CNC bending and folding Archives -

Sheet metal manufacturers in the UK – sheet metal production

Tuesday, September 7th, 2021

Sheet metal manufacturers

Sheet metal manufacturers in the UK produce a wide range of sheet metal projects. Sub-contract manufacturers produce parts to any given design and are a great support to UK based companies who do not have the expertise or the volumes to justify their own manufacturing facility. V and F Sheet Metal are one of these sub-contract manufacturers. We have been producing sheet metal work since the 1980s in Hampshire.

Sheet metal manufacturers based in the UK

Whether your project is only small or many thousands of parts sheet metal manufacturers in the UK can help you out. Keeping things local not only reduced shipping costs and time but helps to support the whole engineering supply chain. Materials are purchased in the UK, treatments and finishes sourced in the UK. You also have the ability to deal in your own time zone and visit if you need to.

Sheet metal manufactured enclosures

Using a wide range of sheet metal manufacturing techniques we cover most of the sheet metal parts UK companies need. Whether it’s produced by laser cutting, CNC punching or CNC bending we have the facilities to help you today. Simply ask us to take a look at your drawings and we will be happy to produce a quotation for you.

For a much larger range of work produced by sheet metal manufacturers in the UK take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

Custom sheet metal work near me using CNC production techniques

Tuesday, August 24th, 2021

Laser cutting mild steel brackets

You have designed a new component and you need it manufacturing. You want it made from sheet metal but are not sure which processes to select. Should it be laser cut, should it be CNC punched and how do you know what sort of folding will be needed? No problem, at V and F Sheet Metal we cover all the custom sheet metal work techniques. We can select the right production method to fit your custom design. The right method for your order volume and the materials you might be interested in.

Whether its thick gauges of steel or thin spring stainless. Copper sheet, light fitting reflector materials or brushed stainless steel we have the right CNC machines to cope. With custom sheet metal work it’s all about picking the right production technique to suit your design. Lots of complex shapes, connector cut outs or a detailed outer profile and we will probably go for laser cutting. A large number of simple shape holes such are circles or rectangles and its likely to be CNC punching.

cnc punching circular discs

Thicker materials tend to be laser cut. Custom sheet metal work needing forms such as ventilation louvres, pressed dimples, plunges sheet with tapped threads and you are definitely requiring CNC punch presses. Luckily we have both areas covered in house.

When it comes to folding custom sheet metal work we have a range of machines. We can fold sheet metal profiles up to 3M long and right down to just a few mm across. CNC press brake tooling investment over many years enables us to produce the vast majority of folded sheet metal work without the need for new tooling.

Bending sheet metal work

What should I do now?

For more custom sheet metal work examples please take a look at our Pinterest Boards for design ideas.

The most important thing for you to know is that whatever custom sheet metal work project you design you have a partner in V and F who can support you. Simply send us your drawings, 3D models, sketches and we will be happy to produce a range of quotes for you.

Bespoke sheet metal components manufacturers in the UK

Wednesday, August 18th, 2021

Bespoke sheet metal components

Bespoke sheet metal components manufacturers

V and F Sheet Metal having been producing bespoke sheet metal components since the 1980s. Now using a wide range on CNC manufacturing equipment. Laser cutting with a Trumpf 3KW fibre laser, perfect for very fast cutting of thin gauge ferrous and non-ferrous materials. It can also laser cut much thicker materials when needed.

CNC punching with 2 Trumpf punch presses. A wide range of standard and special tools collected over the years help to reduce tooling costs on new projects. Fast production of holes in standard sheet metal materials along with formed dimples, plunges, tapped thread features, electrical knock outs, you name it we can probably make it on these CNC punch presses.

All blanks are taken to our CNC press brakes when folding is needed. From small machines up to our 3M Safan e-Brake CNC press brake. Common CNC press brake tooling across the range adds flexibility when it comes to production and sampling bespoke sheet metal components.

For a much wider view of custom sheet metal components manufactured in the UK why not take a look at our Pinterest pages.

Using the latest CAD/CAM software to read 2D and 3D drawing we can quickly produce prices for your bespoke parts and the volumes that you need.

Mild Steel Brackets

Thursday, August 12th, 2021

Mild Steel Brackets

Mild steel brackets can be used in so many applications today. We have been manufacturing them since the 1980s. Using mild steel as well as other sheet metal materials from 0.7mm to 4mm thick. Whether it’s laser cutting or CNC punching and then CNC bending we have all the tools and experience to produce a wide range of brackets. Volumes can ranges from just a few for a special project or many thousands.

Here’s just a small range of recent sheet metal projects that we have produced needing mild steel brackets:

Securing LED displays in libraries
Fixings fibre optic lighting in a gallery
Mounting flood lighting around a castle
Clamping brackets to hold down pump sets
Lamp holder brackets in fibre optic lighting
19” rack mounting ears
Securing gear trays in street lighting
Children’s playground equipment
Fixing signage on golf courses
Mounting air curtains over shop door ways

I think you can see from the list above that we support many different industries when it comes to manufacturing mild steel brackets.

If you want to see some of the stages required to manufacture a humble sheet metal bracket we have a page worth reading.

