CNC bending and folding Archives -

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.

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 manufacturing techniques, materials and 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 etc. and leave the rest to us.

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.

Bending laser cut sheet metal components in Great Britain

Thursday, January 17th, 2019

Sheet metal components can come is a wide range of shapes and sizes. From the simplest flat metal plate to complex intricate welded fabrications. We offer support to our customers’ right across the range with a host of sheet metal manufacturing services. Having control of these manufacturing processes in house enables us to tailor services to suit different designs and production volumes.

Flat laser cut aluminium components

Here is an example of us producing an aluminium bracket. The component could have been CNC punched. We looked at the developed flat blank shape and decided that laser cutting would be better. With its shape and the blending corner radius features on the outer profile laser cutting was the best method to use.

Bent Aluminium components

Once the components were laser cut there was no need to deburr the edges as the cut was so clean. We often find that when laser cutting thin gauges with our fibre laser cutter the edge is acceptable to your customer without further edge finishing operations. We will also include small corner radii to help reduce the chances of people cutting their hands in subsequent assembly processes.

Bending sheet metal components on the Trumpf 7036

Setting up the Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake to fold a component like this is relatively easy. With a simple single top and bottom V tool the whole component can be folded up. Programming the machine allows the operator to control the length or each bend and its angle. The combination of upwards and downwards folds, varying lengths and bend angles enables complex components to be programmed in simple stages. Once a program has been written a single “first off” part is produced. If it’s not exactly to drawing a simple correction can be made on the program to an angle and it will be reflected across all the bends. After the part meets the drawing requirements the process can be repeated again and again until the batch is complete. Depending on the size of the batch of parts, the complexity and drawing tolerances we may stop and check random parts to ensure all is correct.

Fast Tube by Casper

If you are looking for more information on CNC bending take a look at our page, “What is CNC bending?”

Or possibly you would like to see hundreds of examples of CNC folded sheet metal components on our Pinterest Board to give you some ideas for your next new design.

If you have a new sheet metal project and you want us to take a look for you please feel free to give us a call or email sales@vandf.co.uk with your drawings. We will be happy to help with quotes and advice.

Folding sheet metal components with formed joggles using a CNC press brake

Monday, January 7th, 2019

Folding sheet metal components using our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes and special joggle tooling

Folding sheet metal components with formed joggles

Ever wondered how we produce a double bend, often called a joggle? Well this type of Z shape can be produced by simply bending using a V bend block and then turning the component over and bending again to achieve a Z shape. This is easy to achieve with bends that are not too close to each other. When the bends get too close you cannot turn over and get the second bend in position without the first bend hitting the tooling. The only way to them produce 2 bends close to each other is to use special joggle tooling.

Folding sheet metal components with formed joggles

Here you can see some laser cut zintec blanks being formed up using special joggle tooling. The advantages of special tooling is that the exact sizes wanted on the customers design can be achieved. This can allow for sheet thickness and material type. The Trumpf tooling department will work with us to produce the correct tooling to give you what you want.

Folding sheet metal components with formed joggles

If you want to take a look at some of our bending machines folding sheet metal components please view our YouTube channel. You can also see plenty of other sheet metal processes employed by us to produce sheet metal components.

Folding sheet metal components with formed joggles

The best thing to do if you have a sheet metal design and it needs to have tight joggle bends is give us a call. We can go into more depth on the standard tooling we have and the options available to you for special tooling. The costs for special is not as much as you might think.

For more information on CNC bending please take a look at our web page.

Sheet metal manufacturing projects produced during December 2018

Monday, December 17th, 2018

Sheet metal manufacturing projects

It’s almost the end of 2018 and we are still involved with sheet metal manufacturing projects. Customers want components and assemblies right up to the last working day. As we have throughout the year we will support them where we can with advice and the right manufacturing processes. Click on the image to get a better view of just 6 of the very latest projects going through our manufacturing workshop. These projects all required CNC programming using Radan CAD/CAM software, CNC laser cutting or CNC punching. They all needed CNC bending which is no problem when you have 7 CNC press brakes.

If you are looking to perhaps review your options for sheet metal work then now might be the time to look at a new supplier. Having a wide range of skills and an impressive selection of modern manufacturing plant V and F Sheet Metal could be the perfect partner you have been looking for. Based in Hampshire on the south coast we are ideally placed to support manufacturing business in the south and across the UK.

