Chapter 3

Any kind of sheet metal fabrication essentially involves either removal or addition of material or changing the material into a different shape by way of applying compressive or tensile forces externally to obtain desired shapes. Manufacturing involves one or more of many metal manufacturing processes available that convert sheet metal into an object.

The raw material thickness of sheets can typically be classified as follows:

Barring very few, all metals available in sheet form, steel to gold, sheet form, Steel to Gold, are suitable for fabrication techniques available in the industry.

The basic three methods involved in sheet metal fabrication are:

• Material Removal
• Material Addition
• Material Forming

The important material removal methods are:

• Shearing / Cutting / Cropping
• Punching / Blanking / Piercing

The important material addition methods are:

• Welding
• Riveting
• Hemming
• Adhesion

The important material forming methods are:

• Bending
• Pressing
• Drawing
• Rolling

The Important characteristics of metals in forming are:

• Elongation
• Grain Size and Direction
• Residual stresses
• Spring back
• Wrinkling
• Quality of sheared edges
• Surface condition of sheet