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

All the sheet metal brackets that we produce are bespoke to our customers designs. All you need to do is send us your drawings and we will do the rest. Drawings can be sketches but it helps to speed up the process if they can be in a CAD format. DXF, DWG, STEP and PDF are more than acceptable.

Give us a try today and we will be happy to quote for our next mild steel bracket project.

Precision sheet metal brackets manufactured in the UK to your designs

Thursday, July 8th, 2021

Precision sheet metal brackets

When you are looking for a manufacturer of precision sheet metal brackets several factors come into play. Not just the manufacturing ability to physically make the brackets although this is clearly important. You may need support throughout the whole process. That support could take the form of design assistance. It could be multiple drops from a larger batch / kanban. It might be treatment and finishes for the complete one stop shop. If we can help you we will.

As far as the production of precision sheet metal brackets is concerned we have all the right equipment. Whether it’s laser cutting mild steel sheet metal as shown in the photo here. CNC punching aluminium with a wide range on standard CNC punch press tooling. Folding complex shapes using a range of CNC press brakes. Again, with a large selection of bend tooling to produce most parts without the need for special tooling. All aimed at keeping the cost down on new sheet metal projects.

If you want precision sheet metal brackets another important factory is communication. When you are selecting a new sub-contract sheet metal worker you need to be sure than can read your drawings. We have the ability to open DXF, DWG, STEP and SAT CAD files. Obviously we can also read PDF files if you prefer that format. Sketches and samples can also be used as a starting point for manufacturing.

Ask us for a quote today and we will be happy to help you.

Precision sheet metal fabrications manufactured to your designs

Tuesday, April 20th, 2021

Precision sheet metal fabrications

Precision sheet metal fabrications can be used in so many different ways.

It may be sheet metal components manufactured for an electronics housing. Precision cut outs for cable connector to snap into place. Perhaps precision lighting reflectors to focus the light from a high performance lamp. Precision sheet metal copper plates for electrical bus bars. When there are many components brought together to form an assembly there will be need for precision in the cutting and folding of the individual parts.

Precision sheet metal fabrications

With these particular images we have custom components being formed on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The shapes formed are a combination of CNC bends, CNC curve multi-bends and using curved form tooling. All these precision sheet metal techniques have produced complex shapes without the need for special tooling.

The initial calculations to produce the profile were not easy. 3D CAD/CAM was used to produce a developed blank. This was then experimented and refines. Several iterations later we had the correct blank size for laser cutting and CNC bend programs that worked in production. Having a laser cutting machine is idea with a profile such as this. We can easily cut precision templates to check the shape during a product batch.

Precision sheet metal fabrications

For lots of ideas on sheet metal designs it’s always worth looking at past projects. Our Pinterest boards are a great starting point.

If you have a precision sheet metal fabrication project that needs manufacturing and you have a set of drawings, feel free to send them over to us. We will be happy to work through them and put prices on your volumes breaks for manufacturing as well as suggest any changes that could save you money. Please use sales@vandf.co.uk or call us if you want a chat.

Custom sheet metal workers manufacturing in the UK

Thursday, April 8th, 2021

Custom sheet metal work

Custom sheet metal work can encompass so many different products. From the smallest clip just a few mm across to folded sections up to 3M long. As we deal with approximately 75 different customers every month custom sheet metal really does include many different parts. We would normally say that thinner gauges best suit us when we are manufacturing sheet metal components. Traditionally we have worked up to 3mm thick sheet in ferrous and non-ferrous materials. With a laser cutter we can go thicker than that and work up to 6mm on occasions. It really depends on the size of the component and the tolerances required by the customer.

So, let’s take a look at these custom sheet metal projects in more detail. The only thing these parts have in common is that they were all being manufactured in April 2021. In fact I saw them all on the same day as I walked around our factory. I never tire of seeing sheet metal components being manufactured no matter what the batch size of design. It’s always a good starting point for a sheet metal blog post.

Custom sheet metal work

We have here parts that have both been created by laser cutting and CNC punching. Both services are offered in house and supported by Trumpf service engineers and Radan CAD/CAM software. If a customer had no particular preference for laser cutting or CNC punching we will select the best method to suit the custom part.

It may be that the custom sheet metal part really suits laser cutting, perhaps it has a complex outer profile or a unique cut out shape. New tooling isn’t always practical if there are only small volumes. In that case the way to go is certainly laser cutting. The thickness of the part may also decide which way to go. When parts have added features such as formed dimples, tapped threads or ventilation louvres then it’s obviously going to be CNC punching. We will often produce a quote both ways to see which comes out the cheapest. The advantage for you is that we can take the best path to cheap parts without compromising the quality of the parts.

Custom sheet metal work

For examples of other customer sheet metal work produced by us over the years take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

The parts I have chosen to illustrate here just happen to be made from mild steel, galvanised steel and stainless steel. They could just as well have been brass, copper or aluminium. They have all been folded up on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Having a number of CNC press brakes to call upon enables us to be flexible when it comes to dealing with urgent jobs.

So when I say custom sheet metal work cab be varied I really mean every part is different. That’s the challenge of sub-contract sheet metal work. Every customer has their own ideas and we are here to support them where we can. If you have a custom sheet metal job and need some advice on manufacturing or price options for different volumes, give us a call. Better still, if you have drawings e-mail us at sales@vandf.co.uk and our team will be happy to help you.

