Materials & Technology
Types of Material supplied:
- Cold Rolled Steel
- Hot Rolled Steel
- Stainless Steel
- Galvatec
- Zintec
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Brass
- Copper Alloys
We support and work with the following CAD systems:
- Solidworks 2010
- ProE
- AutoCad Inventor
- Mechanical Desktop
- Unigraphics
- Most other 3D packages
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Sheet metal fabrication consists of cutting, bending, rolling, forming, stamping and welding sheet metal. Components manufactured through sheet metal fabrication services are used in a variety of applications such as enclosures, computer equipment, , kitchen and sanitary equipment, machine tools and other industrial applications. Sheet metal fabrication services include a diverse range of processes used to fashion sheet metal into usable products. These processes may be broken down into three rough categories, cutting, forming, and finishing services.
Sheet metal cutting
Sheet metal cutting services includes a number of techniques used to cut metal into smaller pieces so that it can be moulded or formed into components. Common types of sheet metal cutting involve shearing, electrical discharge machining (EDM), sheet metal laser cutting, water jet and abrasive cutting.
Shearing uses a specialised machine to cut sheet metal by applying shear stress. This process is used to cut large sheets of metal into smaller parts.
Laser cutting machines use laser light to cut or etch holes or profiles. Laser cutting machines are very precise programmable pieces of equipment.
Water jets and water abrasive jets rely on highly pressurised water flowing through a nozzle approximately 0.025mm in diameter. Advantages include almost no material heating during cutting, low side loads, and ability to achieve complex shapes and tight inside radii. Low jig costs and fast setup and programming times make this process very suitable for prototypes or short runs. It is most widely used for two-dimensional cutting; three-dimensional machining is possible in specialised applications.
Bending and forming processes are used to shape the sheet metal to its final shape.
In the rolling process, a series of roll stands is used to progressively shape or bend a strip of flat-rolled metal to a desired cross section. Stamping is the process of impressing surface definition and three-dimensional designs onto materials with pressurized tools and dies.
Punching is the process of punching holes in the sheet metal.
Welding is the joining of metals and metal parts by melting and re-forming a metal bond between materials, with or without additional filler metal.
Hardware and fastener creation is the capability to supply and integrate hardware such as handles, latches, nutserts, rivets, self-clinching fasteners used to provide threads in sheet metal that is too thin or soft to be tapped.