2022 -

How to connect metal without welding, sheet metal joining methods

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022

Stainless steel light fitting support stirrups – connect metal

When designing sheet metal products if a part can be made from one piece of metal it will be the most effective design. Reducing the number of parts required, finished, inspected, assembled etc. will always be the cheapest solution. Obviously, this cannot always be the case. There maybe a situation where a component needs to have 2 different gauges or 2 different material properties. This then needs the designer to think about how they can connect metal.

Welding is a very versatile technique but not the only one. We can connect metal in several ways without having to melt anything.

Sheet metal work with pressed studs inserted

Mechanical and chemical joining methods are ones that can be used in everyday life. Many adhesives are now specially tailored to suit certain metal materials or operating conditions.

Cold solid riveting or pop riveting are both connecting methods that are quick and cheap. Again, they enable dissimilar materials to be joined together as well as different gauges.

Sheet metal projects with inserted bushes, studs, stand-offs, captive screws etc.

You can connect metal using self tapping screws. These have the advantage of speed. No need for threaded holes or masking if the sheet metal parts are being painting or powder coated. Little skill or equipment is needed in assembly. They do have the disadvantage of limited disassembly. Once a self-tapping screw had been used it’s not always possible to remove the screw and re-screw if servicing is needed. Then the best solution is a threaded (tapped) hole and a machine screw.

It could simply be that a machine screw with a tapped hole is sufficient to connect metal parts together. In very thin gauges this isn’t always possible, and a fixed male or female threaded insert can be used. Bushes, stand-offs and studs are very popular. We insert them in many thousands of metal parts for our customers.

There are various metal joining examples shown here with the photos of past projects. If you are not sure which method would be best, just send us your drawings and we will be happy to take a look for you.

For more examples of sheet metal projects please take a look at our Pinterest Boards

What can be made by CNC punching sheet metal

Friday, October 7th, 2022

CNC punching in Great Britain

CNC punching sheet metal is key to our business. We are CNC punching sheet metal components every day. From parts that take up a whole sheet to tiny parts where there are thousands from a single sheet. A wide range of metals can be CNC punched. Ferrous and non-ferrous and sometimes even some types of plastic.

Here we have an image of our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press punching out heater covers. The material is mild steel with a painted surface, topped with a protective plastic film. All the holes, ventilation slots and outer profile tooling is held on the machine and located into the punching head to enable the parts to be made in one cycle without any intervention.

CNC punched stainless steel

Small plates such as these stainless steel washers are easily produced by CNC punching sheet metal. With a combination of standard punch press tooling and special form tooling on our fly-presses these parts are made in thousands.

CNC punching sheet metal

These stainless-steel plates have been CNC punched from 1.2mm thick sheet. The holes, outer profile and corner radii have all been produced using standard CNC punch press tooling. The inner window has used a custom tool to produce the shape in one single hit. This type of work is typical of a CNC punched job.

There are many more examples of CNC punch parts on our website. try taking a look at CNC PUNCHING GALLERY

There is also more information, photos and videos on WHAT IS CNC PUNCHING

We also have over 400 images of CNC punching products on our Pinterest Board

What is spot welding when it comes to sheet metal work

Wednesday, July 20th, 2022

Spot welding Zintec sheet metal assembly

What is spot welding?

Spot welding is simply welding 2 or more piece of sheet metal together in a small, localised area. The photo her shows the process perfectly. Two electrodes are brought together with the pieces of sheet metal held between them. An electrical current is then fed through and the resistance between the pieces metal of heats up the metal and enabled a local melting. The pieces are pressed together, and the spot weld is complete. The whole spot-welding process takes a couple of seconds.

What is spot welding when it comes to production. It’s a lot cheaper than Tig or MiG welding. Less skill is required. Normally there is less cleaning up needed and it can be a useful technique when it comes to joint thin sheet metal parts together. It’s no good for water-tight joints or for joining thicker parts together. It’s simply another tool in our armoury when it comes to quoting for manufacturing sheet metal work.

