Trumpf manufacturing equipment Archives -

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.

Roll up, roll up! Step this way for Sheet Metal production January, 2018

Thursday, February 1st, 2018

Formed circular component

Now this product caught my eye whilst walking around the factory this week. I thought it was worth a mention as it combines two separate processes of sheet metal engineering, namely bending and rolling. On both images, on the inside of the rolled end it’s possible to see a series of lines. This gives a clue to the process used, as a series of bends were made using the Trumpf 7036 to begin to produce a preform curve.

As the lines disappear and the inner surface appears smooth, this indicates that the metal has been rolled on a set of rollers. At V and F Sheet Metal we have both hand rollers and powered rollers. We have the capability to roll up to 1m wide and 3mm thick mild steel. However, we are able to roll up thicker metal in smaller strips. Please take a look at our plant list on rolling sheet metal work for more detailed information.

If you have a product that requires rolling as part of production then please give us a call on 01489 577786 or email if you prefer at sales@vandf.co.uk.

Formed circular metal component

Metal circular component

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

We love making folded Sheet metal boxes!

Sunday, January 7th, 2018

Folded sheet metal boxes

Folded Sheet Metal Boxes

Are you looking to produce a folded sheet metal box? Then look no further as we are here to help you! Over the years we have produced a huge number of boxes ranging from the small and simple to large and complex. We use high tech equipment which allows us to CNC punch sheet metal from 0.4mm up to 5.0mm gauge in a range of steel, aluminium and stainless steel alloys. Furthermore if you require thicker gauges this is no problem as we employ the services of our Trumpf 3030 3KW fiber laser cutting machine.

I’ve include this image as it’s a typical example of the type of folded sheet metal box we are asked to make on a daily basis. First of all nearly all of our sheet metal projects start their life as a 3D model using Radan sheet metal development software. Once checked and approved, the model is used to produce a flat pattern ready for use on one of our CNC punching machines. After punching, the edges are deburred and the panel folded up in to the final shape using one of our many CNC press brake bending machines.

This may be the final product especially if the box is going to be placed “out of sight”. However, more often than not our customers require their boxes to be treated or finished. For example we can powder coat, zinc plate or anodise components to produce a perfect cosmetic finish.

If you would like to learn more about the various stages of metal box design and production then please go to our web page on Box Fabrication. Finally if you need any more help with your project then we’re always happy to hear from you at V and F Sheet Metal. Please just call on 01489 577786 or drop us an email at sales@vandf.co.uk.

Please feel free to look on our website for more general information on CNC bending and CNC press brakes.

Z angle aluminium brackets laser cut and folded in Great Britain 2018

Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018

Laser cut aluminium strips

Z Angle Brackets

If you require aluminium brackets but you’re not sure who to contact then look no further! Here at V and F Sheet Metal, Hampshire we have the facility to help you. We have many years of experience to ease your journey from the initial idea or drawing through to final production.

Folding aluminium Z brackets

First of all we begin the process using Radan 3D modelling design software before moving on to laser cutting and finally folding up to produce brackets.

The photos here follow the production of a simple aluminium bracket. Initially we cut out flat metal strip ready to be bent in to a z shape. Cutting out is quick using the latest technology Trumpf 3030 3 KW fibre laser. The second photo shows an individual strip in the process of bending using one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Finally once completed and inspected, the strips are packed up ready for delivery to the customer. If you would like to know more about bending then please read the CNC bending information on our website.

Folded aluminium Z angles brackets

So please do not hesitate to contact us here at V and F Sheet Metal by calling 01489 577786 or emailing us at sales@vandf.co.uk. We have the ability to make many types of brackets and the expertise to assist you with your product from the initial idea through to design and final production. We look forward to hearing from you.

New CNC press-brake tooling pays dividends in production

Monday, November 6th, 2017

CNC joggle tooling

We can produce such a wide variety of sheet metal work with standard CNC press brake tooling. Using simple V tooling enables us to cover most of the bends our customers want in their products. Sometimes however, special press-brake tooling can make a big difference. It can reduce the setting time for a number of tools and reduce programming time. The biggest gain for you is the reduced production time easily saving the cost of the tooling after just a couple of batches.

