cnc punch Archives -

Advantages and disadvantages of plastic coated materials

Monday, July 16th, 2018

Plastic coated materials

This was an interesting little job I saw in the workshop today and gives me the chance to talk about the pros and cons of pre-coated materials. The customer wanted us to produce a batch of 300 electric motor covers. These were made from mild steel with zinc coating on the underside. The top face has a thick white plastic coating bonded to it and on top of this sits a low tac 4 thou (0.1016mm) peelable protective film. This film actually stays in place throughout the entire cutting and manufacturing process and remains there whilst the components are being transported to the customer. It is only removed at site after delivery, by the customer.

Plastic coated flat blank

The flat blanks here were punched out using our Trumpf 3000R punching machine. This is obviously slower than using our Trumpf fibre laser but unfortunately pre-coated materials such as highly reflective pre-anodised reflector material, pre-painted material or plastic coated material (as seen here) are not suited to laser cutting.

Folding up the blanks

For this job 0.9mm mild steel was used but with the coating on it measures 1.2mm. The coating is very durable and tough with a leatherette finish. It would be a good coating to use for something such as a radiator cover. Another advantage is that it is relatively cheap as it bypasses the need for another process such as powder coating. However, unlike powder coating it does leave exposed edges so is only suitable for interior settings.

Protective film partially removed

Need to contact us?

Take a look at our website for more insights into past and recent sheet metal projects and the help we can give you with your designs. There’s also a useful section dedicated to our plant list and detailed help on tooling.

If you are looking to purchase metal work in Great Britain, then do it it’s easy! No complications with language problems or expensive shipping costs. Just pick up the phone and talk to us on 01489 577786. Alternatively send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will produce some estimates for you.

Electric motor covers

Basically if you want to have sheet metal work produced in the south of England we would be more than pleased to help you.

We are in a reflector mood at V and F Sheet Metal today!

Thursday, June 21st, 2018

Reflector assembly, their design and manufacture

You’ve guessed it, today I’m talking about the latest batch of reflectors we recently made in our factory! So if you’re interested in the process of reflector assembly then please read on.

Reflector slots and tabs

Using the method of 3D modelling we were able to accurately calculate the reflector shapes and sizes that would fit together to produce the final reflector assembly. Each part is made using the same material, Alanod 33PG 0.4mm thick reflector aluminium. The 4 individual pieces of metal are joined together to produce a circular reflector.

The red sections have tabs on their outer edges, these fit in to corresponding slots on the sides of the green sections. Tabs and slots allow for a cheap method of assembly as other components such as bushes and studs are not required. In addition, the method of assembly is relatively easy. The reflectors could be assembled by V and F Sheet Metal or the customer, the choice is there. It goes without saying that this method of assembly is only useful when the metal being used is thin and soft enough to be deformed by hand.

Reflector Nest

After the modelling using Radan software we need to develop the flat blank and nest the components together to produce the best yield from the material. In this case both parts have been mixed together in the same nest. Parts were punched out on our Trumpf 200 CNC punch press from sheet aluminium 2m long x 1.25m wide.

As you can see in the final image, the material used has a convex hammer pattern, but it is also available in a concave design. The convex arrangement produces a soft lighting effect which would be useful in certain situations where a soft/background lighting is required.

Punched reflector component

And the next step is

If you have a product that you think may benefit from using tabs and slots then please give us a call on 01489 577786 or email if you prefer at sales@vandf.co.uk. Our sheet metal engineering team are always happy to help and love a challenge. With over 50 years experience between them there’s not much they haven’t come across in the world of lighting.

For a range of lighting and past reflector projects take a look at our Pinterest Lighting Board.

CNC punching stainless steel sheet metal components

Tuesday, May 8th, 2018

CNC punching stainless steel sheet metal components using our Trumpf punch presses

CNC punching stainless steel

Nowadays when you think of cut stainless steel sheet metal components you think of laser cutting. If laser cutting is what you want we can certainly accommodate that with our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser. But, you shouldn’t ignore CNC punching especially on thinner gauges. These 304 stainless steel brackets were easily CNC punched out. If the shape is simple then CNC punching is a very competitive manufacturing method.

CNC punching stainless steel sheet

There are obviously some parts that are better cut on a laser machine. These could be where the shape is complex or the gauge is too thick to CNC punch. We will take a view on every drawing we receive from our customers. We will always select the best method to produce a quality part at the right price.

And using Radan CAD/CAM software enables us to swap from one machine to another very easily. If there is a bottleneck in production we can swap jobs around to suit your delivery needs.

You don’t have to worry about which method we will us unless it’s important to you. We have all bases covered here at V and F Sheet Metal and are always happy to help you. Send us your drawings and our engineering team will be please to take a look for you. Even if you just want to refresh prices on an old project we are here to help.

We are bananas about our CNC punch press tooling at V and F Sheet Metal!

Monday, March 5th, 2018

CNC punch press tooling

The latest component I’ve been asked to make has given me the opportunity to talk about CNC punch press tooling, and more specifically the banana tool. Although the part is simply circular in shape, it still needs some thought on how this shape is created. We could have used the Trumpf fibre laser but in this case we chose to run the job on the Trumpf 3000. If this machine had been busy then we could have swapped to the Trumpf 200. Obviously, we like to offer this flexibility in our work shop and our regular customers appreciate this, as they know their job will not be held up in a queue.

Banana tooling used to CNC punch a circular component

Radan view of component

The first photo is a Radan view of the part. Below the circular part is the CNC punch press tool used to produce it, a banana tool. This tool has a choice of external and internal radii. These could be same or different to each other. In this case the internal radius of the tool was used to produce the external circumference of the component. We have many tools available at V and F Sheet Metal so if one doesn’t suit, we’ll probably find one that will! The tool could be used to create the external radius of the part or the internal radius of a hole in a piece of metal.

Radan nest of parts

The second image shows the Radan nest of parts arranged on a 2m x 1m sheet of 3mm thick aluminium.
Obviously as components are cut out of the sheet they will fall out so there is a chute underneath the machine for collection. All holes in the component are punched out first and the cutting out of each individual component is the last step. The left over “skeleton” sheet and punched slugs are recycled. For the final stage of production the components are sent off for powder coating.

