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Sheet metal component design ideas for your next project

Thursday, December 5th, 2019

sheet metal component design ideas

CNC punched pre-painted mild steel sheet metal components

Sheet metal component design ideas can come in many shapes and forms. Here we have a clever way to reduce post production finishing costs and lead times. Where the design allows, a pre-painted sheet material can be a great idea. With a clear protective film these materials are durable enough to be CNC punched, CNC folded, have bushes and studs inserted and pop riveted. They cannot be welded or spot welded, so it’s down to clever design to accommodate this restriction where possible.

You can also see that while CNC punching we can produce parts with radius corners. We can also punch chamfered corners or leave the square if required. We have standard CNC punch press tools to cover most of these features with no extra cost to yourself.

If you want to take a look at our tooling library please help yourself.

For more ideas on CNC punching and examples of past design projects please click on the links.

sheet metal component design ideas

CNC punched pre-painted mild steel sheet metal components

There are many designs ideas that can save time when bending and welding components. Sheet metal component design ideas are always coming to us from our customers and we can often apply them to other industries to save people money. Where possible we will suggest design ideas at the quoting stage. Then you can trial them to see what impact that might have on your order costs.

Well you have made it this far so why not send us a drawing or two. We are able to work with DXF, DWG, STEP, SAT and IGES files types as well as PDF. You can always just call us up and talk through your ideas with our engineering team.

Make the call now and start saving money.

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

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 punching plastic coated sheet metal

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.

Zintec sheet metal components

Monday, May 18th, 2015

Zintec sheet metal components

Zintec sheet metal components

Another day at V and F and these zintec base plates caught my eye and a good example of various production methods working together.

Zintec is a zinc coated mild steel sheet metal that can be used as a good pre-treated surface for components that are going to be painted or powder coated. Zintec can also be used on it’s own in some cases where sheet metal components are kept dry and require minimal corrosion protection. In this case these base plates or a piece of scientific equipment have been manufactured by laser cutting, CNC bending and then having a range of sheet metal bushes and studs inserted using our Haeger inserter and will be powder coated. All the laser cut edges are perfectly clean as they were cut using nitrogen for a burn/oxide free cut. The photo shows how smooth a radiused feature can be when laser cut without any edge de-burring needed.

For additional examples of laser cut sheet metal components why not take a look at our Pinterest Boards.

If you have a new project coming up and you need laser cut sheet metal components please send us you drawings (2021). We are happy to help guide you on your design and offer a range of prices where needed.

Stainless steel sheet metal work

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

Stainless steel sheet metal work can come in some many different shapes and sizes here at V and F Sheet Metal.

The clamping brackets have curved corners that have been formed with bespoke form tooling created by us to suit one of our CNC press brakes. The stainless steel trays are back panels for all mounted display boards. The dimples have been pressed in each corner on our Trumpf 200 CNC punch press and are used to space the panels off the wall when mounting outside restaurants, church halls and schools etc.

For more information on standard commercial sheet metal stainless steel grades and their properties please take a look at our web page. If you want to see more examples of sheet metal components manufacture in stainless steel or to discuss your specific project please give us a call.

Sheet metal work in Hampshire UK

Monday, May 27th, 2013

We manufacture many sheet metal components from Zintec material. Zintec is a form of mild steel sheet metal with a thin coat of zinc to protect it from atmospheric corrosion applied at the steel mill to the master coil. Zintec is often used for components that do not need to be fully protected such as computer internal chassis, brackets and rear panels, light fitting gear boxes and covers, air conditioning enclosures and covers etc. Zintec is often a good material to be powder coated giving a better protection to the component if it is scratched through the powder. If you want more protection than Zintec then you can have your mild steel components zinc plated. Exterior components that are manufactured from thicker gauge mild steel can be hot dip galvanised to coat them in an even thicker layer of zinc.

These sheet metal components have all been manufactured during May 2013 in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire, UK.

For more information on Zintec and how it is produced please take a look at our mild steel data page.

Sheet metal work in 3D software

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

Sheet metal brackets, housings, enclosures and chassis modeled in 3D using Radan software.

The best way to be sure of getting a sheet metal project right is to create it in a 3D environment before committing to CNC punching any materials. Time can be reduced and material costs saved by working out all the manufacturing and assembly problems before starting any sheet metal production. Please take a look at the gallery images below and you will see just how flexible this technique is when working on sheet metal sub-contract manufacturing projects for our customers.

For more examples of our recent sheet metal work that has been 3D modeled in Radan sheet metal software before manufacturing please take a look at our gallery page 3D SOFTWARE MODELS

If you want to read more about the processes we use to produce sheet metal parts and fabrication assemblies with Radan software please take a look at our web page BOX FABRICATION

If you have a project and you need sheet metal parts but you are not quite sure how they may fit together we can take a look and help you with a 3D model, please give us a call.