Why not take a more in depth look at sheet metal work and how we go about making it.

For a huge range of past sheet metal manufacturing project images why not take a look at our Pinterest Pages.

Call us on 01489 577786 or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and our team will be happy to help you.

Laser cutting 6mm thick mild steel brackets to your designs

Tuesday, December 4th, 2018

Laser cutting mild steel brackets to your bespoke designs here in the UK

Laser cutting 6mm thick mild steel brackets

Here is a typical display of mild steel brackets produced in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire, UK. Manufactured in house by laser cutting and CNC bending direct to our customer’s own designs. Understanding just what can be achieved with laser cutting and CNC bending then leave it to V and F Sheet Metal! We have decades of experience in sheet metal working from producing simple angle brackets right up to complex electronics fabrications. These mild steel brackets were laser cut from 6mm thick plate and used to support heater units in a shopping centre.

So what’s next

Looking for more images of sheet metal brackets to give you some ideas for your design follow this Pinterest Board. We have hundreds of examples of past sheet metal projects on our Pinterest Boards and gallery pages within our website, help yourself!

If you have a need for mild steel brackets please give us a call and our engineering team will be happy to help you. With lots of standard CNC press brake tooling on the shelf we can move on your projects straight away. Try us.

Sheet metal workers in Hampshire Great Britain

Thursday, November 29th, 2018

Sheet metal workers in Hampshire Great Britain using the latest CNC controlled equipment.

Folded sheet metal angles

Based in Hampshire on the M27 we are ideally placed to support companies along the south coast and with next day deliveries throughout Great Britain.

So many of our sheet metal projects start out by being either CNC punched or laser cut and this example is no different. Due to the accuracy and the speed that they offer sheet metal workers these processes are perfect for this type of component. Being relatively small, thin gauge and a batch of nearly 2000 parts it was perfect for our capacity.

Folding sheet metal work

Using a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake to fold a component under 1M long is the best choice. It’s very quick and easy to set up. It’s very quick to run and has the accuracy demanded by our customers parts.

There are lots of opportunities to see the Trumpf 7036 in action on our YouTube channel.

All our manufacturing processes are supported by using Radan CAD/CAM sheet metal work and P4W production management software systems.

Sheet metal workers in Hampshire Great Britain

So in conclusion, if you have a sheet metal job that needs laser cutting / CNC punching or folding you need to give us a call. We will be more than happy to support you in the correct dimensions for your design to suit standard tooling and save you money. Call us on 01489 577786 or alternatively e-mail us on sales@vandf.co.uk for a quick quote.

Furniture brackets manufactured from sheet metal in Great Britain

Thursday, November 15th, 2018

Furniture brackets – a recent sheet metal project

Here’s a great example of a recent sheet metal project we have manufactured for a furniture company based in Great Britain. Producing a range of brackets from different gauges of mild steel, different sizes and with different angles to suit the chairs and tables shown below. We used our standard CNC punch and CNC bend tooling to create all the parts without the need for new tooling. All the component details were worked out using Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software.

If you would like to see the furniture brackets being folded up on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes follow this link to our YouTube channel.

All parts were CNC punched and CNC bent in house. We organised the CNC programming, sample manufacture, production and powder coating for our customer.

If you have a sheet metal project that requires a design input please let us know. We are here to help you and our engineering team has decades of experience in the development and manufacturing of sheet metal work for the most competitive parts.

Furniture brackets

Chairs with mild steel brackets

Getting production ready

Chair leg assembly

Brackets all screwed in place

The complete range of furniture

Curved stainless steel sections created by CNC bending

Monday, November 12th, 2018

Curved stainless steel sections created by CNC bending on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes

CNC multi-bending curved sections

When we want to create a curved section in sheet metal we have 3 possible options.

1. Manufacture a form tool that can press the curved shape in one go. This is the quickest way to produce each part but does require what could be an expensive form tool. This is idea for high volume work.

2. If the curved section radius is larger we can always look at rolling the curve. This process is slower than a single form tool but has not set up cost. It’s idea for smaller batches of components.

