Sheet metal technology
Nov 10, 2024| In general, the basic equipment for sheet metal technology includes shearing machine, CNC punching machine/laser, plasma, water jet cutting machine (Cutting Machine), bending machine (Bending Machine), drilling machine and various auxiliary equipment such as: unwinding machine, leveling machine, deburring machine, spot welding machine, etc.
Usually, the four most important steps of sheet metal technology are shearing, punching/cutting/, folding/rolling, welding, surface treatment, etc.
Sheet metal is sometimes also called plate metal. The word comes from the English plate metal. Generally, some metal sheets are plastically deformed by hand or die stamping to form the desired shape and size, and can be further welded or a small amount of mechanical processing to form more complex parts, such as chimneys, iron stoves, and car shells commonly used in homes. Sheet metal processing is called sheet metal processing. For example, the use of sheet metal to make chimneys, iron barrels, oil tanks, ventilation ducts, elbows, round heads, funnels, etc. The main processes are shearing, bending, buckling, bending, welding, riveting, etc., which require certain geometric knowledge.
Sheet metal parts are thin plate hardware parts, that is, parts that can be processed by stamping, bending, stretching, etc. A general definition is-
Parts whose thickness remains unchanged during the processing process. Corresponding are castings, forgings, machined parts, etc. For example, the outer iron shell of a car is a sheet metal part, and some kitchen utensils made of stainless steel are also sheet metal parts.
Modern sheet metal processes include: filament power supply winding, laser cutting, heavy processing, metal bonding, metal drawing, plasma cutting, precision welding, roll forming, metal sheet bending, die forging, water jet cutting, precision welding, etc.
Surface treatment of sheet metal parts is also a very important part of the sheet metal processing process, because it can prevent parts from rusting and beautify the appearance of products. The main function of the surface pretreatment of sheet metal parts is to remove oil, scale, rust, etc. It prepares for the surface post-treatment, and the post-treatment mainly includes spraying (baking) paint, spraying plastic and plating anti-rust layer, etc.
In 3D software, SolidWorks, UG, Pro/E, SolidEdge, TopSolid, CATIA, etc. all have a sheet metal part, which mainly obtains the data required for sheet metal processing (such as unfolding diagram, bending line, etc.) through editing 3D graphics, and provides data for CNC Punching Machine/Laser, Plasma, Waterjet Cutting Machine/Combination Machine and CNC Bending Machine.