Sheet metal fabrication is commonly indicated as converting flat metal sheets in to products by various fabrication methods.
Generally metal sheets with a thickness less than 0.25 inches are considered as sheet metal.
What is sheet metal gauge?
Gauges are developed to specify the thickness of a sheet metal. The reported origin of the gauge system comes from the British wire industry before the standard and metric measurements systems were introduced to the industry. Originally the gauge system was used to specify the diameter of a wire but later on it has been adopted to determine the sheet metal thicknesses.
Every type of metal has a different standard when it comes to sheet metal gauges. So it is important to note that 18 gauge steel may not be in the same thickness as 18 gauge aluminum. Refer our standard charts that we use for sheet metal manufacturing. These charts are taken from our sheet metal manufactures and they guarantee the thickness to be accurate by a rigorous quality inspection process.
Sheet metal gauge charts
What are sheet metal fabrication methods?
Sheet metal fabrication methods are basically divided into two types. Cutting, Forming and Joining and Finishing
Sheet Metal Cutting
Cutting is where material gets removed to make a final part.
Common sheet metal cutting methods are,
- Shearing
- Punching
- Laser cutting
- Plasma cutting
Sheet Metal Forming
Forming is where parts of the sheet metal undergoing different processes to make new features.
Different features such as curves, flanges or bends are made using forming methods. The major difference
Between cutting and forming is, in forming methods material doesn’t get removed typically. Some advanced methods are also available where forming and cutting operations are combined to single step in order to reduce production lead times.
Sheet Metal Joining.
In sheet metal joining various techniques are used to join sheet metal to achieve the specific purpose of a part. Welding is the most common joining method and welding can be sub divided into different areas according to the tools and materials used in welding.