Sheet metal housing fabrications manufactured in the UK

Tuesday, March 30th, 2021

Sheet metal housing fabrications come in all shapes and sizes. Here we have 3 different parts that will all go together to make a welded sheet metal housing. All parts have been laser cut and CNC punched before we start CNC bending. The design is all our customers own work but with our input. We helped refine bend sizes to suit standard tooling. Advised on the best methods to join the separate parts together and provided samples to test out ideas.

Sheet metal folded housings produced in the UK

These particular sheet metal housing fabrications were made one batch of 200 parts. Some were produced in groups from the same sheets of metal to save materials. All folded on our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake and then TiG stitch welded together. The final operation after post weld cleaning up was to get them powder coated.

Folded sheet metal parts

We manufacture these parts in on batch and then complete the final welding and powder coating in smaller batches to help our customer. Feeding in regular drops of work to their production schedule.

Want to see hundreds of examples of sheet metal projects? Take a look at our Pinterest Boards for ideas on your next design.

Sub-contract sheet metal enclosures

If you have a job coming up that is going to need sheet metal housing fabrications please ask our team for help. Quote price options, design advice and material selection. Simply e-mail your requirement as a PDF, STEP, SAT, DXF or DWG file. If you only have a sketch that’s fine too.

With over 35 years of experience at V&F Sheet Metal we are here as a supportive partner for your sheet metal needs.

Folding sheet metal housings using CNC press brakes in 2021

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2021

When we are looking at folding sheet metal housings we first have to produce an accurate blank. Accuracy and consistency is what we are looking for. Whether we go down the route of CNC punching or CNC laser cutting the blanks need to be programmed correctly. These blanks are all programmed using our Radan CAD/CAM software.

Connecting 3D software models to developed blanks enables for quick calculations. When run in conjunction with fast setting CNC press brakes test pieces can easily be run. When needed we can then hop onto the laser machine with a test program, run a couple of parts and fold it up in minutes. This then helps to fine tune the production program and improve the process of folding up the sheet metal work.

Folding sheet metal housings in stainless steel

When we are folding sheet metal housings we have a range of CNC press brakes to call upon. Housings and brackets up to 1M long may well be folded on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Larger work can go on our Safan e-Brake 3M CNC press brake. Profiles for the heating, lighting, electronics, audio and display industries are regularly folded. With batch sizes from just a few parts to many thousands regularly produced with no issues.

Folding sheet metal housings by V and F Sheet Metal

Folding sheet metal housings whether it’s in aluminium, stainless steel or Zintec its not an issue when you have the right machines and tooling. The flexibility to go from job to job on the same folding machine and the same tooling just changing the program is great news for us. Offering up these machines as a sub-contract manufacturing service means we have to be nimble in running a large variety of jobs every day. One minute we will be folding sheet metal housings then its stainless steel support brackets or copper electrical connectors. You name it and we have folded it.

Folded aluminium trays

The images you see here were simply selected from a wide range on one day walking around our factory. If you are looking for a sheet metal company to help folding sheet metal housings please give us a try. Simple call us for a chat or e-mail your drawing requirements.

For more examples of sheet metal housings take a look at Pinterest Boards.

Our engineering team are here to help you.

Multi bending curves in sheet metal using CNC press brakes

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2021

Multi bending curved surfaces

Whenever we need to produce curves in sheet metal we have several methods to consider. The overall length of the profile, material type, thickness, radius and production volumes all play a part in this decision. With small components in relatively high volumes constructing a form tool may well be a sensible option. This type of tooling could be mounted in a CNC press brake, power press or if small in a fly press. It would be idea for small brackets with curved profiles.

If however the part had an even radius form, rolling the curve may be a better option. With a range of hand and power rollers in house we often roll curved shapes. Up to 1M wide and a range of materials and thicknesses up to 3mm can be processed. Rolling works best where a consistent radius is required, for instance a semi-circular band. If however a more complex multi-radius curve is required then multi bending is the perfect solution.

Multi bending sheet metal curves

Multi bending on CNC press brakes can be a very flexible manufacturing process. With the ability to create complex shapes with both concave and convex curves within the same piece of sheet metal, multi bending is the method of choice for larger and complex profiles. Being able to adjust CNC programs from batch to batch to suit different material spring back characteristics is perfect. Curves can be checked against laser cut templates to ensure their accuracy.

With no special tooling required multi bending can also be used as a quick way to try out shapes for prototype work before money is committed to expensive hard tooling. More images of curved sheet metal can be found on our Pinterest Boards.

The great thing about all these processes; forming, rolling and multi bending is that we can apply the right one to suit your design and volumes. With a copy of your drawing or CAD data we can explore the options for you and produce a range of prices to suit. Simply send us an enquiry and we will do the rest.

Sheet metal bracket design ideas to help you save you money

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2021

Sheet metal bracket design

Sheet metal bracket design ideas can be many and varied. From using different materials and surface treatments to material thicknesses and profiles. The brackets shown here were manufactured from mild steel (zinc plated) and mill finish aluminium. They could just as easily have been produced from galvanised steel or stainless steel. Like all sheet metal manufacturing we have the flexibility to produce a wide range of part designs without the need for specific tooling.