Close up of component produced using a CNC punch press banana tool

Please feel free to contact us at V and F Sheet Metal if you would like to talk about CNC punch press tooling. We’re always happy to help. Call us on 01489 577786 or email salea@vandf.co.uk.

Cluster tool and CNC punching sheet metal components

Tuesday, February 13th, 2018

In this post I thought I would concentrate on a recent project which makes use of a cluster tool. A customer from overseas required a 1U chassis made from 1.2mm mild steel to slot in to a 19 inch rack. If you are not familiar with the U, it is a unit of distance used to measure height of standard racks in which computer, video or audio components are mounted.

Over a thousand sets of components were required and as you can see from the photos, each part contains many ventilation slots. Due to the high volume of parts needed, I suggested to the customer that we use a punch press cluster tool to produce the slots, thus cutting down on production time and saving money. In fact the tool paid for itself within the first batch!

The blue images are produced using Radan software. The NEST image shows each set of components laid out on a sheet of 2m x 1m mild steel ready to be punched out on the Trumpf 3000R. If the Trumpf 3000R had been in use it would a have been equally possible to use our Trumpf 200R for production. We are a flexible bunch here at V and F Sheet Metal!

If this has given you an idea about the possible uses of tooling on a product you are looking to have made yourself then please contact us. We may be able to save on your production time and cut down on the final cost. We are a friendly team at V and F Sheet Metal and one of our experienced engineers is always happy to discuss all your requirements with you.
Call us today on 01489 577786 or email at sales@vandf.co.uk.

Radan image of ventilation slots

NEST image

Close up of NEST image

Punched component

Chassis in production

Manufacturing Metal Enclosures using Radan software, Great Britain 2018

Sunday, January 21st, 2018

Sheet metal Enclosures

Today we’re looking at the production of metal enclosures. I think this process displays nicely the flexibility and time saving features of Radan software. So how do we begin the process? Well in this case the customer required production of a sheet metal enclosure using 1.2mm aluminium alloy. We always start with a 3D model on Radan, this allows us to make sure all the fixing holes line up before starting production. This model may come directly from our customer as a STEP or SAT file. If that is not available to us we will create the 3D model using our customers dimensioned drawings. Either way we have control of the basic design information needed to produce the correct developed blank shape and size.

3 D Radan model

Developed blank in flat

The developed blank shows the shape of the final enclosure in the flat (grey). The dark blue surrounding the blank is the shape produced by all the CNC punch press tooling. The tooling can be added to the blank shape automatically by the software. We still have the ability to alter this tooling to suit our own requirements where needed. Following on from this the blanks are set out on a full sheet of metal. In this case the sheet size is 2M x 1M. When CNC punching our Trumpf CNC punch presses can work with sheet up to 2.5M x 1.25M. Smaller panels can be programmed where needed for small components or smaller batches of work. This is definitely where the versatility of the Trumpf machine comes in to it’s own.

You might have noticed that the back 2 components have been turned at 90 degrees to the rest. Why so ? This is the region where the clamps hold the metal in place. Therefore the turning of these components is necessary but still allows for the maximum number of parts to be punched from one sheet. In addition, we have the capacity to to produce these parts on either the Trumpf 200 or 3000 as the same tooling fits both machines. A useful feature in a busy workshop, allowing production to be swapped from one machine to another.

Nest of parts

Metal Enclosures

Finally, once all of the sheet metal enclosure components have been CNC punched, we deburr the edges before moving on to the last stage which is folding. The image here shows a skilled employee folding up the components on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. By using the Radan software at the design stage, the final components should perfectly match the model. This allows us to save time and effort when making the first batch of samples or production. Any alterations can be fed back to the 3D model and subsequent 2D tooled CNC punching nests. This process can also be applied when a customer requires a design change to take place.

Folding up of components

Finished component

Please feel free to look at our website pages which gives up to date information on our plant list, tooling and design data. You have the ability to search all our blog posts so if this post doesn’t quite fit your needs then something else will! There is also an extensive gallery of photos.

If after reading this you think we could help you then please contact our engineering team at V and F Sheet Metal on 01489 577786 or drop us an email at sale@vandf.co.uk. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Manufacturing a Sheet Metal Stainless Steel Guide Plate with tapped holes

Tuesday, January 9th, 2018

Stainless Steel Guide Plate

Recently at V and F Sheet Metal we were asked to make a guide plate with tapped holes and I thought this would make an interesting topic for discussion. As with any project the initial phase of manufacturing starts with a clear and concise drawing. This should provide exact dimensions and if required precise position of holes and slots. With this particular design I was able to program the part within 10 minutes using Radan software. This batch of 50 guide plates were then manufactured from 2.5mm thick 304 stainless on the Trumpf 3000 machine.

A couple of the photos here show the sheet on the punching machine and illustrate a number of useful points which may not always be obvious to the customer. Firstly if you look carefully at the image of the CNC punching the guide plate, it is possible to see that at the back of the machine I turned the last two rows of plates to achieve the maximum number of components from the sheet. The nest diagram reveals this clearly and shows the small amount of waste material that will be left at the end of production. Secondly, although not obvious from the photos, this job actually made use of an off cut of material from a previous job, again allowing me to reduce the cost to the customer. In addition there was no need for special tooling as we have an extensive tool library at V and F Sheet Metal. Another money saving feature.

Finally I thought it was worth drawing your attention to the tapped holes on these guide plates. The Trumpf 3000 is equipped with a number of tapping tools and an M4 tap was used on these guide plates to produce a strong, clean thread within the material. It is an efficient process and cheaper than the traditional tapped cutting of threads which produces swarf, which must then be removed from the underneath the machine.

Hopefully you have found this useful and if you think V and F Sheet Metal can help you then please give us a call on 01489 577786 or email today at sales@vandf.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!