For more examples of spot welding, please take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

Perhaps you have a project that’s going to need to be manufactured soon. Still not sure what is spot welding and whether it’s the right process for your design. Simple send us your drawings and we will be happy to take a look at them for you. It may be that spot welding is perfect or perhaps another process is required, we will be happy to guide you and find the appropriate method and cost for the volumes concerned. If you are sending drawings by e-mail we can read 3D files in STEP and SAT format. 2D drawings can be either DXF or DXG. PDF, JPG etc. are fine as well for quoting. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

How to bend sheet metal in the UK with CNC press brakes

Friday, July 15th, 2022

Sheet metal projects using a wide variety of manufacturing processes

We have a variety of ways to bend sheet metal. It can be just a simple single bend in a component to make an angle bracket. Several bends to form a box right through to very complicated enclosures with multiple folded features. Some parts can be an assembly of several pieces welded together to make a fabricated component. The assembly can then be made from several material thicknesses, shapes and sizes.

When we want to bend sheet metal, we must first make sure that we have the correct flat blank. This is created by a mixture of experience, software and trial and error. Samples may be run in house to test the shape and size of a blank before we bend sheet metal in production. Once the blanks have been produced by either laser cutting or CNC punching then will be ready for bending.

To bend sheet metal, we can use fly-presses, rolling machines and power presses but the most common method is to use CNC press brakes. These machines allow use to bend sheet metal parts in a consistent way using standard press brake tooling. With several machines, sizes and power ratings we can bend most sheet metal projects people need.

For more examples of past sheet metal projects please take a look at our Pinterest Boards

If you have a sheet metal project that needs to be manufactured, then why not send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk
We can read files in DXF, DWG, PDF, STEP and, SAT formats.

Sheet metal fabrication near me in Hampshire UK

Monday, June 6th, 2022

CNC punching projects

Metal fabrication can take many forms when it comes to sheet metal work. It could simply be producing flat blanks such as those shown in this image. It could include folding, pressing, welding, the insertion of bushes and studs. If you have time to look at some of the hundreds of sheet metal fabrication projects featured on our website you will be amazed at the variety of work.

Today I will focus on CNC punching as far as metal fabrication is concerned.

CNC punching in the vast majority of time is carried out using standard tooling. We have invested in a huge amount of tooling over the years. This tooling is available to you when you work on a new design. The best place to start thinking about a new design is our tooling tables. Here you can select circles, rectangles, round ended slots (obrounds) and other more unusual shapes. By planning the use of CNC punch tooling at the start of a design it will save you money on new tooling. It also saves time in reducing redesigns to eliminate new tooling. Who doesn’t want something for free!

If however you have a shape you need and we cannot produce it with standard tooling then you have 2 choices. If your project has the potential for good volumes and to repeat quite often then a new CNC punch tool may be the option. If the volumes are lower, say a special one off project, we may investigate laser cutting instead. With both processes offered in house and driven by the same software we can select the best option to suit your needs.

For more examples of CNC punching sheet metal fabrication please take a look at our Pinterest Board.

When we quote for sheet metal fabrication to suit your designs we will offer price break and suggestions on the most appropriate metal grades and finishes. Really all you need to do is create your design with an eye on the cut out sizes and let us do the rest. We are happy to talk through your ideas or simple send your drawings and let us do the rest.

Custom sheet metal fabrications produced in Hampshire

Thursday, May 19th, 2022

Laser cut decorative screens

Custom sheet metal fabrications are produced by us every day of the week. Metal work that is produced specifically to a certain drawing just for a given customer. We have built a company on offering a custom sheet metal work service to our UK based customers. You may have looked on Amazon for a special angle bracket and cannot find exactly what you need. No problem, send us your drawing and we will sort out a price to make the custom sheet metal part for you.