Sheet metal brackets designed with inserted threads are ideal for saving time in assembly. Whether its bushes, stand-offs or studs we have huge stocks of parts and all the tooling needed to insert them. CNC bending brackets is easy when you have decades of experience and the right tooling for the job.

Sheet metal bracket design

Laser cutting and CNC punching both perfectly suit the manufacture of sheet metal bracket blanks. Using Radan CAD/CAM software to develop reliable 3D models, developed blanks and complete tooled nests we are able to turn your ideas into reality.

A great place to review an in depth study of the stages we might go through in CNC programming sheet metal brackets can be seen at http://www.vandf.co.uk/software/sheet-metal-fabricated-bracket/

For many more examples of sheet metal bracket designs you can always take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

If you already have a bracket design ready for quoting / manufacture please send us a drawing and our team will be happy to take a look for you.

Sheet metal manufacturing near me

Tuesday, December 8th, 2020

If you are looking for sheet metal manufacturing near you perhaps you should be talking to V and F Sheet Metal. Based in the south of England and with well over 30 years experience in manufacturing sheet metal work for people right across the UK. We ship product locally and far afield. Please take a look at our website pages to see the wide range of parts we manufacture and all to our customers own designs.

CNC punched galvanised brackets

The images shown here illustrate the stages of CNC punching and CNC bending a sheet metal bracket. You can see that once a single component has been tooled it can easily be copied over a whole sheet. This enables us to achieve a high yield from any given sheet size.

Sheet metal component manufacturing

This is a good example of CNC punching a part with a range of simple off the shelf tooling. A small range of circles, rectangles and a single D were used to create the component profile and holes. If you want to view the wide range of CNC punch press tooling that we have for you to use for free, take a look at our tooling library. For more examples of CNC punching it’s well worth a look at our Pinterest Boards. There is also a collection of past manufacturing projects illustrated in our gallery pages with hundreds of ideas for your nest sheet metal design. Feel free to take a look and call us if there is something that catches your eye. We can often adapt tooling and ideas to suit different products.

Sheet metal CNC punched nests

The scrap sheets known as “skeletons” are collected up and recycled along with all the metal that comes from the holes. Metal is grouped together by grade e.g. stainless steel, aluminium, mild steel and kept separate. This metal is then sent for melting down to remake fresh metal sheet. This process is very green with very little waste. Even components that are used to help set up manufacturing processes and then scrapped can be included and recycled.

CNC bent sheet metal brackets

And finally the folded bracket is ready to be shipped to the customer. This small galvanised steel bracket is typical of the sheet metal work that we produce every day of the week. If you have a sheet metal project that needs manufacturing please give us a call or e-mail us your drawings and we will be happy to take a look for you.

So for sheet metal manufacturing near you please ask for details.

CNC punching and CNC bending sheet metal work

Wednesday, August 26th, 2020

CNC punching and CNC bending

Combining CNC punching and CNC bending together enables some great products to be manufactured very quickly. Employing the very latest sheet metal CAD/CAM software enables our customers to adapt their designs from batch to batch. Fine tuning designs and producing special projects are no problem for us. We can work with your 2D and 3D files to help you with your designs. It also enables us to produce fast accurate quotations with costed options where necessary.

Producing accurate blanks is the key to folding accurate parts. We are lucky in having 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses and a Trumpf CNC laser cutting machine. We can swap jobs around to find the best manufacturing method and also reduce bottlenecks in production. Some sheet metal parts can even be CNC laser cut and then CNC punched to add extra formed features. Then onto CNC bending. With the ability to access all these processes within one factory enables us to offer a very flexible service to our customers.

CNC punched and CNC formed mild steel sheet

All our principle CNC bending machines share the same tooling. Have a rush job and we can move production around to suit your needs. Repeatable parts from batch to batch with centrally stored CNC programs for punching and bending.

CNC punching and CNC bending are the backbone of our manufacturing service. Couple this with CNC laser cutting and you have a great combination of tools to get any sheet metal job made.

CNC punched and CNC bent sheet metal work

Looking for a flexible partner to help you with your sheet metal needs?

Contact V and F Sheet Metal and we will be happy to help you out with your next order. Take a look at our Pinterest boards for lots of great examples of CNC punching and CNC bending.

Have a drawing then simple e-mail sales@vandf.co.uk or give us a call for a chat if you wish

CNC bending sheet metal work in the UK during 2020

Tuesday, July 28th, 2020

Brackets manufactured in the UK

It’s time to have another quick look at recent sheet metal projects. This time it’s sheet metal brackets. Using various CNC bending techniques some very complex parts can be manufactured. I love that fact that nearly every bracket we produce is different to the next but all using standard tooling. Whether it’s on one of our smaller Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes or our larger 3M Safan e-brake the tooling’s the same. The process is the same and so is the end result, accurately folded sheet metal work.