Joggled aluminium brackets

By using joggle press-brake tooling a double bend can be achieved in one cycle of the machine. Not only is this quicker but a more reliable form can be achieved. The joggle tool can be adjusted to suit a range of material gauges and offset sizes. This bracket was produced from 3mm aluminium but it could just as easily have been mild steel or stainless steel.

This press-brake tooling is shown producing a joggle form in 3mm aluminium on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The same tooling can be used on our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake making it a versatile tool for the shop floor.

If you have a sheet metal component and you are looking to save money it might just be that bespoke press-brake tooling could make a difference. Please send us your drawings and we will quickly be able to see if we can help. Email us at sales@vandf.co.uk or give us a call on 01486 577786 if you are still now sure.

CNC laser cutting sheet metal programming in Great Britain

Friday, September 22nd, 2017

Laser cutting sheet metal work CNC program nest

We use Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software to drive our CNC punching and CNC laser cutting machines. Radan software is one of the most sophisticated packages for controlling sheet metal manufacturing machines available today. With support for 3D modelling, 2D drawing, standard tooling libraries, auto tooling and auto nesting of full metal sheets. Sheet metal programming is critical for producing accurate components at the right price. For us sheet metal programming is the most important stage in the manufacturing cycle before any material is cut.

Laser cutting sheet metal work CNC program nest

The examples of sheet metal programming shown here are typical of those we produce every day of the week. The Radan software automatically finds the best fit for components on any given sheet size or off-cut no matter how complex the blank shape or size.

With many years of experience in producing a vast range of sheet metal parts via CNC punching and CNC laser cutting we are happy to help you modify your designs to reduce processing time and part costs.

You can send us your drawings as 2D PDF, DWG or DXF files. If you are lucky enough to produce 3D data then STEP or SAT files can help us to speed up sheet metal quotes and the final production sheet metal programs.

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.

Bending sheet metal work in Great Britain 2017

Monday, August 21st, 2017

Bending sheet metal work in Great Britain 2017

I thought it would be good to show off a few sheet metal jobs that have been bent up on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. These jobs nicely show the versatility of bending sheet metal work on these fast and accurate CNC press brakes.

Fast Tube by Casper

With a large range of tooling that can be shared across all the machines we can tackle all sorts of jobs. From the smallest angle bracket the size of a finger nail right up to 1M on these machines. We can fold up to 3M on our Safan e-Brake CNC press.

Fast Tube by Casper

With sub-contract sheet metal work being so varied they machines are perfect for us. Being so easy to set up when bending sheet metal work in small batches these machines are very cost effective.

Fast Tube by Casper

As well as our 3 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes we also have 2 small Guifil CNC press brakes, an Edwards Pearson 2.5M CNC press brake and a Safan 3M CNC press brake. Please visit the plant pages for these machine or see them in action on our YouTube channel. There is a link at the bottom of the page.

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.

Laser cutting stainless steel sheet metal work

Tuesday, August 8th, 2017

Laser cutting stainless steel sheet metal work in Great Britain during 2017

Whether you are looking to just have a few stainless steel parts laser cut or higher volumes here at V and F Sheet Metal we will be able to help you. Using the latest Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser technology we can cut work from 0.3mm to 12mm thick. Using a fibre laser enables us to offer you a comprehensive laser cutting service. We can laser cut ferrous and non-ferrous materials. As well as stainless steel this can include aluminium alloys, mild steel and galvanised steel. Using the fibre technology we can cut brass and copper alloys.

Employing either nitrogen, oxygen or compressed air as the cutting gases we can ensure the best edge quality to suit your needs. This also helps us to select the right solution to keep your finished part costs down.

Laser cutting stainless steel is only one service we offer our customers. For a fuller picture please take a look at our plant pages and galleries. If you have a design that needs sheet metal work please give us a call. Our engineering team will be happy to help you and talk through your ideas.

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.

Sheet metal brackets made in Great Britain – contact V and F Sheet Metal

Friday, July 14th, 2017

If you are looking to have sheet metal brackets made in Great Britain then V and F Sheet Metal are a great place to start your search. With decades of experience in manufacturing sheet metal brackets for a wide range of industries we can help you with your designs as well as the bracket production.