Over the years we have been involved in many custom designed projects such as:

Children’s play-ground equipment mounting brackets
Bespoke lighting projects
Special recording studio enclosures
Shop door way heating units
Pharmaceutical filtration stands
Flood lighting brackets
Computer housing chassis equipment
Bespoke light fitting reflectors

If you wish to see a lot more examples of custom sheet metal work then our Pinterest Boards are a great place to start.

With a wide range of laser cutting, CNC punching and CNC bending equipment in house there’s not much in the way of sheet metal work that we cannot tackle. Along with an extensive network of material stockists, machinists, spinners, painters, platers and screeners we can offer the complete custom sheet metal service.

If you have drawings already prepared for your next sheet metal project please send them to sales@vandf.co.uk If however you are not quite sure what you want then a phone call may be a good idea (017489 577786). We can then talk through material options, which finishes would suit best and the right selection of production methods.

Sheet metal contractors manufacturing in Hampshire

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2022

Sheet metal contractors

Sheet metal contractors such as V and F Sheet Metal offer a valuable service to a wide range of companies in the UK. Perhaps you need sheet metal components that are bespoke to your own product designs. Perhaps a special housings. A custom front panel. Whatever you need if it’s not something you can buy as a standard part you will need the services of sheet metal contractors.

With the ability to take your ideas and turn them into production items. Whether that’s CNC punched galvanised steel enclosures, laser cut stainless steel panels or aluminium brackets we are here to help you. We can read your 2D and 3D CAD data directly into our programming systems. Speeding up the process and reducing the possibility of errors.

The process is also reversible. We can produce 2D and 3D data and send to you to help with your production drawings.

We have been manufacturing sheet metal products and assemblies for over 35 years in Hampshire. Small volumes of 10 off, repeating batches of 100’s off and higher volumes of 1000s along with call off orders when needed. Simple send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk for a quote today.

For more examples of past CAD/CAM projects our Pinterest Board is a great place to look.

Manufacturing sheet metal work in the UK by V and F Sheet Metal

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

What is CNC bending?

Manufacturing sheet metal work is the main stay of V and F Sheet Metal. We have been sub-contract sheet metal workers since the 1980s. Providing a wide range for manufacturing services to UK companies for decades. We are especially prominent in the lighting, heating and audio sectors.

Manufacturing sheet metal components and assemblies from your own custom designs. Whether that’s 2D or 3D data we can handle it and turn it into products for you. With the ability to laser cut or CNC punch blanks in house we have total control of the manufacturing process. Connected with our CNC press brakes we can fine tune parts to suit bend tooling saving you time and money in production.

The images here show folding and spot welding. I could just as easily have shown laser cutting and welding or CNC punching and bush insertion. We have a wide range of auxiliary manufacturing processes all carried out in house to help support your design team. Along with a network of painters, platers and machine shops we can act as a one stop shop for your new sheet metal projects.

Spot welding Zintec sheet metal assembly

For a more detailed look at our plant please spend a few minutes and look at our website.

If you already have a product that needs manufacturing and you think sheet metal would be the solution please send us your drawings. If however you want to see some more examples of past projects our Pinterest Boards are stuffed full of ideas.

Portsmouth Hampshire sheet metal work manufacturing

Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Portsmouth Hampshire sheet metal manufacturing

Portsmouth Hampshire the home of V and F Sheet Metal for all things sheet metal. V and F have been manufacturing sheet metal components and assemblies for over 35 years. As sub-contactors we have a wide range of skills and tooling. Working to our customers design and production volumes is our strength. Small batches of brackets. Call off orders of front panels. Special one off projects of enclosures. High volume welded assemblies. Advice given on designing for manufacture to keep your costs down. We are here to help where we can.

Here in these images (click for a better view) we have a range of folding going on. Using both our Safan and Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Sharing the same tooling they are idea production machines for folding up most sheet metal projects that are customers require.