The repeatability from part to part and from batch to batch is what makes these machines so useful in the workshop. We can produce a sample today and come back in a year’s time with the same CNC program and tooling and run production without any changes. Before CNC bending machines (press brakes) every set up was a long winded process and nowhere near as accurate as todays processes.

sub-contract sheet metal work

We take full advantage of the ability to treat a small batch like a big batch when it comes to costing. With very short set up times along with easy setting of a laser machine it has enabled us to try out samples and fine tune sizes before running a production batch. It’s a great help when materials come in say in their bottom or top tolerance for gauge. Simply run a couple of parts from the corner of a sheet and bend them up to check all is well before pressing ahead with the full production batch.

2020 has been a strange year for everyone. We hope now to push ahead again with supporting our customers, dealing with panic orders if they help our customers to gain new business and as ever the standard production runs when people need them.

If you have a sheet metal bracket that needs CNC bending simply send us a drawing and we will be happy to quote for production. Have an idea and stuck on the detail, give us a call and our team will help you out.

Brackets manufactured in the UK direct to your own designs

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2020

Brackets manufactured in the UK

If you are looking for brackets manufactured in the UK then we are definitely here to help you. With over 30 years’ experience in manufacturing we can help you with your new projects. Hundreds of CNC punching and CNC bending tools enables us to produce the vast majority of products without the need for new tooling. Having seen and manufactured so many projects in the past help us to see any pitfalls in a complex design, point them out early on and save you money.

Whether you are thinking of having brackets manufactured in stainless steel, mild steel or aluminium we are here to help. We also manufacture brackets from brass, copper, galv., Zintec and spring stainless steel. You name it and we make it.

Brackets manufactured in the UK

With a wide range of CNC punching, laser cutting and CNC bending facilities all in house samples and development can be quickly supported. 3D images from our Radan CAD/CAM system can be used to help discussions when it comes to reviewing design options.

All you have to do now is send us a drawing in either 2D or 3D format. Need to have a chat, that’s OK with us we are passionate about sheet metal and would love to hear from you and discuss your ideas.

Folded stainless steel sheet metal housings manufactured in the UK

Thursday, July 16th, 2020

CNC bending stainless steel housings

Folded stainless steel sheet metal housings, some of the options available to you.

When you are designing sheet metal housings it’s always worth thinking about the manufacturing processes in advance. Whether the housing is made from a single piece of metal or many sub-parts joined together time spent early on will save money in the long run.

We may be looking at laser cutting v CNC punching to produce the housing blanks. Depending on the thickness of the material required and the complexity of the design one way or the other will seem the best route to take. Some feature may also immediately suggest a certain blank production method, for example if the housing has formed dimples or plunged and tapped threads then CNC punching will be the best manufacturing method. If however the housing has a company logo cut into it or a series of curved profiles laser cutting may be the more efficient method of production. We will always look at your design and select the most appropriate method and keep you in the loop at the quoting stage.

Stainless steel housings

There are similar considerations to be made when it comes to folding sheet metal housings. Not only the physical size and tonnage required to fold the angles but the complexity of the design and the ease with which the folds can be produced. This certainly needs experience, we have had many a good design sent to us to find that’s it’s impossible to fold from 1 piece of metal. A quick call or e-mail at an early stage of development will save time in the long run especially if we are using off the shelf tooling.

These folded stainless steel sheet metal housings have been developed in conjunction with the customer to enable the most efficient method of production. The more parts that have to be assembled together more thought has to be given to alignment and tolerance build up. This is where a useful piece of software such as our 3D Radan CAD/CAM software comes in handy.

Stainless steel housings

Like so much in sheet metal work it can look easy until you come to translating your designs to physical components. We are always here to help you with your ideas and point you in the right direction when it comes to tooling and material selection.

For more examples of recent sheet metal projects why not take a look at our Pinterest boards.

We are always happy to receive your drawings to review.

Bending and Forming sheet metal work

Tuesday, June 9th, 2020

Laser cut mild steel bracket blanks

When we are bending and forming sheet metal there are so many ways to go about it. From the simplest single folded angle bracket right up to complex folded enclosure assemblies we have the techniques to support you.

Starting with either CNC punched or laser cut blanks gives us the best chance of producing perfect sheet metal components. Using high quality programming software and years of experience enables us to fine tune cutting and bending CNC programs to get the best from all out machines. Being sub-contract sheet metal workers we have to be very flexible. Each customer and new order will have different demands. It maybe the tolerances of sizes that will be the utmost of importance to one customer. Surface finish could be key with another. Lead time with another or perhaps price. We have to juggle all these concerns on a daily basis when manufacturing sheet metal work for our customers. Bending and forming components is no different.

Forming sheet metal brackets

Looking specifically at the small brackets shown here we can see some of these factors in play. Accurately cut blanks produced by laser cutting enables us to maintain a clean outer profile. Simple fly-press tooling was created at a low cost to produce the deformation in the middle of the component. Finally the folds were bent up on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. With a wide range of standard tooling and 3 identical machine to select from production was carried out very quickly.

Bending sheet metal brackets

With the experience of literally thousands of past bending and forming projects to call upon there isn’t much we cannot produce. You may like to view some of our past projects on our Pinterest Boards. Having folding machines with forces up to 100 tons and 3M long enables to tackle most of the enquiries that come our way.

Perhaps you have a sheet metal component that needs bending and forming. We would love to take a look for you and produce a range of price options and comment where we can to save money. Send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will do the rest.