Stainless steel Guide plate

Stainless steel Guide plate program

TAPPING EXPLODED TOOL

TAPPING CROSS SECTION

CNC punching the guide plate

CNC punched nest of guide plates

Manufacturing sub-contract sheet metal work in Great Britain

Tuesday, September 26th, 2017

Manufacturing sub-contract sheet metal is what V and F Sheet Metal are all about. We have been manufacturing in Great Britain since the 1980s. We have a company ethos of constantly investing in the latest machinery and software to improve the quality of the parts we manufacture. Managing costs and improving order lead times is an everyday job for us.

CNC punching plastic coated steel

Manufacturing sub-contract sheet metal for our customers can be range from the simplest flat plate right through to complex welded fabrication assemblies.

Laser cutting sheet metal work

Whether we are using the latest laser cutting technology or CNC bending machines people are still the most important factor in any business. With a stable workforce we have a wide range of experience. Manufacturing special projects and prototypes to repeat batch work and kanban systems, we are happy to help you.

Supporting a wide range of customers in the UK and mainland Europe we will often alreadyd have come across a solution you need. Having a large library of standard CNC punching and bending tooling we can usually produce all your work without any tooling costs.

Trumpf 7036 CNC bendingSheet metal angle brackets

If you are looking for a long term relationship with a UK based company manufacturing sub-contract sheet metal then please contact us. We will be happy to talk to you about your latest sheet metal projects on 01489 577786. If you prefer to e-mail us your drawings then please feel free. We can work with STEP, SAT, DXF and DWG CAD data, please send it to sales@vandf.co.uk. We can produce you quote options, price ranges and advice on treatments and finishes to save you money.

CNC punching of sheet metal work in the UK 2017

Wednesday, September 13th, 2017

CNC punched vents

When you are looking for CNC punching of sheet metal a good place to start is V and F Sheet Metal. With 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses there isn’t much we cannot do for you. Having over 17 years of CNC punching tooling we have a large standard tool library to reduce the need for new tooling costs.

The mild steel lighting gear boxes that are shown here are typical of the work we CNC punch everyday. CNC punching sheet metal with features such as ventilation louvres is quick and easy. Supported by Radan CAD/CAM software to produce the correct flat blanks and tooled nests we can easily find the most cost effective way to produce your parts.

CNC punching of sheet metal including all ferrous and non-ferrous materials is possible from 0.5mm up to 5.0mm thick. If you want to have components thicker than 5.0mm then we would laser cut them with our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser machine.

The variety of components that can be CNC punched is truly huge, please take a look at our gallery pages for more examples.

So if you have a project and it’s going to need CNC punching of sheet metal please give us a call. We are on 01489 577786 or e-mail sales@vandf.co.uk with your drawings. Our engineering team will be happy to help you.

Specialists in sheet metal working for the lighting industry

Thursday, September 7th, 2017

V and F Sheet Metal are specialists in sheet metal working for the lighting industry. We have been manufacturing sheet metal work for over 30 years and many of those for lighting companies.

CNC punching with cut blanks

Using CNC punch presses and laser cutting machines we produce a wide range of sheet metal components and fabricated assemblies. From lighting reflectors, housings, heat sinks, lamp hold brackets to flood light stirrups and louvres we know the lighting industry very well.

These housings are being CNC punched from custom sheet blanks to save material wastage and keep down the component costs. Where ever possible we will look at ways to reduce your component prices.

CNC punching common line

These gear housings are used to contain control gear for industrial light fittings. Using standard CNC punch press tooling we can manufacture components like these quickly and cost efficiently. Some of the more interesting features on the parts are the pressed dimpled feet, easy bend LED support brackets and the common line cutting.

Having the right materials and tooling is essential if we are going to be able to satisfy our customers lead times. It is also important when it comes to part costing if we can use remnants from past projects. This is particularly helpful with small one off projects needing only small amounts of material.

We have often seen the solution to a design problem you may have with the work we may have carried out on a previous job. Just let us take a look at your drawings and we will be happy to help suggest improvements to your designs. We can also offer you cost options to see what works for you.

For more information on our lighting industry work please follow the link or take a look at our gallery pages.

Shapes that can be produced with standard CNC punch tooling

Wednesday, November 29th, 2017

When we are asked to produce sheet metal work we may choose to use one of our CNC punch presses. Having both Trumpf 200 and Trumpf 3000 CNC punch presses we have plenty of capacity to handle a wide range of projects. If we select this production method we will need to have the collect tooling to produce all the details for that part. That may include the outer profile of the parts and any internal details. These could be simple round holes or more complex cut-outs. By combining a range of shapes a wide variety of profiles can be achieved with standard CNC punch tooling.

The images here cover the most common shapes that are requested by our customers when manufacturing their sheet metal work. They include circles, squares, rectangles, obrounded slots, corner radiusing tooling, single D and double D tooling and banana tooling. The banana tooling is used to produce larger inner and outer circles for round cut-outs and discs.

We have plenty of standard tooling on the shelf ready to use on your sheet metal work. If you want to see more for yourself please take a look at our CNC punch tooling tables.

Since we pride ourselves on being able to offer a wide variety of sheet metal working services we can also laser cut in house. This is the perfect process for manufacturing more complex shapes that would be more difficult to CNC punch with standard tooling. We will automatically select the best manufacturing process to suit your design and the volumes that you might need. Our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser is the ideal tool for the sub-contract sheet metal worker.

So if you have a sheet metal product and you want us to provide you with an estimate simply give us a call. Alternatively you can e-mail over your drawings if you wish and one of our engineering team will have a look for you.

CNC punching plastic coated pre-painted mild steel sheet metal

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

Why do we CNC punch plastic coated sheet metal?

CNC punching plastic coated steel

There are 2 forms of plastic coating on sheet metal. They basically split into plastic that is applied to protect the sheet metal and plastic that is a cosmetic finish.

A peelable low tack plastic film can be applied to sheet metals like aluminium and stainless steel at the material stockists. These materials can then be CNC punched or laser cut leaving the plastic film in place. This plastic film helps to protect the sheet metal surface from scratches, finger prints and oil. They can be left in place during subsequent operations such as CNC bending, CSK, rolling and during the insertion of bushes. They do have to be peeled back locally where any heat is applied such as spot welding joints or TiG / MiG welding corners.