If you have a few minutes it’s well work a look a look on our Pinterest Boards. Here you will find a wide range of sheet metal projects produced by us in Portsmouth Hampshire. There are also interesting manufacturing ideas that I have found along the way.

If you have a sheet metal work manufacturing project in mind by all means send us a drawing. We will be happy to take a look, advice on the design and offer price breaks where needed.

Folding sheet metal enclosures with CNC press brakes

Monday, March 21st, 2022

Folding sheet metal enclosures using CNC press brakes.

There are many ways to produce formed sheet metal work. It could be with simple V block tooling on a fly press. It might be with a box pan folder. Power press tooling might be used to form up sheet metal parts if there are high enough volumes to justify the tooling.

On this project we were folding sheet metal enclosures made from brass. They batch was for 100 parts and using a CNC press brake as the perfect solution. The ability to program the specific size and angle of each bend into the machine and then try a sample is idea for a job like this. Set the tooling in place and then check out the first sample. Make any adjustments to the program and away you go with production. Save the program and all the information is ready to repeat production when the customer wants more parts. Any design changes can also be catered for. Adjust a bend length or angle and we are ready for any new design.

To view more examples of sheet metal boxes, housings and enclosures please take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

If you have a project which includes folding sheet metal enclosures please send your drawings and we will be happy to help you out. Perhaps you have 2D or 3D data. we can read both as well as working from patterns and sketched if needed. As us for a quote today.

Custom sheet metal panels manufactured in the UK

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022

Laser cut mild steel panels

Custom sheet metal panels can come in many different shapes and sizes. The panels can be very simple such as the rectangular panels shown here. They can also be very complex with many different cut outs, edge profiles, studs, bushes, paint colours, silk screening etc.

We make custom sheet metal panels for a wide range of industries. They may well include electronics front and rear aluminium panels. Mild steel heating control panels. Rear connector panels for audio speaker and amplifier interfaces. We also make custom sheet metal panels for a wide range of industries where there are special projects such as lighting. Often lighting is ordered that will be a standard design but needs to fit into a ceiling with holes left from an older fitting. Customer sheet metal panels are then used to take up the difference as a cheaper option than manufacturing custom light fittings.

CNC punched pre-painted mild steel sheet metal panels

As you can see from these photos panels can be produced by either Laser cutting or CNC punching. Which method we use will depend on the complexity of the panel required, the material type and the thickness. Having both laser cutting and CNC punching facilities in house allow us the flexibility to apply the right manufacturing process to your panel design.

The only way to be sure that your custom sheet metal panel is right for production is to simply send over your drawings and let us take a look. We will quickly be able to produce price options. We will be able to help you refine your design where needed to make it right for manufacturing. Thereby saving you money and reducing problems in assembly.

If you want to see even more examples of custom sheet metal panels please take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

Sheet metal workers near me – V and F Sheet Metal

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022

Folding up the blanks

If you are searching for sheet metal workers near me and you are based in Hampshire you should be talking to V and F Sheet Metal. Saying that we have vans delivering right across Hampshire, Dorset, Sussex, Surrey, and Berkshire most weeks and also regularly into Oxfordshire. Further afield and we can ship on an overnight pallet service or parcels where needed. You are always welcome to all in and collect work if you are based near us. You can then see what we get up to in more detail.

Sheet metal workers with over 35 years of experience manufacturing in the UK. We tend to manufacture in thinner gauge sheet metal. Up to 3mm and sometimes a little over. This suits our CNC punch presses and laser cutting facilities. All our bend tooling is ideally suited to thinner gauges. We cut and fold from 0.3mm spring stainless steel, 0.4mm reflector aluminium, 0.55mm galvanised steel. 0.7mm stainless steel and aluminium and upwards.

With sheet metal components from just a few mm across to 3M long we can cover most of your sheet metal working needs. A wide range of standard CNC punching and CNC bending on the shelf ready to be used on your orders. All supported with the latest CAD/CAM sheet metal software to get the most out of every metal sheet.