Latest sheet metal projects manufactured in the UK

Wednesday, March 4th, 2020

Latest sheet metal projects manufactured in the UK direct to your designs

Mild steel support brackets

Whether you want just a few simple flat sheet metal plates or a very complex welded fabrication we will be able to help you. Special one off sheet metal projects or monthly repeating batches of work we don’t mind. With over 30 years of manufacturing experience in the UK, contact us with your ideas. Laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC bending and a host of other sheet metal manufacturing processes.

If you have a full set of dimensioned drawings and CAD files that’s great. If you only have a sketchy idea of what you want we can still work with you to get your desired outcome. We are always happy to help you and advise the best design options to suit the right manufacturing techniques, materials types, gauge thickness and cosmetic or protective finishes.

Aluminium angle brackets

These sheet metal projects show a range of manufacturing techniques. From laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC bending and formed press work. The Zintec angle brackets have also had zinc plated bushes inserted. Batches of 50, 250 and 1000 for these parts.

Sheet metal angle brackets

There are plenty of other examples of sheet metal projects manufactured in the UK over the last few years. Take a look at our Pinterest boards.

The sheet metal projects shown here are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the range of production we get involved with. You really need to explore our website to see all the weird and wonderful projects we get involved with for our UK customers.

Send us your details and drawings in 2D or 3D formats. and leave the rest to us. We are happy to comment on any design issues you may be having, provide you with quote options and lead times.

Manufacturing small sheet metal brackets in the UK

Friday, January 3rd, 2020

Manufacturing small sheet metal brackets in the UK

Manufacturing small sheet metal brackets in the UK using the latest CNC manufacturing techniques.

We have been manufacturing sheet metal components for well over 30 years. Servicing the needs of our customers, manufacturing brackets to their designs and in the volumes they need when they need them. These tiny stainless steel brackets for a electronics cable connector are typical of the small end of the work we make every day of the week. Using our 3 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes we can handle the trickiest of bending jobs with no fuss. Whether they are laser cut or CNC punched we have the team and plant in house to deal with your designs. With the ability to take your 3D files and adjust them to suit correct manufacturing tolerances we are always looking to save production time and money.

Click on the image to get an idea on just how small these sheet metal brackets really are.

For more images of past sheet metal bracket projects take a look at our gallery page.

Do you have small sheet metal brackets that are smaller than this? We like a challenge, give us a try. Send us your CAD data and our engineering team will be happy to take a look and produce some quotations for you.

Sheet metal enclosures manufactured in mild steel with formed louvres

Monday, October 14th, 2019

CNC punching sheet metal enclosures on our Trumpf 200 punch press

Sheet metal enclosures come in so many shapes and sizes. Different materials, manufacturing processes and finishes are called for and you need to be sure you are getting the right price. When it comes to manufacturing sheet metal enclosure we have all the facilities you require. Whether it’s CNC punching as these examples of laser cutting we can process your designs efficiently.

Formed sheet metal louvres - 3 sheets waiting to be broken out

Formed sheet metal louvres – 3 sheets of CNC punched mild steel waiting to be broken out

These particular mild steel sheet metal enclosures are being manufactured to house fibre optic lighting control gear. They will be folded up on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes and have a variety of bushes and studs inserted. With spot welded corner joints and accompanying covers they will then be powder coated.

Sheet metal enclosures still in their CNC punched nest

If you want your sheet metal enclosures powder coated, zinc plated, anodised or silk screened we have a selection of sub-contract suppliers who work with us to give you the best service possible. You simple have to ask and we will track down that unusual material or finish if that’s really what you need for your design.

If you want help with your designs and are not quite sure how to get the best from today’s sheet metal manufacturing equipment, give us a call. We can easily take a look at your drawings and suggest improvements to simplify features to speed up production. Perhaps you need to look at our CNC punch press tooling tables to eliminate the chances of needing new tooling.

Feel free to call us or e-mail your ideas to sales@vandf.co.uk

Folded sheet metal work manufactured in the UK

Thursday, August 1st, 2019

Fast Tube by Casper

Nice example of using our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes to produce folded sheet metal work. These stainless steel components have a white plastic film on one side. This ensures that the outside face of the folded component will be kept clean and scratch free during the production processes. With a range of CNC press brakes and tooling we can produce all sorts of folded sheet metal work. Whether it’s stainless steel channels as this video, aluminium housings and mild steel angle brackets we have it covered.

The ease of setting up our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes and the speed of bending helps us to produce competitively priced sub-contract sheet metal work.

As with all the sheet metal work we produce for our customers in the UK we look for any savings we can pass onto you. Whether it’s reviewing the material types and gauges or small changes to suit standard tooling we are here to help you. If you have a folded sheet metal work job and you are not quite sure what is achievable give us a call and we will be happy to guide you. We can always produce some price options so that you can see where the cost savings would be if changes were to be made.

Email us at sales@vandf.co.uk and we will get started on making your next sheet metal project a success.

Aluminium electronics chassis panels manufactured in the UK

Friday, June 7th, 2019

Aluminium electronics chassis

Aluminium electronics chassis panels CNC punched and CNC folded. Manufactured in house by our engineering team in the UK. You design it and we will make it. From the simplest flat panel with just a few holes. Right up to complex welded chassis assemblies for housings electronics components.

