A brief review of the role of sheet metal in industrial and consumer products

Industrial Electronics

 

Industrial electronics form a major part of sheet metal consumption in the industry. In industrial electronics user experience (UX) considerations are limited. The emphasis is on the perfect fitting of electronics into the housing with remarkably close tolerances. A Printed Circuit Board is expected to jack in with the mating connector within the tolerance of +/_ 0.01 mm. Sheet metal design allows this. Design for access is one of the main important factors in industrial electronic products.

Medical Electronics


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In medical electronics, human factor engineering plays a crucial role. The human interacting elements such as displays, and controls need to be emphasized predominantly for quick access and easy understanding and offer a soothing appearance. Sheet metal design plays a strong and fail-proof supporting role. Often some integration with plastic parts is common in medical products. Design for reach is one of the main important factors in medical electronic products.

Consumer Electronics

 

In consumer electronics “Appearance” takes the predominant role. Sheet metal is well manipulated to achieve this objective. Most often sheet metal design considers assembly with plastic parts. The surface finish is given the highest importance. Parts are designed to function with ease and durability. Maintenance is not of high priority. Design for attention is one of the important factors in consumer electronic products.

Kitchen Products

 

While the function of the product is the primary criteria, visible “Design’ is the main guidance in consumer product design and all other factors become secondary. Sales because of visible design is the guiding factor. Sheet metal helps produce durable products which is of high importance in consumer products. There is also less consideration for maintenance, but more importance is given to the availability of spare parts and ease with which parts can be replaced in the unorganized sector. Design for appeal is one of the important factors in consumer products.

Interior and Public Products


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The advantage of sheet metal in public products is that one-off production is possible. In many cases, the manufacturing of products is possible with not very sophisticated infrastructure. High tolerances are not considered as they are expected to be produced with a limited range of machines or even at craftsman levels. Design for low-end machinery is one of the important factors in these products.

Architecture

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Structural sheet metal fabrication refers to metalworking done to produce items as part of the building process. Large-scale sheet metal fabrication projects create the metal components used by shops, manufacturers, buildings, and skyscrapers. Metal siding, structural framing studs, roofing, and load-bearing fall into this category. The precision quality of sheet metal comes to good use here. Modularity and durability are achieved with ease using sheet metal. Design for modularity and ease of assembly are the main important factors in architectural products.

Sheet Metal in Furniture

 

This segment offers creative exploration to the maximum. Variety in design is of prime consideration. Sheet metal offers Custom and batch production possibilities. The emphasis is on easy assembly with very few or no fasteners. High tolerances are not of great concern. Design for marketability is one of the important factors in these products.

Sheet Metal in Auto Industry

 

Sheet Forming enables achieve striking appeal. There is a considerable amount of planning and preparations are involved in auto body parts because they are highly tooled intensive. Accordingly, the design calls for close tolerances and detailing to produce parts with no blemishes. Design for semi automatic or fully automatic quick assembly is one of the important factors in the auto industry.