For a view of more recent sheet metal working projects please follow the link to our Pinterest Boards.

So in conclusion if you are searching for sheet metal workers near me I hope V and F Sheet Metal can help you. Send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will take a look for you or call us on 01489 577786 if you need more information or advice on your designs. We are always happy to talk through potential ideas and help where we can to reduce costs.

Galvanised mild steel sheet metal components manufactured in the UK

Wednesday, February 9th, 2022

Galvanised mild steel

Just a quick look back at a recent project, manufacturing galvanised steel components for cladding a building. All the steel parts were CNC punched and then folded on our Trumpf CNC punch presses and CNC press brakes. The parts were relatively simple and didn’t take us long to CNC program. Several of the smaller parts fitted nicely in the same sheet as the longer parts providing a good material utilisation.

All the sections fitted onto one pallet making shipping easy. Total job turnaround time was just over a week from receiving the order. This included purchasing materials, CNC programing, CNC punching and CNC bending. Customer was happy and collected the pallet in their own van.

This is typical of one of the simpler sheet metal projects we are asked to provide to our UK customers.

If you want to explore more sheet metal project ideas please take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

If you have a project you need manufacturing please don’t hesitate to contact us for a price estimate. Send over your drawings and we will be happy to help you. Whether it’s DXF, DWG, SAT, STEP or simply PDF we can read them and work with them.

Southampton Hampshire Sheet Metal Work manufacturing fabrication

Wednesday, January 19th, 2022

CNC punching with cut blanks

V and F Sheet Metal have been manufacturing sheet metal fabrications in the Southampton Hampshire area for over 35 years. Using a range of CNC laser cutting, CNC punching and CNC bending plant. All supported with the latest sheet metal CAD/CAM software. We are here to support you with your sheet metal requirements. Perhaps you need some advice on a material grade. The correct inserts to b pressed in to save time in assembly. Whether to spot weld, TiG weld or screw and product together. Laser cutting or CNC punching with custom tooling. All these questions and more are often asked and we are happy to help. Having produced sub-contract sheet metal work for over 35 years we have come across most of the problems people have.

If you are looking at developing a new design and think it maybe CNC punched then take a look at our standard tooling library. Select a hole that we have a tool for and it will save you money. Of course we can always look at laser cutting as well for complex internal cut outs and external profiles.

If you want to review hundreds of past sheet metal projects a great place to start is our Pinterest Boards.

Send your drawings into sales@vandf.co.uk and let us do the rest.

Sheet metal prototype production from V and F Sheet Metal

Tuesday, January 11th, 2022

Folding up sheet metal prototype the blanks

Sheet metal prototype production is often carried out by us in support of our customers when developing new products. That prototyping can take many forms. Perhaps just laser cutting out a flat blank which our customer may then drill off themselves to explore the best position for connectors in an electronics enclosure. It may be folding up a couple of components but not welding or painting them so a customer can test the fit of parts before committing to their first batch of units. We may also cut and fold several thicknesses of the same bracket so our customer can work out which one is stronger enough for their needs with going over the top on weight.

Even though we can provide 3D software models to help with design sometimes only a prototype will do. For instance when you have a new light fitting reflector. A sheet metal prototype would be needed to measure the light output (photometrics). Design adjustments made and then on with order production.

Folding up sheet metal prototype lighting reflectors

Folding up sheet metal prototype boxes

Prototyping is all part of V and F Sheet Metal supporting our customers. We want you to get your designs right. It saves you time and money and makes us all more competitive. Supported with the ability to import and export 2D and 3D data the prototyping process can be quick and relatively painless.

If you have a product and you are ready to start testing please let us know. We can produce prices for prototypes and production volumes. Simply e-mail your drawings or give us a call and we can have a chat.

Get a Quote