Having over 30 years experience in manufacturing sheet metal work for the UK electronics industry we are here to assist you. With many standard tools for CNC punching and CNC bending on the shelf and ready to go. Using the latest sheet metal CAD/CAM software (Radan 2019). We can effortlessly communicate with your design team and guide them to produce the best parts for manufacturing.

Aluminium electronics chassis panels from from connector plates right up to 3M long display panels. All produced in house and with powder coating, iridite NCP or anodising treatment where necessary through our network of long established suppliers.

Whether your designs need CNC punching or laser cutting or a combination we are here to help. We have experience in combining both manufacturing methods where needed to produce the perfect panel.

Simply send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will do the rest. Check your options, produce price options and manufacture without any fuss.

Mild steel heater ventilation grilles produced with CNC press brakes

Monday, June 3rd, 2019

Mild steel heater ventilation grilles

Heater ventilation grilles CNC punched and CNC folded from mild steel sheet.

V and F Sheet Metal have manufactured sheet metal work for a wide range of companies since the 1980s. Be it heating, lighting, electronics, audio and a host of other industries. Always looking for anew ways to support our customers with simple tooling to save them money. Clever CNC programming to speed up production. Constant investment in plant and equipment to produce the best parts for the cheapest costs.

Being able to process ferrous and non-ferrous materials from 0.3mm upwards we can offer a complete sheet metal working service. In house production enables us to keep on top of your order and suggest design improvements.

Galvanised mild steel housings, aluminium electronics chassis and stainless steel support brackets have all been used in some of our customers heater units. With a range of ventilation louvres, bespoke form tooling and the ability to laser cut unusual shapes we can manufacture a wide range of heater ventilation grilles.

From the smallest mild steel clip or earth tag right up to 3M long support sections and louvres panels call us for a quote.

Our team will be happy to chat through your ideas on 01489 577786. Otherwise send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk for an estimate.

Folded sheet metal chassis panels manufactured in the UK

Thursday, May 23rd, 2019

Folded sheet metal chassis panels

Sheet metal chassis panels come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Perhaps simple flat plates such as 19” rack mounted front panels. Sometimes they will have folds to create a shallow tray. Others may have welded features or are made up from several separate parts.

The panels shown here have been folded up and have a series of threaded mild steel zinc plated studs inserted. These are quite typical of the sheet metal chassis panels we often produce for our UK based customers. With such a wide range of material options, different gauges, finishes and designs no two panels are ever alike. These have been CNC punched and CNC bent up from 1.2mm 5251 aluminium alloy.

They were manufactured in a batch of 100 parts. This volume perfectly suits our manufacturing facilities although we will produce small volumes right up to many thousands when required. For us it’s all about offering a service that can cope with a growing customers needs, “large oaks from small acorns”. We have seen so many customers grow from just a few test pieces to full production runs and it’s great to be a part of that success story.

With so many years experience we always have a solution to your sheet metal problems.

Call us on 01489 577786 to have a chat with our engineering team or e-mail sales@vandf.co.uk with your drawings.

Sheet metal aluminium fibre optic housings manufactured in the UK

Monday, May 20th, 2019

Aluminium fibre optic housings

From a single sheet of aluminium we can produce a number of fibre optic housings. CNC punched and CNC bent to our customers design. With a series of bushes and studs inserted before welding. All details carried out to our customers own design and order volume. In this instance there were 200 to be manufactured and then powder coated.

Housings such as these can be produced to hold electronics, lighting gear, pump sets etc. Being sub-contract sheet metal workers we have to turn our hand to a whole range of projects. That’s what makes our job interesting and at times challenging.

With over 30 years experience in manufacturing sheet metal work we have the skills and equipment to not only produce work but help our customers improve their designs. If we see something that looks over complicated we will comment to reduce effort and save you money. Again and again we have saved our customers money which is what we are here for. A partnership to aid your designer and purchasing team.

Call us up on 01489 577786 or e-mail us at sales@vandf.co.uk and send us your drawings. DXF, DWG, PDF, SAT, STEP and IGES formats are fine for us. Take the next step to saving yourself time and money with V and S Sheet Metal.

Aluminium sheet metal workers manufacturing in the UK – 2019

Thursday, May 9th, 2019

Aluminium sheet metal workers manufacturing in the UK

Aluminium sheet metal workers in the UK

Simple aluminium sheet metal frame starts out as a laser cut blank. Producing the parts by laser cutting gave us the opportunity to produce nice clean inner and outer edge profiles. The parts were cut on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser machine using pure nitrogen to a clean edge cut. The laser cut blanks required virtually no edge de-burring.

Aluminium sheet metal workers in the UK

Being a small part the aluminium sheet metal frames were perfect for bending on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. We make so many small sheet metal parts that we have 3 of these small productive machines. They can cope with work up to 1M long but are mainly in the work shop to produce all the smaller brackets, channels, trays etc.

We have common CNC press brake tooling across these small press brakes and our larger 3M Safan CNC press brake. This enables us to move work around in the work shop to suit our customers order requirements.

