes the following processes

1. 3D sheet metal design: Sometimes 3D designs cannot be used directly for sheet metal processing. If there is no bending rate marking, etc., the sheet metal factory will help convert the design into a sheet metal machining diagram and confirm whether there is interference between parts or during machining.

1. Expand to 2D Sheet Metal Drawing: Expand a 3D drawing into a 2D sheet metal drawing by calculating the material extensibility, or Deduction. There are also manufacturers who draw sheet metal working drawings directly in 2D, but it becomes more difficult to confirm interference.

1. Dimension dimensions and processing requirements: Measure dimensions for locking holes, special cut gaps, and note customer requirements on the engineering drawings (such as sheet metal machining urgent parts, surface requirements, etc.). In recent years, sheet metal processing plants have been gradually handing out engineering drawings in a paperless manner to ensure that delivery time is not delayed due to dirt or loss.

1. Drawing files converted to laser cutting: Because drawings contain dimensions and dimensions, they cannot be used directly for laser cutting. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the drawing file into a laser drawing, which includes cutting layers and laser engraving layers, so that the software automatically recognizes the processing mode.

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Sheet Metal Typing and Programming

The prgramming cycle of sheet metal processing is often overlooked. It mainly consists of two steps of Nesting and NC generation. Whether cutting out suitable sheet metal workpieces has been determined at this stage

1. Sheet Metal Layout: Since common iron plates are 5ft x10ft (3050mm x 1525mm) and 4ft x8ft (2440mm x 1220mm), it is necessary to combine several materials of the same thickness and thickness into the same sheet. For customers with sanded surface requirements, excellent sheet metal fabricators adjust the direction of the workpiece to achieve a good metal texture presentation.

1. Programming: The nesting results need to be converted to machine-readable sheet metal processing. The processing of the machining section, the R angle, and even the accuracy will be determined by the program. Due to advances in technology, field master program input is easy to cause problems in addition to slow speed. It is recommended to choose a sheet metal processing plant with an excellent typesetting team.

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Laser Cutting

Laser cutting is mainly divided into CO2 laser cutting and fiber laser cutting. The following analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of laser cutting will help you choose a good sheet metal processing partner

CO2 Laser Cutting: CO2 laser cutting is widely used for cutting metals and non-metals, but is gradually becoming scarce in the sheet metal processing industry due to its high energy consumption and high maintenance costs. However, it is worth mentioning that due to its advantages for stainless steel cross-section processing, large-scale sheet metal processing plants will still be adopted to meet the different needs of customers.

Fiber Laser Cutting: Fiber laser has become the new pet of sheet metal processing plants in recent years, and its high-speed processing and energy-saving characteristics meet the requirements of sustainable operation. However, it is worth noting that the high-speed cutting of fiber lasers and the shortage of manpower, the inability of sheet metal processing plants to integrate lasers into automated warehouse equipment will be the key to quality and delivery time.

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Bending Shaping

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The throat of bending forming stations for sheet metal processing is often determined by the accuracy and production of bottlenecks. The bending forming process and focus are as follows

1. Bending Programming: While most bends are semi-manual, they still require moving Upper tooling, Lower tooling, and Backgauge to the machining location, so programming input is often key to production delays or bend size errors. In recent years, sheet metal processing plants have begun to improve production bottlenecks through rapid generation programs with bending software.

1. Bending machines (or folding machines): Bending machines are generally hydraulically driven and have the maximum compressive force they can produce and further determine their maximum workable thickness. In addition, the polygonal bending center machine, which was first proposed by Italy, can produce bending angles that resemble an arc through high-speed forming of the lower die, is a major breakthrough in technology.

In addition to this, bending over and under laser welding is a key element for adjusting the pace of sheet metal production, so its handling (semi-finished car) and automation technology (automatic tool change system) are key to determining whether the sheet metal processing plant can deliver sheet metal parts to customers on time.

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WELDING AND ASSEMBLING

Welding and assembly stations combine the formed workpieces. Since this site is the end of the sheet metal product and determines the strength of the component, it is recommended to discuss with a professional sheet metal processing plant to determine the appropriate assembly cube. The common methods are as follows:

1. MECHANICAL ASSEMBLY: MAINLY ASSEMBLED BY SCREW NUTS, THIS ASSEMBLY IS MORE FLEXIBLE AND CAN THEN BE DISASSEMBLED BY ITSELF, ETC., MOSTLY USED IN CHASSIS SUCH AS COMPUTER CASES, ETC.

• Sheet metal welding: Joining workpieces by high temperature melting using inert gases such as carbon dioxide and argon as shielding gases. Different materials such as white iron, black iron, etc. This process can often provide long-lasting and high strength products.

1. Spot welding: Spot welding also belongs to the field of welding. It is possible to weld two workpieces mainly by a point method, which can be welded more quickly, but its strength cannot be compared to sheet metal welding mentioned above.

1. Rivet-type assembly: Rivets offer low cost and high strength characteristics compared to welding. This cost-effective assembly method is also increasingly common in the sheet metal processing industry.

Welding and assembly processes vary greatly from product to product, and communication with sheet metal processing plants is often the deciding factor for failure. Finding a customer-centric sheet metal processing supplier can significantly reduce the generation of errors.

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Conclusion

In addition to the above-mentioned sheet metal design, sheet metal plating, laser cutting, bending forming and welding assembly, others such as tapping, leveling, measuring and painting are the broad scope of the sheet metal processing industry, so how to choose a partner with good coverage of all processes allows you to focus on front-end business and design. It is a future trend. In addition, many sheet metal fabrication plants assist in the assembly of electronic modules, such as electromechanical integration, which requires business experience in sheet metal processing and computer testing, or sheet metal machining combined form design, and so on. This cross-domain integration is becoming an increasingly unmissable trend.

Sheet metal processing is a high-energy industry, and the carbon emissions of sheet metal processing will be highly regarded in the emphasis on a sustainable and low-carbon future. Therefore, it is recommended to understand the concept of sustainable business in addition to hardware expertise in sheet metal processing, and even the implementation of digital transformation, as well as the implementation of digital transformation, such as This enables long-term and stable cooperation to ensure that sheet metal fabrication suppliers can provide the most complete and real-time hardware and software services.

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One-stop production of Airforce laser sheet metal processing

Contact Address: No. 125, Lane 418, Line 506, Section 1, Xinan Road, Wuji District, Taichung

Contact Phone: 04 2335 5036

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