New building front cladding and sign work

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

The front of our new home is now finished and looks really smart with new signage.

Now we are ready for business. If you need any sheet metal work, press work or fabrications please give us a try.

Sheet metal projects modelled in 3D

Monday, February 4th, 2013

Here is just a small selection of images from our recent new sheet metal work projects manufactured here in Fareham, Hampshire. The images have been taken from Radan sheet metal manufacturing software which we use to model all our more complex sheet metal components. The 3D model helps us to create an accurate set of flat sheet metal parts that when bent back up will fit together correctly as intended by the sheet metal designer. The 3D model may be solely created by us or taken as imported data from our customers using either STEP or SAT files.

If you want to see more about the software we use to produce our sheet metal 3D models please take a look at our web pages on Radan sheet metal software. If you are not sure whether we will be able to read your 3D data then contact us on 01489 577786 and we can have a chat on file format options.

Sheet metal inserts, bushes and studs

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Sheet metal inserts - Hank bushes

Using screws and nuts to fasten sheet metal components together has been a production method used for centuries. To speed up the assembly process or to fix a nut in an awkward or blind place is where self-clinch and anchor rivet buses really come into their own. We use a Haeger bush inserter and various manual and hydraulic fly-presses to press the fixings into our sheet metal work in all sheet materials from 0.7mm thick and upwards. Single side approaches, such as tubes, can also be dealt with by using Avdell style single side bushes.

As well as standard metric and imperial thread bushes we regularly insert stand-offs, studs and many specialised inserts into our sheet metal work for example captive thumb screws. Have a look at our Haeger bush inserter webpage for more information on this plant and links to more detailed information on self-clinch and anchor rivet bushes. If you have an odd requirement and are not sure whether there is a sheet metal insert solution available for you give us a call and we can investigate it for you.

Sheet metal fabrication manufacturing using CAD/CAM and CNC punching

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Sheet metal fabrication manufacturing using CAD/CAM software and CNC punching

I thought it would be useful to explain in a little more detail the processes we go though as a sheet metal fabrication company when taking information from our customers and producing sheet metal fabrications by CNC punching on our Trumpf CNC punch presses.

The whole process can be broken down into 10 basic stages from receiving the basic design information from our customers to the final CNC punched components.

Stage 1. A 3D software model is created of the sheet metal component or assembly

The design information we receive from our customers can be in many forms but the most common are 3D STEP files, 3D SAT files, 2D DWG and DXF drawings, simple PDF files or still occasionally printed paper drawings.  Sometimes our customers will be give us a sample sheet metal component to copy or adapt to their specific needs on a particular project.  Most of the time if the sheet metal fabrication is not just a simple flat component we will create a 3D model as the starting datum for the project.  This enables us to examine the assembly fit of several associated sheet metal components that might have to work together for instance a sheet metal folded box and a cover where the fixing holes need to line up.  We can feed this design information back to our customers to be checked out with their non sheet metal parts before we start any actual manufacturing.  This can also be a help for our customers in checking their own designs and we can at this stage feedback possible design improvements to help with production and reducing the sheet metal component price.

Stage 2. Developed flat 2D sheet metal blanks from the 3D model

The 3D software model of the sheet metal component is used to create an ‘unfolded’ developed flat blank of the part.  At this stage all the manufacturing information such as material type, sheet density, sheet thickness and corner bend radii will have to be correctly applied to the sheet metal component model to create the correct bend sizes.  Once done correctly this will enable a sheet metal component to be CNC bent and to fold up back to the correct sizes to match the original 3D design model.  This has a great advantage for us as do not have to try out sample sheet metal parts before batch production of sheet metal work as all the trial and errors can be carried out within the software, thereby saving material costs and time.

Stage 3. Developed sheet metal blank profile is cleaned up with any inspection information added to aid shop floor production

The next stage is to refine any corner notches that will not fit standard CNC tooling, check that all the details on each face of the box are correct to the 3D model and add any required inspection information that might be needed to the manufacturing processes for the sheet metal fabrication.

Stage 4. Sheet metal parts are CNC punch press tooled

The Radan software we use can apply a standard CNC tool library that we have built us over many years to try and match features in the sheet metal component with the correct CNC tooling.  The library of existing parts can be seen on the website under the tooling sections.  This is the stage where the skill of the CNC programmer is also required to ensure the correct CNC tooling is selected and the least number of hits is used to produce the most efficiently CNC punched part. This is also the stage where we have to decide how the sheet metal work will be removed from the parent metal sheet.  It may be tagged at its corners and then removed by hand, CNC punched completely out of the sheet to be removed by hand or CNC punched out and allowed to drop through a chute in the bed of the Trumpf punch presses into a collecting bin below.  This method is usually best applied for small sheet metal parts that may not have an important cosmetic surface finish.  There is a video link of our Trumpf 3000R CNC punching some mild steel bracket through the machine chute straight into a bin below.