Aluminium sheet metal workers in the UK

Trays like these demonstrate just how easy it is to manufacture sheet metal components with standard tooling. Powerful CAD/CAM tools and a wide range of CNC punching and bending tools makes it easy for us to accommodate your design ideas. Interested in talking to sheet metal workers based in the UK with over 30 years’ experience. Send us your drawings and we will be happy to produce quotes of chat through your designs. Please send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk or call us on 01489 577786.

Brackets manufactured in the UK to your designs

Tuesday, April 16th, 2019

Brackets manufactured in the UK

Whether you are looking for a few special sheet metal brackets to complete a special installation or repeating batches of brackets for higher volume production we are here to help you. We have over many years produced thousands of different brackets for our customers in the UK. Using a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous material ranging from 0.3mm right up to 10.0mm thick we can cover all your needs.

Brackets manufactured in the UK

Using our CNC punch presses and fibre laser cutting machine to find the best production methods for producing the bracket blanks. Depending on the materials and the gauge as well as the details we will know which way to go and the most cost effective process to suit your needs.

Having a large library of standard CNC punch tooling helps us to keep your costs down, especially if you only have a small order. It’s the same with CNC bending. We have a wide range of CNC press brake tooling which will enable us to fold a wide range of shapes, angles, safe edges and bespoke forms.

For lots of past projects of brackets manufactured in the UK take a look at our Pinterest Board.

Brackets manufactured in the UK

Our customers come back again and again for production but also for advice. Whether it’s manufacturing advice to solve a tricky design problem or perhaps advice when selecting the correct materials. Often a simple phone call is enough to save a lot of money when it comes to production. We are always happy to help and enjoy being part of our customers design team.

Give us a call and we will be happy to help. Alternatively if you wish send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will sort out a quote.

Manufacturer of sheet metal stainless steel brackets

Wednesday, April 10th, 2019

Manufacturer of small sheet metal stainless steel brackets produced in the UK

stainless steel brackets

We have been manufacturing small stainless steel brackets for over 30 years. All the thousands of different types of brackets have been made to our customer’s designs. Whether it’s laser cutting or CNC punching we will produce sheet metal blanks to suit any shape or size that you need.

With 7 CNC press brakes ranging from 600mm right up to 3M long all sorts of brackets can be cater for. You only have to look at the vast range of past projects featured on our website to realise you have come to the right place for your sheet metal work. With a wide range of customers in Lighting, Heating, Audio and Electronics industries in the UK there’s not much we haven’t come across before.

stainless steel brackets

So you have a sheet metal bracket that you are going to need in your next project. Simply send us your drawings or call us up on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to help you. It might be that we only have to take your drawing and produce a range of prices for you. It may be that you are almost there but need some advice to finish off your design. You may have a price target and need a little design advice to reduce costs, talk to our friendly engineering team for help.

Pre-painted sheet metal heater unit covers manufactured in Great Britain

Monday, March 11th, 2019

CNC punched heater cover blanks

CNC punching is the perfect manufacturing process for making small to medium sized batches of sheet metal work. These pre-painted heater unit covers were CNC punched in a batch of 500 units. Using bespoke tooling to produce the grille cut-outs in single hits reduced punching time and produced nice clean holes. CNC punching is also a good manufacturing method when processing pre-painted sheet metal. Is does not burn the hole profiles as with laser cutting and keeping on the protective sheet film reduces damage and oil stains during the whole manufacturing cycle.

CNC folded heater covers

Before the final curved form was pressed in place the heater unit covers had their sides folded. This process was easy using one of our 3 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes and a standard set of V bend tooling.

Formed heater unit covers

The final curved form was pressed into the cover with a form tool on our Edwards Pearson CNC press brake. The tooling was manufactured in our factory helping to keep the cost down for the customer. The final covers had a simple earth tag riveted in place and then were packed ready for transit direct to our customer on the south coast of Great Britain.

If you have a design idea and it needs painting it might be worth asking us about pre-painted materials. They can often be used to save cost and speed up the delivery lead times. Not all designs will be suitable but we will be happy to help you explore the options open to you.

Drop us a line at sales@vandf.co.uk or call on 01486 577786 and we will be happy to help you.

Copper sheet metal work manufactured in the UK

Monday, February 11th, 2019

Copper sheet metal brackets

It’s not often I get to show off a copper sheet metal project. These brackets caught my eye for nothing more than their wonderful colour. In a work shop of mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium, copper sheet metal really does shine out. These simple copper brackets are used as electrical contactor brackets in electrical switch gear assemblies.

The copper brackets were laser cut from C101 copper sheet on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser. It’s the perfect machine for processing copper sheet metal work. Combined with our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes for bending up the brackets they make the perfect sub-contract sheet metal manufacturing team.

We manufacture thousands of different sheet metal brackets for our customers in the UK, take a look at our Bracket and Angle gallery page or our Pinterest Board for inspiration for your next design project.

You may not currently have a requirement for copper brackets, it may be that you need brackets made form brass, stainless or galvanised steel. Whatever bracket you need in over 30 years experience we will have come across it before and can certainly help you out. Our team will be happy to help you with your design ideas, getting the best method for manufacturing and offer price options to suit your batch sizes. Call us on 01489 577786 or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk for more information.

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