The second “cosmetic” plastic coating is similar to pre-painted materials. This plastic coating will also have a peelable film to protect it during manufacturing. The coating again can be CNC punched but not laser cut. The coatings can be specified in different colours and textures and are used in place of painting or powder coating finishing processes.

CNC punched plastic coated steel

Here I have shown a great example of CNC punching plastic coated sheet metal. These end plates have been CNC punched on our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press using a common line programming technique to reduce punching time and saving materials used.

Perhaps you are currently purchasing a sheet metal component that you are having painted or powder coated. It might be worth considering a pre-painted / plastic coated material. We often look at parts and with a small design change we can reduce costs and reduce production leads times. If you want to know more about these materials or want to see some samples please contact us on 01489 577786.

CNC punching plastic coated sheet metal is just one of the manufacturing techniques we use to save time and money for our customers. Please take a further look at these blog posts for design ideas to improve your sheet metal designs.

Small sheet metal components

Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

Small stainless steel sheet metal components

Sheet metal work can come in all shapes and sizes and these small sheet metal components are certainly at the lower end of our range. Manufactured from stainless steel by CNC punching and CNC bending they nicely show the complexity that can be achieved with sheet metal work. They could so easily have been laser cut but having both processes in house we can pick and choose the process that suits the parts. This can be particularly helpful when moving from prototypes and small batches through to higher volumes. One process, say laser cutting, may be perfect initially then with higher volumes and some simple tooling CNC punching may lend itself to be the most efficient manufacturing process.

Small sheet metal components also present problems if they have to be folded up. We are fortunate in having 3 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes which are ideally suited to folding small sheet metal components. With a large range of tooling and an experienced team of machine programmers there aren’t many parts that we cannot fold up whatever their size.

So what do I do next?

If you have some small sheet metal work that might need to be manufactured please give us a call. We are always happy to take a look at new projects are see if we can help you save money with a small design change. We can offer you free advice to improve material usage, reduce production time and select the most appropriate material type and finish. If you have some drawings please e-mail us on sales@vandf.co.uk. If you just want to chat through your ideas please call us on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to talk.

CNC punching sheet metal work supplier based in the UK

Monday, July 31st, 2017

Here I thought I would show you a small range of the sheet metal work that we have just CNC punched today.

CNC punching ventilation louvres

CNC punching sheet metal in the UK can be so varied. We can CNC punch components from stainless steel, mild steel and aluminium as well as copper, brass and a range of pre-coated materials. With a wide range of standard tooling most work that we take on for our customers needs no new tooling. Special features such as dimples, plunged screw threads and ventilation louvres can be quick and easily produced with the right tooling. You can see that these mild steel ventilation covers have been CNC punched in two directions to get the best from the material sheet. This technique is easy for us with our Trumpf machines and their single head design. Combined with the power of our Radan sheet metal software we can offer a great service for CNC punching sheet metal in the UK.

CNC punching sheet metal work

Zintec is a material that we often use for our customers. It’s an ideal material for CNC punching and we process it from 0.7mm right up to 3mm thick. All the tooling that we use to CNC punch zintec is the same as that which we use for mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium. CNC punching sheet metal in the UK is the perfect solution for manufacturing many of these parts.

CNC punching brackets

Some parts with straight sides can be placed together and cut at the same time. This CNC punching technique is known as “common line cutting”. It helps to reduce punching time and materials adding to component part cost savings.

If you have a sheet metal project and you think that our CNC punching service can help you please take a look at http://www.vandf.co.uk/plant-list/trumpf-200r-3000r-cnc-punch/ and then give us a call and we will be happy to help you.

CNC punching sheet metal work in Great Britain by V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, May 22nd, 2017

CNC punching sheet metal work in Great Britain

It’s always been our aim to provide a flexible, quality CNC punching service at a competitive price right here in Great Britain. Investing in Trumpf CNC punch presses supported by Trumpf tooling and the latest Radan CAD/CAM sofware V and F Sheet Metal offer the complete CNC punching service.

CNC punching in Great Britain

Our Trumpf 3000 is shown here working with 0.7mm thick pre-painted white mild steel sheet. By bringing in panels cut to the most effective size waste can be kept to a minimum. CNC punch presses are perfect for producing thin gauge sheet metal components, especially if they are pre-painted or pre-anodised. If however you have requirements for components with thicker gauges then our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser will be just the machine to cut those components. Being a fibre laser cutter it can also handle your copper and brass sheet metal needs.

CNC punched heater grilles

The CNC punching techniques used to produce these panels included common line cutting to reduce time and materials. We also used the Trumpf’s programable head to produce flat panels when CNC punching the ventilation slots.

Our customer’s are increasingly finding that Great Britain is the right place to source their sheet metal work. With no language barriers, quick turn around times and no fluctuating currencies we can offer a stable helpful service. Sheet metal manufacturing is so much more than just “tin bashing”. Take a look at our website for more insights into past sheet metal projects and the help we can give you with your designs.

If you are looking to get CNC punching sheet metal work in Great Britain it’s easy. Just send us your drawings or call us and we will be happy to discuss your sheet metal project needs.

Where can I buy CNC punched sheet metal work to my designs

Monday, May 15th, 2017

Where can I buy CNC punched sheet metal work to my designs?

CNC punching nest of sheet metal parts

As a user or CNC punch presses now for over 25 years we know a thing or two about using them to produce sheet metal work. Having started with small turret machines and then larger faster turret machines we progressed to the single punching head design. As Trumpf are the best machine manufactures offering this flexible machine design, Trumpf if what we have. With this single head design CNC programming becomes much easier and more efficient when it comes to production runs and small batches.

CNC punched sheet metal work

The ability to turn any CNC tool to any angle enables us to produce more complex sheet metal components and with less tool changes. Added to the quick set up time needed on our Trumpf CNC punch presses we can offer a very flexible and competitive CNC punching service to produce your sheet metal designs. Couple this with the power of Radan sheet metal software and you have a winning formula. The Radan software really gets the best out of the machines and enables us to quickly transfer work from one to another when production requirements need to be met.

Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press in action producing circular sheet metal panels with cluster and curved banana tooling

Interesting example of CNC punching mild sheet sheet metal circles using a “banana” CNC punch tool. Tools like this enable a smooth outer circumference to be produces on a disc with just a few hit, again saving time and money.

With a huge range of CNC punch press tools in stock here you can use them to save you tooling costs when producing a new design. For more data, take a look at our Trumpf Standard 2D Tooling pages.

Call us and we will be happy to go through your designs and see how they can be effectively CNC punched from sheet metal.

Video of a CNC punch press producing light fitting reflectors

Thursday, May 11th, 2017

Light fitting reflectors

Fast Tube by Casper

When we need to produce light fitting reflectors for our UK customers we nearly always use our Trumpf CNC punch presses. Although our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutting is a very flexible and capable machine it cannot cut special reflector materials as cleanly as our CNC punch presses. The punch presses use no heat to cut holes and edge profiles so there is no chance of burning edges. There is also no melting of protective plastic films.

Light fitting reflectors come in a vast range of shapes and material types and CNC punching is the best way to produce them for small to large volumes. Along with the ability to use standard tooling that we have built up over many years the ease of CNC programming and speed to change designs are the main benefits. The Radan CAD/CAM software we use allow us to get the best from any sheet of material. This is vital with some of the special pre-anodised reflector aluminium material used fro light fitting reflectors being very expensive.

If you have a light fitting and it needs a sheet metal reflector we are the people to talk to. We have a range of light fitting reflector materials on the shelf you prototyping. Call us on 01489 577786 to have a talk about your project.

CNC punching techniques for sheet metal work

Monday, May 8th, 2017

CNC punching techniques cover a wide range of ideas and tooling. The ideas shown here are just a few of those that are available to us when CNC punching your sheet metal work. We work with you to develop your ideas to get the best design for manufacturing to keep your costs down.

CNC punched self tapping plunge form

This simple technique to produce a small raised area in the sheet is can be used with a self tapping screw. The deformation in the sheet creates a local thickening allowing the screw more material to cut into. This is ideal when self tapping into thin gauges such as this 0.9mm zintec panel. These formed plunges can also be used with a tapping tool on our Trumpf 3000R to produce standard metric threads straight into the sheet. We can also use these plunges to provide location points when spot welding parts together. This speeds up the spot welding or welding operations, again saving time and money.

These CNC punching techniques save money and get more from the sheet, saving time in production and part assembly

Nibbling sheet metal work with a CNC punch press

Nibbled line produced on a CNC punch press

CNC punch presses are great at nibbling (producing holes at speed close to each other). The holes can be separate or as in this example overlap. These CNC punching techniques allow a wide range of shapes to be produced in the sheet. From nibble out large cut-outs where a single hit tool would be tool large to nibble long slots or unusual shapes like those shown here.

Fan pattern produced with CNC punch tooling

Banana tools can be used to produce fan ventilation patterns

Non standard shapes can be produced with special tooling. This fan array pattern was produced using curved tooling called banana tooling. If your production requirements have enough volume it might be worth us investigating dedicated CNC punching tooling.

For more data on CNC punching take a look at “What is CNC punching?”

CSK holes for screws formed in seconds with CNC punch tooling

CNC punching techniques such as forming a CSK straight into the sheet is perfect for saving money. We simple CNC punch a pilot hole and then form the CSK with a single hit. The time taken to form each hole is 1 second which is much quicker than trying to drill in the CSK form.

Not sure, please give us a ring on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to guide you. There may well be a part you are having manufactured that with a little bit of thought will suit one of these CNC punching techniques enabling us to save you time and money in production.

Sheet metal production in 2017 from V and F Sheet Metal

Thursday, May 4th, 2017

Sheet metal production in 2017 from V and F Sheet Metal covers a wide range of materials and designs. It can simple be mild steel right angle brackets used to support storage shelves. Laser cut aluminium electronics chassis front panels. Welded stainless steel oil tanks with a series of fabricated components. The designs that we are involved with are very diverse and the volumes can range from just a few samples right up to many thousands in a batch of components.

Trumpf 7036 CNC bendingSheet metal angle brackets

CNC bending is a great production method when it comes to folding sheet metal work. It’s quick and easy to set up jobs so small batches can be manufactured at competitive prices. With a wide range of standard CNC press brake tooling over 4 of our machines we can be flexible when it comes to larger volume orders. We also have many special tools that we have made in house. This enables us to form different curved shapes to widen the range of sheet metal work we can offer you.

Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press in action producing circular sheet metal panels with cluster and curved banana tooling

CNC punching is a fast and versatile sheet metal production method. V and F Sheet Metal have been using CNC punch presses for many years to produce components for it’s customers in the UK. The mild steel discs shown here are typical of the sheet metal production that is produced every week of the year. Using standard CNC punch press tooling these parts were programmed quickly and the best fit from a standard sheet was produced to save money. The CAD/CAM software we use also allows us to experiment with designs and nest patterns when quoting for the parts. This enables us to pass those savings onto our customers at an early stage of manufacturing.

Brass sheet metal display housing project

Here is a nice example of the range of materials we use here at V and F Sheet Metal. These menu display panels have been manufactured from CZ108 brass sheet. The panels have been laser cut and CNC folded. The corner seams have had the plastic peeled away ready for TiG welding.

For more information on sheet metal work and how we go about producing it please follow the link.

So you can see that sheet metal production in 2017 covers a wide range of techniques and product designs. If you have a sheet metal design that needs producing in the UK please give us a call and we will be happy to review it and offer price options for it’s manufacture. Please call us on 01489 577786 or if you wish send you drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will take a look for you.

Sheet metal manufacturing in 2017

Thursday, April 27th, 2017

Sheet metal manufacturing can come in so many different forms and I have chosen 3 to look at today. Things have moved on a lot from manual cutting, marking our, drilling and fly-press piercing and mechanical bending. With modern laser cutting, CNC punching and CNC bending sheet metal manufacturing in 2017 utilises high tech equipment, software and skilled staff.

For a full description of sheet metal manufacturing and all its production processes follow this link.