Stage 5. The sheet metal components are CNC nested for the best sheet layout within the parent sheet

Our Radan CAD/CAM software nester utility is then used to find the best fit of the parts from a given sheet of metal.  Odd shaped parts can be fitted together and smaller parts CNC punched from the gaps between larger sheet metal parts or even from within another part’s window features.  The better the fit that we can achieve at this stage the higher the sheet metal material yield the cheaper the final part price will become.  This has become all the more important with more expensive materials such as stainless steel, aluminium alloys and brass or thicker sheet materials.  With the Trumpf CNC punch presses we can program to produce sheet metal work from between the machine clamps enabling still more components to be squeezed from each sheet of metal.

Stage 6. CNC punch press tooling clearances within the sheet metal CNC nest

The software is also used to check that all the CNC tools and individual sheet metal components are not overlapping each other.  It is also very important that the CNC nested metal sheet is stable enough in production to hold together whilst being CNC punched at speed on our Trumpf punch press machines.

Stage 7. Order text is generated to guide the CNC punch press production in the correct order of production

The exact order that the individual CNC tools are punched into the sheet metal can be controlled which is important if you have forms in the sheet metal fabrication such as dimples, louvres, tapped plunged etc as they need to be CNC punched after any other holes or they will be damaged by the head of the Trumpf machine moving over them.

Stage 8. CNC production verification is carried out within the CAD/CAM software

This stage of the CNC programming allows us to see within the CAD/CAM software what the Trumpf CNC punch presses will do when the sheet metal is being punched.  At this stage any strange movements of the parent sheet metal can be corrected to give the most efficient and the safest punching path is production.

Stage 9. CNC punch press code blocks are generated

The ‘blocks’ are automatically written as the code needed to talk to the Trumpf CNC punch presses to instruct them when to punch, which CNC tooling to use, the sequence that the CNC tooling is used in and where to punch on the metal sheet.  This code should need no alteration by us as Radan automatically writes this code based on the order text written in step 7.

Stage 10. Final manufactured sheet metal fabrication

The final part after CNC punching, de-burring and CNC bending.  The sheet metal work is now finished.

For more information on sheet metal work and how it’s made please take a look at this in depth review.

V and F Sheet Metal, 28 Brunel Way, Segensworth East, Fareham, Hamsphire, PO15 5SD

New website up and running

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Punched hole with relation to the sheet metal panel edge

We are really pleased at V&F Sheet Metal to be able to announce that our new website is now up and running.  Building on from the last website I wanted to offer customers more information on V&F, our manufacturing services (for those customers who are too far to call in) and most importantly a host of design data to aid you in the design of your sheet metal work.  I want to be able to give you the ability check for yourself on our standard CNC punch press tooling whenever you are designing a feature so that you select a tool that is free and readily available to help reduce your lead time.  With the bend data section I want to guide you to use the most appropriate bend sizes so that your design is achievable without any fuss or extra cost to you.  Have you ever designed a product only to have to change it later to suit the manufacturing restrictions?  Now you can save time and check out these standard bend sizes as you are drawing them.
Continue reading →

‘Easy bending’ by hand

Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011

sheet metal CNC punched gear plate

Sheet metal gear plate with 'easy bend' lines

Customers are often looking to take product in a batch size that will enable them to get the right price but in doing so they may not have enough space to store the product until it’s all used up. This simple ‘flat pack’ trick may be the answer in some cases. By CNC punching a series of slots in the sheet metal the component can be weakened so it’s easy to bend by hand in assembly. The same principle can be used for earth tags where a quick push with a screw driver is enough to allow a terminal to be screwed in place.

Continue reading →

Design considerations when CNC punching sheet metal fabrications

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

What is CNC Punching?

Design considerations when CNC punching sheet metal fabrications

CNC punching is a manufacturing process that is carried out by CNC punch presses on sheet metal materials. These machines can be either a single head and tool rail (Trumpf) design or multi-tool turret design. The machine is basically programmed to move a sheet of metal in an x and y direction so as to accurately position the sheet under the machine’s ram ready to punch a hole. The processing range for most CNC punch presses is 0.5mm to 6.0mm thick in a range of sheet metal materials including steel, stainless steel and aluminium. The choice of hole punched can be as simple as a circle or rectangle through to special shapes to suit a specific sheet metal design. By using a combination of single hits and overlapping geometries, complex can be produced. The machine may also punch 3D forms such as dimples, taptite screw thread plunges, electrical knockouts and earth tags which are often employed in sheet metal enclosure designs. Some modern sheet metal punch press machines may have the ability to tap threads, fold small tabs, punch sheared edges without any tool witness marks making the machine very productive within the component cycle time. The instruction to drive the machine to create the desired component geometry is known as the CNC program.
Continue reading →

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