Sheet Metal Prototyping: 5 Things You Should Know About It

The sheet metal fabrication industry is one of the largest industries in the world. In fact, its global market size was valued at USD 265 billion in and projected to have a CAGR of 5% from to .

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As a product designer, especially of consumer products, there&#;s a pretty darn good chance you know how valuable sheet metal prototype fabrication is in product development. Yet, you might be unsure about how sheet metals are fabricated or the best design practices for sheet metal structures.

This article covers all these and many more. It will present five things you should know about sheet metal prototyping before doing business with a third-party fabrication shop.

#1 Sheet Metals Must Satisfy a Thickness Requirement

Like many other product designers, have you been describing sheet metals as metals that exist in flat pieces?

You&#;re not entirely wrong, but there&#;s more to the definition than &#;flat pieces.&#; Sheet metals typically have their thickness ranging between 0.006 inches and 0.25 inches. You could describe metals thicker than 0.25 inches as &#;metal plates&#; and those thinner than 0.006 inches as &#;foils&#; or &#;leaf metals.&#;

#2 There Exist Many Different Sheet Metal Fabrication Processes

In sheet metal fabrication, the sheet metal worker usually starts with flat pieces of metals and transforms them into structures (or products) using different fabrication processes, such as:

• Cutting
• Deformation
• Assembly

The Cutting Process

As the name suggests, the cutting process involves manipulating the sheet metal by creating cuts using special pieces of machinery, including CNC laser cutters, water jet cutters, and plasma cutters. (Related Post: Here are 5 Types of CNC Machines You Should Absolutely Know About)

The Deformation Process

Sheet metal deformation describes the process of changing the shape of the sheet metal by bending, stretching, and drawing. The process involves using specialized tools like press brakes and metal stamping presses.

A press brake allows you to bend sheet metals into different angles and shapes. In contrast, the metal stamping press (featuring a punch and a die) allows you to perform specific tasks like embossing, hemming, and drawing.

Assembly

Assembly describes the process of joining different sheet metal parts together using fasteners or via welding. The welding process is the more common of the two, and you&#;ve got a wide range of welding techniques to choose from, including arc welding, electron beam welding, among others.

So let&#;s say you&#;re looking to fabricate and assemble two right-angle brackets. First off, you&#;ll have to create cuts and critical features (such as holes) on the flat sheet metal parts using a laser cutter, water jet cutter, or plasma cutter.

Next, place these sheets of metal between the punch and die of the press brake and bend till you achieve 90°. Finally, weld (or fasten) these parts together to form the desired custom metal fabrication prototype.

#3 Sheet Metal Prototype Fabrication Comes with Many Advantages

One of the biggest reasons sheet metal prototyping helps businesses is the guesswork it eliminates in manufacturing. These prototypes act as physical samples (or mock-up models) of your design concepts, allowing you to test the performance of your design and detect flaws long before manufacturing begins.

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You might see the initial cost of sheet metal prototype fabrication as a downside. But you may be missing the bigger picture. Imagine how much more you&#;d have to spend if, say, you go all-in with manufacturing and end up with a whole batch of units with errors.

#4 Engineering Materials for Sheet Metal Prototype Fabrication

Pretty much all the common engineering materials are used in the form of sheets. Some of the metals include aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and magnesium, among others. The right choice typically depends on the end-use properties you hope to get and the requirements of your product.

You should opt for aluminum if your product requires a lightweight metal with high strength, thermal, and corrosion resistance. Stainless steel and copper are ideal if you&#;re looking for a mix of strength, machinability, and good surface finishes.

Magnesium sheet metals also offer high strength and durability, and they are lightweight (approximately two-thirds the density of aluminum). However, they are highly flammable and pose a significant risk to you during (and after) fabrication. You should steer clear of magnesium sheet metals unless it&#;s absolutely necessary. (Related Post: CNC Machining Magnesium: What are the Safety Concerns?)

#5 Best Design Practices for Sheet Metal Prototypes

The following design practices will help you reduce manufacturing costs and shorten lead times when fabricating sheet metal prototypes.