CNC punching machines

CNC punching machines have been around for many years in one form or another. Our single head Trumpf CNC punch presses enable us to manufacture some very complex sheet metal work. It goes without saying that designs require holes punched accurately and quickly to keep costs down, the Trumpf machines don’t disappoint. With fast controlled punching they also offer thread tapping, forming, bending and engraving. They can be thought of as a factory in one machine. And where they cannot cope on thicker gauges the laser machine is ready to take over.

Laser cutting zintec fit fitting gear trays on our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser machine

Laser cutting is perfect for cutting through thick materials in ferrous and non-ferrous grades. But having a fibre laser cutter enables us to not only process thinner material extremly fast but copper and brass alloys up to 6mm thick.

Sheet metal folding facility

No look at sheet metal manufacturing would be complete without a look at our bending facilities. We are very proud to have a large range of CNC bending machines here in Fareham, Hampshire. We manufacture sheet metal components ranging from just a few mm across in materials as thin as 0.3mm right up to sheet metal sections 3M long. All sheet metal materials are processed through a wide range of standard CNC press brake tooling. Our 3 Trumpf 7036 and Safan e-Brake CNC press brakes share the same bend tooling for ease of production. This also allows us to move jobs between several machines when needed e.g. during busy times or if machines are being serviced.

This short blog post is only to whet your appetite, if you want to know more please explaore our website or give us a call and we will be happy to help you.

Simple CNC punching techniques to produce sheet metal work

Tuesday, April 18th, 2017

Simple CNC punching Techniques

Today I thought it would be useful to run over a couple of common CNC punching techniques that are often used here at V and F Sheet Metal. Knowing that none of us want to spend money where we don’t need to we always try our best to use existing tooling to produce new parts.

CNC punched diamond patterns

This ventilation pattern was created by turning a 4.5mm square tool at 45 degrees and repeating a simple column and row pattern. By using a range of different sized tools and pitches a wide range of open area performances can be achieved. This is particularly useful if the order volumes don’t justify bespoke cluster tooling or if you are still prototyping and need to try out different air flows for you design.

If you want to read more on CNC punching please follow the link to our CNC punching pages.

CNC punched dimples

A standoff foot is often needed to enable a sheet metal base tray to be lifted off the floor or wall. We have a range of dimple tools that enable us to achieve this for you. If a fixing hole or even keyhole slot are needed again this is easy to produce and we have many tooling options available for you.

CNC punched vents

When it comes to ventilation areas in sheet metal we have a vast range of options. For some it’s simple a CNC punched window which a fan can be screwed to with a separate grill. Others might want a series of ventilation louvres formed into the sheet, which can be achieved with CNC punch press tooling.

A popular alternative is to have an area punched with holes of slots to allow the correct amount of air flow. This can be with special cluster tooling if the volumes are high enough to justify the tooling costs. If the volumes are lower then using one of our many standard CNC punch tools is the cheapest and easiest solution. This pattern of vent slots was produced with one of our standard obround tools. For more information on standard punch press tooling take a look at our tooling pages.

If you want to discuss some of your sheet metal designs that might benefit from other simple CNC punching techniques please call us on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to help you.

CNC Punching aluminium nest of parts

Thursday, April 13th, 2017

CNC punching Aluminium components from the same sheet of metal

Fast Tube by Casper

We are often asked to manufacture sheet metal components from aluminium. If the components are from the same gauge and grade of aluminium they can be CNC punched out of the same sheet. This method of CNC programming helps to keep the parts together in production. It also helps at times with increasing the efficiency of material use and reduces the amount of programming that we need to manufacture a set of components.

The Trumpf 3000 CNC punching video shown here demonstrates clearly this technique with several parts being CNC punched together all for the same purchase order. This has all been organised before the job even enters production so the machine setters and operators don’t waste any valuable CNC punching time.

Programming for CNC aluminium components

Using Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM CNC programming software enables us to easily produce complex nests of parts on our Trumpf CNC punch presses. We can take programs from one machine and change them to another in seconds enabling a flexible approach to urgent jobs. You can see more about our CNC punch presses on our plant page. There are even times when a single part of set of parts may be moved from CNC punching to laser cutting or from laser cutting to CNC punching to suit production. This again is so easy with Radan CAD/CAM software and can be achieved with very little fuss.

We can and will employ all these techniques at times to speed up production and produce the best material yield for the cheapest part prices. If you have a range of aluminium parts or just a single part you need please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to calculate some part prices for you. As well as CNC punching aluminium we can laser cut your aluminium projects when it’s a cheaper option.

Please send you drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk or call us on 01486 577786 and we will be happy to chat through your design ideas.

Where is the best place to get sheet metal work in the UK

Monday, February 27th, 2017

Where is the best place to get sheet metal work in the UK?

We believe V and F Sheet Metal are a good place to start your search for a supportive flexible sheet metal working company based in Hampshire UK.

CNC punching sheet metal work

When you are selecting a sheet metal working company to partner you with your manufacturing needs you need a company who is prepared to listen to you and offer a range of ideas, manufacturing services and competitive prices. We have the ability to manufacture a wide range of sheet metal work in house using a comprehensive range of modern CNC productions techniques. Techniques ranging from CNC laser cutting, CNC punching and CNC bending to welding processes and many ancillary manufacturing processes allowing us to cope with the most demanding sheet metal work. When you are looking for sheet metal work in the UK you want a company that speaks your language when it comes to talking through design ideas and possible ways to help you save time and money, we are here to help.

Laser cutting zintec fit fitting gear trays on our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser machine

Having the ability to provide CNC laser cut and CNC punched sheet metal work in the UK allows V and F Sheet Metal to give our customers a definite advantage when manufacturing in the UK. Whether you are only looking for a few laser cut stainless steel plates, some bent aluminium angles or a more complex welded fabricated enclosure we have the skills and equipment to help you. With connections to a wide range of treatment and finishing companies we can offer the complete project manufacturing service. Whether it’s a special one off project, regular batches of sheet metal work or larger volume projects we are here to support your needs.