Sheet metal brackets made in Great Britain

Brackets can be produced by either CNC punching or CNC laser cutting from a wide range of sheet materials. The majority of our bracket manufacturing then passes through our CNC press brake section where all the folds, joggles and safe edges are produced. We have 7 CNC press brakes using a wide range of tooling from small 600mm machines up to 3000mm 100 ton machines. The brackets shown being folded here are being manufactured on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes.

Folded sheet metal brackets

Here’s the final finished aluminium sheet metal brackets. These particular brackets are used with a fibre optic lighting system and were manufactured in a batch of 250 parts.

Batches of folded sheet metal brackets

If you were to place and order with us all the design work for your brackets would be carried out using Radan CAD/CAM sheet metal software. We would produce 3D models, developed flat blanks and the fully tooled CNC punch or laser cutting nests. The CNC programs are then ready for production direct to the correct machine at the right time for your order.

So if you still want sheet metal brackets made in Great Britain please pick up the phone and call us on 01489 577786 or e-mail us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk 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.

Laser cutting aluminium display panels with a fibre laser cutter

Monday, April 24th, 2017

Fast Tube by Casper

Here’s a short video showing our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutting machine cutting through 1.5mm 5251 aluminium alloy. Using nitrogen as the cutting assist gas a very clean quick cut is achieved with very little post operation de-burring required. These aluminium display panels are used as traffic calming signs. We manufacture a wide range of display panels in aluminium and stainless steel alloys ranging from 1 off special projects to mid ranges volumes, 50-100 per order. You can see that the main display panels are on the left hand side of the sheet. Other brackets and support components have been laser cut from the right hand side of the sheet. This enables us to use as little material as possible and keep costs down.

With all laser cutting projects and this one was no exception we have to start with Radan CAD/CAM software. We are lucky that this customer always gives us DXF files so we can examine all features and dimensions when producing the 3D models and laser cutting CNC programs.

These sheet metal aluminium display panels after laser cutting were folded up on one of our 7 CNC press brakes. They then had many PEM bushes and studs inserted to our customer’s design. After welding and cleaning up we organised powder coating so they were ready fro our customer to assemble.

If you have a project that needs aluminium display panels either laser cut or CNC punched please give us a call. We are always happy to help you with your design or produce quote options to get the best fit of manufacturing and price for your budget.

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 can I buy laser cut sheet metal work to my designs

Monday, April 3rd, 2017

Where can I buy laser cut sheet metal work to my designs?

Laser cutting sheet metal work CNC program nest

We offer the complete laser cutting service from 3D modelling, CAD/CAM program development, laser cutting and down stream production processes. Using Radan 2017 sheet metal CAD/CAM software we are able to take your 3D data in the form of STEP or SAT files. 2D drawings can also be acceptable of PDF files and we will calculate the correct developed blank sizes for you. Using advanced nesting algorithms we can experiment with different nesting patterns to produce the most parts from any given sheet. This technique helps to reduce costs at the quoting stage and speeds up production cutting times.

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

Here’s our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser in action cutting 3mm thick galvanised mild steel with nitrogen gas. On this occasion we are only using part of a sheet for a small batch of work. We can laser cut up to 3M long with the largest sheet that can be laser cut being 3M x 1.5M in size.

Laser cut 5mm thick aluminium sheet metal project

Here we have a recent laser cutting project that was produced using 5mm thick 5251 aluminium alloy. The nest was produced in seconds and worked perfectly to produce the parts needed by our customer. It doesn’t matter what the shape of the part we will get the best fit from the sheet saving you money.

So where can I buy laser cut sheet metal work, V and F Sheet Metal. If you send us your drawings we will calculate a range of prices for you and any options you wish for material types and batch sizes. Call us on 01489 577786 for more information or send your data to sales@vandf.co.uk.

Sheet metal bending using a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake

Thursday, March 30th, 2017

Sheet metal bending using a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake

Bending stainless steel brackets

Bending mild steel brackets

CNC bending sheet metal tabs

Well it’s hard to think that a quarter of 2017 has gone past already. With time to look back I have picked out 3 sheet metal parts to show the versatility of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. All three parts were manufactured in batches around 100 to 200. They were all folded using standard tooling that we hold on the shelf and were all programmed within minutes of hitting the shop floor.

