What is Sheet Metal Fabrication?

whatispiping.com/sheet-metal-fabrication

Anup Kumar Dey

Sheet Metal fabrication is the creation of

useful metallic parts and structures by
the application of multiple fabrication
processes. Sheet metal fabrication is
basically broad term that involves various
complex processes like cutting, forming,
bending, welding, machining, and
assembling. Fabrication shops or Fab
shops are the places where the processes
related to sheet metal fabrication are
performed. In this article, we will explore
about the materials, processes and tools required for sheet metal fabrication.

Sheet metal fabrication is defined as the processes to turn flat metallic sheets into useful
products. Various special tools are used in this process to convert sheet metals into
useful components by minimal efforts. It is a value-added process to create machines,
structures, or component parts following engineering drawings which usually serves as
the instruction sheet to produce a finished product from the base metal.

Types of Sheet Metal Fabrication Materials

There are many different types of sheet metals available that are suitable for various
fabrication processes. The choice of metal depends on the final use of the fabricated
parts. Common metals and alloys that are widely used for sheet metal fabrication process
are:

Carbon Steel
Stainless Steel
Aluminum
Magnesium
Bronze
Copper
Brass

Steps involved in Sheet Metal Fabrication Process

The steps that usually are followed in sheet metal fabrication job are:

1. Working with blueprints– The first step in metal fabrication process is to create
the blueprints to determine the sheet metal product specifications for making rough
drawings.

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 2. Creating a final shop drawing– Final engineering drawings are then prepared
after rounds of checking of the rough drawings and calculations. It is ensured that
the final product meets all necessary specifications and requirements. The final
drawings includes in-depth calculations of sheet metal stress levels and load
limitations to determine the steps of the fabrication process.
3. The metal fabrication process– The sheet metal fabrication process involves
cutting, bending, welding, forming, joining, and finishing.
4. Product finishing– After fabrication of the component is complete, a product has to
undergo the product finishing steps like sand blasting, brushing, polishing, powder
coating, plating, etc. After this step, the product will be ready for commercial use.

Types of Metal Fabrication Processes

The journey to final product from raw sheet metals proceeds through various sheet metal
fabrication processes. All the sheet metal fabrication processes can be grouped into the
following three categories:

Cutting
Deformation
Assembly

Sheet metal fabrication: Cutting

The most widely and frequently used sheet metal fabrication process is cutting. Variety of
different types of machineries are used to cut sheet metal to manipulate it for making a
component. They are:

Laser Cutting: Laser cutting is a very quick, energy-efficient, and precise sheet metal
cutting process which uses a powerful laser to cut thin or medium gauges of sheet
metals.

Water Jet Cutting: In water jet cutting, a high-pressure jet of water with abrasive
substances is used to cut the sheet metals. As water jet cutting does not generate heat in
the process, this sheet metal fabrication process is particularly useful for metals having
low melting points to avoid deformation due to heat generation.

Plasma Cutting: Plasma cutting is used for thicker sheet metals. In this metal fabrication
process, a jet of hot plasma is used to penetrate the metal sheets. This method is highly
powerful having low set up costs, however, less accurate than laser cutting or water jet
cutting.

The comparison between Laser cutting, Water jet cutting, and Plasma cutting is provided
in Table 1 below:

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 Sheet Metal Laser Cutting Water Jet Plasma Cutting
Cutting Cutting
Process

Advantages Wider range of No burr. Cost-effective

materials. Precision option.
Depth control Cutting. Suitable for thicker
functionality can No Heat sheet metals.
engrave and part Generation.
mark. Wide range of
Negligible residual materials.
burrs.
Low surface
roughness.
Small deformation.

Disadvantages Heat distorsion may Less precise Produces rough cut

occur. than laser with large burr.
Costly. cutting. Leaves HAZ.
Possibilities of HAZ Not suitable for Limited to
formation. part marking or electrically
Not suitable for thicker engraving. conductive
gauge sheet metals. High cost materials only.

Table 1: Laser Cutting vs Water Jet Cutting vs Plasma Cutting

Punching or Piercing: In this method, a punch and die cut precise holes in sheet metals.
The sheet metal is placed between those two components and the metal punch
perforates the sheet to remove circular pieces which can be used as new work pieces
known as blanking. For large scale production, punching is an effective process but not
cost-effective for smaller jobs.

Sawing: Different types of sawing operation can be performed to cut softer sheet metals.

Machining: In this process, sheet metals are cut using tools like a drill bit or lathe blade.

Sheet metal fabrication: Forming or Deformation

Deformation is the next major method for sheet metal fabrication processes. In this
process, the sheet metal is manipulated or shaped without cutting it. Widely used sheet
metal deformation processes are:

Bending: Sheet metal bending is one of the most popular deformation process. A
machine known as Press brake, is used to bend sheet metals into V,U, or other complex
shapes. With an increase in gauge thicknesses of sheet metals the force required to bend
increases. The process of removing the bends from sheet metal is known as
decambering.

Stamping: In the stamping process, a hydraulic or mechanical stamping press equipped

with a tool and die is used to perform specific tasks like curling, drawing, embossing,
flanging, etc.

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Hemming: Hemming is a process by which the edges of a sheet metal are folded over
itself or another piece of sheet metal to create rounded edge. In sheet metal fabrication
process two types of hemming processes are widely involved. They are roll hemming and
conventional die hemming. Conventional hemming is used for mass production. A
hemming roller is used for roll hemming.

Spinning: Spinning is a metal fabrication process where a lathe machine is used to

rotate the sheet metal against a tool to produce conical or cylindrical shapes.

Other sheet metal deformation processes include rolling and wheeling. Rolling involves
the use of a pair of rollers to reduce its thickness whereas wheeling produces compound
curves in sheet metals.

Sheet metal fabrication: Assembly

Assembly is basically joining sheet metal components produced using above mentioned
cutting or bending processes. Common sheet metal assembly process consist of joining
by Welding and joining using fasteners.

Welding: In the welding process, sheet metal components are joined together by melting
sections with the application of heat to form a solid connection. There are various
processes available that are used to weld sheet metals.

Joining using Fasteners: Similar or dissimilar sheet metal parts can easily be joined
using fasteners like bolts, screws, rivets, etc.

Brazing: Brazing is a process similar to welding that operates by melting a filler without
melting the sheet metals.

Adhesives: Adhesives can be used to hold metal sheets together in conjunction with
other joining methods.

Applications of Sheet Metal Fabrication Process

Sheet metal is considered as one of the most versatile materials and processes in the
world today. Numerous large and small components are developed by designers and
engineers. Sheet metal fabrication processes are used in every industries including:

Refrigerators, freezers, and other home appliances

Airplane components
Automobile parts and Chassis
Brackets
Metal sinks
Consumer goods industry
Electrical enclosures
lockers, furniture, and Cabinets
Busbars
HVAC industry

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 Steel shades and garages
Electronics and robotics industry
Stainless steel kitchen accessories, surgical instruments, tanks, vales, piping
Mounts
Construction industry
Energy Sector
Aluminum sheet metals in phones, laptops, light casings

Advantages and Disadvantages of Sheet Metal Fabrication

As sheet metal fabrication covers a wide area of techniques and methods, the
advantages and limitations will vary depending on the process used during fabrication.
The general benefits are:

Sheet metal fabrication is fast and can produce high-quality components.

A large number of processes are available with wide range of materials.
High strength to weight ratio for sheet metal fabricated parts.

The main disadvantages of sheet metal fabrication process are

Each fabrication process has their own limitations.

High initial cost for set up of equipment and tools.
Requirement of skilled labours for each processes

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