Sheet metal work

Sheet metal working is an exciting and growing industry with many new developments which have lead to the increased quality of work being produced often at reduced prices and with ever shorter lead times. The ability to set up manufacturing machines in ever shorter times allows us to offer smaller batch sizes at the prices of larger productions runs of years gone by. This has enabled many of our customers to reduce stock holding requirements and still maintain their product lead times.

So in conclusion if you are looking for sheet metal work in the UK then please give us a call on 01489 577786 or if you prefer send us your 3D design ideas or 2D drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will be happy to help you out and produce competitive prices for you.

Where can I purchase sheet metal work in the UK

Thursday, February 23rd, 2017

If you are looking for a place where you can purchase sheet metal work in the UK then you should contact V and F Sheet Metal.

Based in Fareham right on the M27 in Hampshire we are ideally placed to service local companies through Hampshire with their sheet metal working needs. With connection to next day UK delivery we can be your local sheet metal worker wherever you are based in the UK.

Sheet metal work

From simple one off projects and new design prototypes right up to high volume production we are ready to help you with your sheet metal work right here in the UK. The vast majority of the work we manufacture for our customers is repeating batches of many 10’s to many 100’s and we have just the right equipment to efficiently support them.

Sheet metal work in Hampshire

Where can I purchase CNC folded sheet metal work in the UK?

Having 6 CNC press brakes we are well placed to support you with folded sheet metal work up to 3M long. From the smallest angle clips and brackets right up to simple structure channels and angles we have the tooling and machines to help you produce your sheet metal designs. We have 2 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes which are idea for sheet metal work up to 1M long. They are so efficient at producing angles, boxes, covers and complex enclosures that we have another one on order and it will be installed during March 2017.

CNC punching sheet metal work

Where can I purchase CNC punched sheet metal work in the UK?

With both a Trumpf 200 and Trumpf 3000 CNC punch presses we are able to offer you an excellent service when it comes to CNC punching sheet metal work. We have a large library of standard and special CNC punching tools to help you with whatever design you want manufacturing.

Laser cutting 3mm thick galvanised mild steel sheet on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser

Where can I purchase sheet metal laser cutting in the UK?

We have a Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser cutting machine and can use it to cut a vast array of sheet metal. Laser cutting mild steel, stainless steel and zinc coated steels is no problem for us. We can also laser cut aluminium alloys and being a fibre laser we can also laser cut brass and copper sheet.

Basically if you want to have sheet metal work produced in the UK we would be pleased to help you. Either give us a call on 01489 577786 or send our engineering team your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will produce some estimates for you.

Design ideas for cnc punching sheet metal work with Trumpf punch presses

Tuesday, February 21st, 2017

If you are looking for design ideas for CNC punching sheet metal parts then here are some useful tips for you.

Nibbling with a CNC punch press

If you are looking for a particular shape to be produced by CNC punching it may not always be a standard shape we would have a tool for. By using a series of standard CNC punch press tools we can create a more complex or non standard shape. These ventilation slots are a great example of combining 2 shapes together to produce a the desired effect without the need for new special tooling. We have used a standard rectangle and standard obround slot to produce the correct shape for this customers sheet metal box.

Tapped threads using a CNC punch press

If you need to secure two components together you will probably want to use a screw. Your options could simple include a nut in assembly or we could press in a sheet metal insert such as a Hank bush to create a fixed thread point. We can also tap a thread directly into the sheet metal. This technique is nicely demonstrated here using our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press. The thread has been formed straight into the sheet and is ready to use without any further production operations.

CNC punching with banana tooling

Producing curved shapes in easy when laser cutting but needs a little more thought when using a CNC punch press. With the correct tooling curved shapes can be successfully produced. They may be large circular cut-outs, curved component outer profiles or curved slots such as these. This pattern of slots are used for a ventilation area with a small fan and was punched using curved banana tooling.

CNC punched mild steel

And here’s the complete component in its CNC punched nest. These are just a few of the design ideas which make CNC punching such a flexible technique when it comes to manufacturing sheet metal work in the UK. If you want to investigate further the standard CNC tooling we have available please take a look at our tooling pages. All these design features are supported by Radan CAD/CAM sheet metal software which we use across the board on our CNC punch press and laser cutting machines.

If you are looking for design ideas for CNC punching your sheet metal project please give V and F Sheet Metal a call. We often save our customers money by suggesting alternative ideas using standard tooling that we already have on the shelf.

CNC programming punch presses for punching sheet metal work

Thursday, February 16th, 2017

CNC programming using Radan CAD/CAM sheet metal software

3D models of sheet metal housings and covers

Most of the sheet metal work that we manufacture starts off as a 3D model. This could be a simple single part, 2 parts like this aluminium housing and cover or a more complex assembly of parts. The 3D model may be created entirely by us here at V and F Sheet Metal or it might be one given to us by our customers as either a SAT or STEP file. Either way the 3D model helps us to establish an unfolded blank size and check that all parts together correctly. A 3D model can also be helpful for our customers who don’t have 3D software as we can give them images to check out their own design before we commit to manufacturing and sheet metal work.

CNC punching nest for aluminium housings and brackets

If you look carefully you can see the aluminium housing shown in the 3D model unfolded and tooled up in a punching nest created by CNC programming. The other parts shown with the housing blanks are part of the same set of parts and were punched form the same material so speeding up production and saving what would have been waste material within the sheet. Any combination of parts form the same sheet is possible when using a Trumpf CNC punch press with its flexible single punching head. Being able to rotate all tools through 360 degrees in the head enables us to be really flexible when producing either prototype or production runs of sheet metal work.

CNC punching sheet metal components with a Trumpf 3000R punch press

And finally here is an example of CNC programming being used to create a range of sheet metal parts all from the same sheet. The range of parts that can be produced using CNC programming techniques and CNC tooling is huge. From small earth tags, support brackets, electronics front panels, lighting reflectors, sheet metal housings up to long punched sections and most with standard CNC punch press tooling that we hold on the shelf.

If you have a sheet metal project and you are not sure whether it should be laser cut of CNC punched let us take a look for you. Using our CNC programming software we can produce test programs for both types of machines and feedback the best option for price before you finalise your design ideas.