3. If the volumes are not too high and the customer doesn’t mind some evidence of the production process then multi-bending is an option. This process is illustrated in this photograph. Curved stainless steel sections have been created with a series of programmed bending.

Although you can see the bend lines, and I can count approximately 30 individual bends the process is surprisingly quick, as the gap between each bend and the angle folded up is small the machine can travel quickly. Curved stainless steel sections like these can be formed up in around 1 minute.

If you would like to see our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes in action please take a look at our YouTube channel.

If you have a sheet metal design that needs a curved section please call our engineering team. They will be more than happy to investigate the manufacturing options open to you and the best method for your design.

Sub-contract CNC sheet metal manufacturing in Great Britain

Monday, November 5th, 2018

Sub-contract CNC sheet metal manufacturing

CNC folding sheet metal work

There are several advantages to CNC manufacturing.

Firstly, the speed with which new projects can be trialed. Often no special tooling is needed whether components are being CNC punched or CNC bent. And certainly no tooling is required if sheet metal manufacturing is taking place with laser cutting.

There is the ability to change details of a component’s blank size, hole positions or bends without tooling changes. This can lead to many design options and no extra costs for our customers. This is ideal when you have special projects or are looking for customisation within your product range.

The ability to produce components accurately and quickly across a range of batch sizes is another strength when looking to manufacture using CNC equipment. Here you can see 2 good examples of manufacturing repeatability within the CNC bending manufacturing process.

CNC sheet metal manufacturing

Everything we do at V and F Sheet Metal and the investments we make are to make your job easier. Quicker delivery of accurate parts at a price that will help you to compete and win new orders. We want to be an essential part of your business and offering the right service is very important to us.

All our CNC programs, whether they are generated by our engineering team or at the machine on the workshop are backed up offsite every night. We need to be able to access the right CNC program just when it’s needed to produce your work.

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

If you are looking for a new supplier for your CNC manufactured sheet metal work then give our team a call (01489 57776). If you would prefer to e-mail (sales@vandf.co.uk) that’s no problem with us. Make the move today and start to reap the benefits of working with a flexible and reliable supplier.

Stainless steel blanks laser cut with Trumpf 3030 fibre laser

Monday, October 29th, 2018

stainless steel laser cut blanks

Stainless steel used to be a difficult material to work with. It’s very hard and wears press tooling and CNC punch press tooling, stainless steel also needs high tonnages to process. Once laser cutting machines become available to the sub-contractor stainless steel blanks became much easier to produce.

stainless steel folded chassis

Folding stainless components with the range of CNC press brakes that we have is easy for us. Whether we are using our small Guilfil or Trumpf machines for stainless steel brackets and chassis assemblies or our Safan e-Brake for longer sections, it makes no difference to us.

Stainless steel blanks are just the start of the process. If you want to know more about sheet metal production please take a look at “What is sheet metal work” for more details.

We have a YouTube channel with dozens of videos showing laser cutting, CNC punching and CNC bending stainless steel components.

Once you have a design you want manufacturing we will be happy to help you. Whether you want part designer in 430, 304 or 316 stainless steel we can help you and get the best from the material for you. Call us on 01489 577786 we are waiting to take your call.

Quality sheet metal workers in Hampshire

Monday, October 22nd, 2018

If you are looking for quality sheet metal workers in Hampshire then you need to talk with V and F Sheet Metal.

Whether it’s laser cutting, CNC punching or CNC bending we are here to help you. Offering a quality service to manufacture your sheet metal products. Working to your designs and guiding you through the purchasing / manufacturing process.

For further explanation of what makes a quality sheet metal worker do take a look at our report, “What is sheet metal”

If you would like to view further examples of our past sheet metal projects we have well over 1000 images on our Pinterest Boards.

Give us a call on 01489 577786 if you want to talk with a quality sheet metal working team of engineers. We are waiting to help you with your latest design projects. We also pride ourselves of helping our customers to reduce costs through designing for manufacture. Using standard CNC punch and bending tooling is so import to reduce manufacturing costs. In conclusion, send us your drawing (sales@vandf.co.uk) and we will help you.

Radan nest of parts

Laser cutting sheet metal work

Spot welding Zintec sheet metal assembly

Brackets in production

Folding up the blanks

3 D Radan model

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