With the recent investment of a third brand new machine we now have the perfect facility for folding small sheet metal brackets, angles gear trays, boxes etc. right here in Fareham, Hampshire. Sheet metal components up to 1M long are ideal for these machines and their fast acting electric drives produce very quick production cycle times. Add to that a simple programming and machine setting system making them idea for small batch volume work and prototyping as well as higher volume sub-contract sheet metal work.

Whether your projects need sheet metal work containing such items as aluminium trays, stainless steel clamps, mild steel brackets or copper earth tags we can fold them up and maintain the highest tolerance and work quality at a very competitive price.

We are always keen to look at new sheet metal bending projects and hope to keep our sheet metal factory busy throughout the rest on 2017. If you want more information on this service or have a look at your specific project please call us on 01489 577786 and our engineering team will be happy to help you.

New Trumpf 7036 brings extra bending capacity at V and F Sheet Metal

Tuesday, March 28th, 2017

Ready to join the gang

Our new Trumpf 7036 is now ready to bring extra bending capacity at V and F Sheet Metal. Working alongside our other two Trumpf 7036 CNC bending machines we think we may have the most on any single site in the UK. Always looking to invest in our services we are really proud to have another high tech bending machine working for our customers. If you are ever in Hampshire please feel free to contact us and call in to see the machines in action producing sheet metal work.

New machine starts work straight away

The extra bending capacity at V and F Sheet Metal makes an impact straight away by getting down to work. Folding hundreds of lighting reflectors with multiple bends the 7036 is soon earning its keep. With common tooling across the range of machines and access to a huge database of existing CNC programs this machine will immediately be very productive.

Now all 3 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes are working toegther

Not to be left out all 3 machines are busy

If extra bending capacity is what you are looking for in your sheet metal working company then give V and F Sheet Metal a call. With 7 CNC press brakes from 600mm long to 3000mm long we can handle most sheet metal bending project and your rush orders. We are waiting to take you call on 01489 577786 or take a look at your drawings if you send them to sales@vandf.co.uk

Brand new sheet metal bending facility in Fareham Hampshire

Monday, March 20th, 2017

We are expanding our sheet metal bending facilities here at V and F Sheet Metal with a brand new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake

Almost there now

The new CNC bending machine is almost there and ready to take its place in our sheet metal bending facility.

At last in it’s new home

We have managed to move a couple of smaller CNC bending machines around so that our new Trumpf 7036 can sit with our other two 7036s making a very powerful bending cell. One of the smaller machines now sits next to our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser machine. This enables us to use it as a back up machine when the laser operator is watching a long running job. We are always trying to get the best of the machines we have and work in the smartest way we can. This helps us to keep prices down and reduce order lead times.

Trumpf 7036 soon up and working

With so much of our sheet metal manufacturing being under 1M long the Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake is perfect. It’s ability to tackle the simplest single bend angle bracket right up to complex chassis work and multi-bend curved shapes makes it ideal for a busy sub-contract sheet metal work shop.

If you have a sheet metal component or set of parts that you need to get prices on please give us a call. We are always happy to help you out with free advice and suggestions to help save you money in manufacturing. Call us on 01489 57786 or e-mail sales@vandf.co.uk

For more information on our sheet metal bending facility take a look at BENDING UNDER 1M LONG and BENDING OVER 1M LONG

Getting ready for our new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake

Monday, March 13th, 2017

Getting ready for a new CNC press brake at V and F Sheet Metal

Getting ready for our new 7036 CNC press brake

We are really pleased to be able to announce a further investment here at V and F Sheet Metal. We have a third new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake about to be delivered. This machine will increase our total CNC bending facility to 7 machines ranging from 60mm up to to 3000mm long.

Here’s our new press brake

Our new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake has come all the way from Austria and we can’t wait to get it off the lorry and into our factory.

Should fit, I did measure it!

Being so compact there is no chance that the new machine won’t fit. The machine was unloaded and positioned ready for commissioning within 1.5 hours, good work.

The machine was simply wired up, connected to our company computer network, set up and calibrated within the same day. Along with brand new tooling to expand our existing tooling library the machine was producing components on the same day, brilliant service from Trumpf, thanks.

If you want more details on this new CNC press brake please read our Trumpf 7036 web page.

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.

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