Sheet metal workers work with thin metal sheets which may be up to 3mm thick that they can bend, cut and shape by using different tools such as small presses, hammers, guillotines and roller machines. Sheet metal employees work with stainless steel, sheet steel, galvanized steel, copper and aluminum and their duties may include cutting these metals by using templates or patterns as guides. They may also shape the metal by forming, beating, bending or rolling by the use of a CNC machinery and manual. They use a range of machine and hand tools to help shape and cut the metal and in order stamp or drill necessary holes. They may also need to hammer down the excess surface weld metal. Many sheet metal workers often specialize in a variety of complex techniques or have the knowhow to operate more than just one of the machines. Learning and understand the safety precautions will keep sheet metal production staff safe while working around the dangerous machines. 1) Personal qualities and skills All workers should be able to arrive to work knowing they are safe while being in a hazardous environment. Strong work skills and being organized should be at the top of all employees list. They should have the ability to learn and follow all engineering drawings. It’s imperative that sheet metal workers obtain excellent observational skills in order to spot dents or flaws. Paying close attention to detail is very important when utilizing, marking out and when measuring equipment. Being good with numbers is a must for doing measurements and using calculations to determine the correct shape sizes. A skilled employee can keep himself and other employees safe by having this type of knowhow. 2) Take Protection Make sure that you are wearing gloves with metal as obviously there will be sharp corners involved when you are working with metal. Many machinists have decided to not bother wearing gloves and have ended up with missing fingers or worse. It’s always recommended that all new machinists wear work gloves even if they are handling the metal and not just when working on the CNC machine. In addition, workers should always use safety goggles at all times. Eye protection if working around an active machine is imperative. Even though the CNC machines contain a plastic guard a lot of tiny pieces of metal or other debris could fly into your eye without notice. When using compressed air for cleaning machines you should take extra precautions as your eyes could easily be damaged from flying debris as there is normally small slivers that are small enough to fly into your eye. 3) Starting up your machines One thing that new machinists often neglect to think about is making sure that their machines are properly warmed up before they start working on them. I would recommend allowing your machine to warm up for around 10 minutes before you begin working on it. The warm up for a machine can be set to a moderate speed so not to cause any problems before you start applying pressure to them, very much in the same way that you would not apply too much pressure to a cars accelerator before it is warmed up. Slowly starting the machine process in the beginning of your shift is the best way to warm up the machine. If you decide to use the machine without a warm up, then it may be possible if you just start your first job of on a slow cycle to make sure things are running smoothly. 4) Cleaning you machine. It is advisable to be able to clean your machine and also to make sure that the chips and other debris are cleaned away after every cycle. The small chips can get caught up on the various spindles of a machine and cause great problems when they are not removed. You also need to make sure that the chips are removed from the chuck jaws and also the vices. If at all possible, sheet metal workers should plan and position their workstations and materials so that heavy items can be lifted from waist high in a standing position. Feet should be placed shoulder width apart, directly under the hips. The body can also be positioned to take advantage pivoting movements that can reduce the chance of falls or improper body alignment during transfers of heavy objects. These lifting techniques can reduce muscle strain and prevent neck and back injuries in sheet metal workers.
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