1. Design holes with a diameter at least equal to the sheet metal thickness since it eliminates the chance of a tool breaking or getting damaged.
2. Assign key tolerances only to features critical to your prototype&#;s functionality.
3. Design bends to have a radius greater than (or equal to) the sheet metal thickness, as this will keep your design simple and much easier to fabricate.
4. Keep all features at least four times the material thickness away from bend lines since closer features create difficulties during fabrication.
5. Outsource the fabrication process to a top-tier fabrication shop with a track record of high-quality services.

Gensun Precision Machining has provided high-quality sheet metal rapid prototyping services to a wide variety of industries for nearly two decades. Our fabrication shops can help you create cost-effective sheet metal prototypes through a variety of processes, including laser cutting, prototype stamping, bending, and welding.

Learn more about our sheet metal fabrication services.

If you&#;re looking to make your own products, you have numerous options regarding the materials that you can use for fabrication. There are many different factors you must consider when determining what material is best for your product, and it is important to find opportunities to streamline your manufacturing processes with the materials you choose. You must evaluate how the material will behave under stress, over time, and when it&#;s subjected to chemicals or environmental conditions. You must also consider the nature, function, and performance of your project; its end-use will play a large role in dictating what material you use to build it. When you take the proper time to ensure you select the right material for your product, you&#;ll save both time and money.

A current popular material option is plastic, and casting metal also has some positive benefits. However, there are several reasons (depending on your project) why sheet metal could prove to be the superior material choice.

Strength and Durability

Sheet metal is strong and durable, and sheet metal parts are often able to withstand greater pressure and heat than those made with plastic. In addition to this, aluminum, stainless steel, or surface-treated steel are all resistant to pressure, corrosion, and wear and tear. While a method like casting will share these benefits, plastic will not hold up as well with the passage of time.

Malleability

In addition to being durable, sheet metal is also malleable. With the right equipment, it can be bent into numerous shapes, while still retaining its strength and structural integrity. Sheet metal also has the ability to be compressed or stretched without breaking or cracking. When a part is cast or molded, you get a very specific shape, but you also had to pay for a very specific, and usually expensive, mold. If you decide to change your part at all, it can be very expensive to invest in a new mold, and tooling for plastic can be very expensive as well. With sheet metal, it&#;s as simple as bending the part in a different place to create a new and unique shape. The malleability of sheet metal allows it to be effectively and efficiently used in custom, complex, or highly specialized applications.

Replaceability

One of the biggest advantages of using sheet metal is that the parts are replaceable. If several metal parts are used to make an assembly, instead of making the whole part out of one substance, the individual components can be removed and replaced without having to replace the entire assembly. This can save money on repairs and even allow for modifications and upgrades.

Sustainability

As far as materials go, metal is by far one of the most sustainable materials. Metal is a natural resource that is both environmentally and economically strategic. When the parts are no longer needed, they can be recycled indefinitely and turned into other parts. Plastic has a limited ability to be recycled and cannot be easily and safely disposed once it reaches its end point. Metal manufacturing is a much more responsible and sustainable option.

Cost-Effectiveness

Tooling costs for plastics can be very expensive, making sheet metal a more economical choice. Many companies move from cast or molded parts to sheet metal because of the overall reduction in costs and material waste. Material lifespan and longevity must also be considered when evaluating the cost of material. The cheapest material is not necessarily the most cost-efficient option if it will not serve you well for a long period of time and has to be consistently replaced or maintained. The strength and durability features of sheet metal make it a more cost-effective option.

Partner with Estes

Deciding if sheet metal is right for your project is a complex decision with many factors to consider. Before you invest time and money in design or tooling, work with an experienced partner like Estes Design and Manufacturing. With decades of experience and cutting-edge fabricating equipment, Estes will ensure the right material is used for your project and is manufactured with consistent quality and competitive pricing. Our experts are here to help you make the right choices for your products. Contact us to find out if sheet metal is the right material for your project and learn how we can take your product to the next level.

For more Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication Servicesinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.