What is Sheet Metal Engineering? Sheet metal, a thin and flat sheet, has enormous uses in various industries both as construction and raw material. The process of making sheet metal useable in different industries is known as sheet metal engineering. Forming, cutting and finishing are the three primary steps of sheet metal engineering. Every sheet metal has to go through these three processes and after these they are ready to use in the required industries. The Steps of Sheet Metal Engineering Forming The process of shaping thin sheets of metal is known as forming of sheet metal. This is done by applying pressure through dies, male or female. Stretching, bulging, bending, flanging, deep drawing, spinning, embossing, and roll forming are the processes by which sheet metal are formed. Sheet metal is secured between clamps and stretched over a block form in the stretch forming process. In bending sheet metal is bent not only along a straight line, but also along a curved path. In depth drawing process the depth of the part being made is more than half its diameter. The process of creating raised and smooth designs, by means of matched female and male roller dies or by passing a strip of metal between rolls of the sought after pattern, on sheet metal is known as embossing. Bulging process is used to create different shells like pyramidal shells, shells of pyramid frustums, shallow pans and embossed panels. In roll forming a sheet of metal is passed through continuous sets of stands or rolls to get the sought after cross-section profile. A tube or disk of metal is spun at a very high speed and formed into a symmetrical part in the spinning process. Cutting In cutting sheet metals are cut into tiny pieces to give them desired shapes. Various tools from tin smips to massive power shears are used to cut sheet metals. Multi-tool CNC punch presses (also known as computer numerical control presses) and laser cutters are currently the most modern sheet metal cutting processes being done today. Finishing This is the last stage of sheet metal engineering. In this stage a finished and soft surface is given to the metal sheet by using the techniques such as sanding, vibration painting and visual design applications.
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