Very fast CNC punching of sheet metal brackets from V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, February 13th, 2017

If you want to see just how fast a Trumpf CNC punch press can produce sheet metal blanks for brackets then take a look at this video.

Fast Tube by Casper

These galvanised mild steel brackets used in the building trade are typical of the work that we produce on our CNC punch presses. The ability to punch out parts and send them straight down the machine chute into a collecting bin is really helpful when processing large volumes of work. Running 2 of these machines in our factory here in Hampshire, UK enables us to be very flexible when it comes to your rush jobs or trying out new prototype parts. CNC punching of sheet metal brackets is not the only way we can manufacture these parts. We also have a Trumpf 3030 fibre laser machine to offer the complete sheet metal cutting package. The laser is perfect for thicker gauges and those awkward shapes that would need special tooling on a CNC punch press. If you get the chance please have a look at our gallery pages.
We have a large range of past sheet metal projects that should help to illustrate the range of services we can offer you.

When offering a sheet metal manufacturing service in the UK it’s all about flexibility. The ability to offer different solutions for your purchasing needs when you need them. Being able to quickly take your CAD data and come back with quotes and design options. Basically being able to speak your language, understand your needs and save you time and money.

If you want to learn more about the way we go about CNC programming these machines please follow this link.

If you have a live project that needs manufacturing, give us a go. Call us on 01489 577786 and our engineering team will be happy to take you call. If you already have drawings or 3D data then please send them to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will take a look for you.

CNC punching sheet metal work at V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, February 6th, 2017

CNC punching sheet metal work

CNC punching sheet metal work can cover such a wide range of components. From small spring clips, mild steel angle brackets and aluminium front panels right up to stainless steel doors and galvanised steel drip trays. The CNC punch presses are the machines to have when it comes to producing sub-contact sheet metal and Trumpf are the best of the lot. With the Trumpf single had design we can produce complex shapes and designs very easily with our standard CNC punch tooling. Most parts are produced without any extra tooling costs for you.

These sheet metal motor support brackets have been CNC programmed to fill the complete 2M x 1M sheet for maximum material efficiency. The Trumpf 200 machine shown here is supported by it’s bigger brother the Trumpf 3000 to offer a great sub-contract CNC punching sheet metal work service to companies right across the UK. When CNC punching isn’t quite right for a design, it’s no problem as we can also offer laser cutting with our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser machine.

CNC punched brackets produced from 3mm zintec coated mild steel

Using radius tooling, standard round holes in multi-tool set ups and rectangular tools these components were each produces in seconds. V and F Sheet Metal have been CNC punching sheet metal work for over 30 years with a range of machines. These Trumpf machines are the best for accuracy and flexibility. Components can be transferred between our two CNC punch presses and our laser cutting machine. This flexibity is supported by our Radan CNC programming software and on larger volume can lead to the same parts being produce together on different machines to reduce manufacturing times.

The best way to really understand how we can help you is to simply send in a new project or even a sheet metal CNC punching projects you are currently purchasing and we will be happy to give you some pricing alternatives.

Welded fabrication aluminium sheet metal work UK

Monday, January 30th, 2017

Welded aluminium fabrications

Aluminium sheet metal work in Hampshire UK

If you are looking for a sheet metal working company that is capable of manufacturing your work in aluminium then please give us a call. We can laser cut and CNC punch your aluminium sheet metal work as well as CNC bend and weld fabrications using TiG and MiG welding techniques. Aluminium sheet metal work along with mild steel and stainless steel is a service we offer to a large range of companies in the UK. We manufacture a wide range of aluminium sheet metal work including electronics front panels, brackets, housings and chassis components.

These aluminium welded fabrications have been manufactured to be used with a ceiling system to support light fittings. After this image was taken we cleaned off the welds and powder coated each aluminium housing matt black to the customers specification. There were 200 aluminium housings that were produced for this specific customer order but we can manufacture much larger batches if that is what you need or just a few parts for small orders or prototypes.

If you have a specific project in mind and want us to help you with various design options or you simply want some alternative prices then please give us a call of 01489 577786 and our engineering team will be happy to help you. If you have drawings we will be happy to work with them and review your options, please send them to sales@vandf.co.uk

CNC punched light fitting reflectors produced at V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, January 23rd, 2017

CNC punching anodised aluminium reflector materials for industrial light fittings

Trumpf 200 use to produce CNC punched light fitting reflectors

Here’s our Trumpf 200 CNC punch press busy producing CNC punched light fitting reflectors. This machine is more than capable of punching out all of these types of part. The reflector parts are normally 0.4mm to 0.5mm thick so machine tonnage is never an issue when you have 19 tons to play with. The reflector materials we use are special pre-anodised aluminium with protective peelable films to keep the reflective surfaces clean and scratch free while in production. The Trumpf 200 as another advantage in that its acceleration is smooth and the punching speed can be slowed down. This is great when it comes to the end of a CNC punched nest of parts from a whole sheet. The final stages of CNC punching can make the sheet very weak and there is a risk that the very components we are trying to produce fall out of the next and we lose the whole sheet. With the Trumpf 200 this seldom happens enabling us to produce prices without the need for much allowance for scrap which is really useful with expensive light fitting reflector materials.

CNC punched light fitting reflectors

A closer look at the lighting reflectors being CNC punched in the image above. You can see that the components fit really nicely into the standard sheet size saving material and money. We would normally produce these parts in batches of 400 at a time and CNC punching is ideally suited to this type of work and volumes. All the features shown here have been punched out with standard V and F Sheet Metal tooling and are freely available to you if you want any sheet metal work.

Light fitting reflectors

A totally different light fitting project required thousands of CNC punched light fitting reflectors to be made in a short space of time. Again, the Trumpf 200 CNC punch press was used to produce many different light reflectors which were then folded up on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The whole project took several weeks with over 120,000 bends being needed to complete all the parts.

We have lots of examples of past sheet metal projects we have manufactured for the Lighting Industry, please follow the links here for more general information or our Lighting Reflector Gallery.

If you have a light fitting project and you need lighting reflectors manufacturing out of sheet metal please give us a call and we will be happy help advise you and produce a range of prices if needed.

Get a Quote