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Quality sheet metal workers in Hampshire

Monday, October 22nd, 2018

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

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

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

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

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

Radan nest of parts

Laser cutting sheet metal work

Spot welding Zintec sheet metal assembly

Brackets in production

Folding up the blanks

3 D Radan model

Laser cutting mild steel brackets using a Trumpf 3030

Friday, October 19th, 2018

Laser cutting mild steel brackets at speed

Laser cutting mild steel brackets

We love manufacturing sheet metal brackets here at V and F Sheet Metal. Our manufacturing machinery is perfectly designed to produce small components like brackets, you just have to take a look at our website to see that. The image you can see here is through the safety glass looking onto our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser cutting 3mm mild steel. The beauty of this machine is the ease with which we can go from job to job with virtually no set up time. Here we are laser cutting some brackets from material off-cuts from a previous order. The ability to amend CNC programs from full production sheets to smaller off-cuts enables us to offer the best prices. Using up remnants especially of expensive or thick materials is an easy way to keep costs down when quoting for work.

For more examples of past sheet metal bracket projects please take a look at our Bracket and Angle Gallery.

Or if you want to watch the laser cutter in action follow the link.

So, if you have a sheet metal bracket that needs manufacturing please give us a call. We are always happy to help you with ideas to speed up the manufacturing process to save you money. Perhaps you have designed a bracket and we can change some CNC punch tooling to suit standard tools and reduce punching time. We may have just the form tool needed to produce the curve you want.

Our engineering are always willing to help.

Typical sheet metal housings from V and F Sheet Metal

Friday, October 12th, 2018

Looking for sheet metal housings for your next design project?

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we manufacture sheet metal housings every day of the week. From small tin plates PCB screening housings right up to complete electrical enclosures.

Sheet metal housings

We manufacture sheet metal housings for a wide range of industries in Great Britain. These can include light fitting housings, industrial heating housings, professional audio housings and pump housings to name but a few.

The housings shown here have been manufactured in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire. Using CNC punching, laser cutting and CNC bending technology to efficiently produce these products. With batch sizes ranging from 1 off prototypes, repeating batches of many hundreds right up to thousands, we have the processes to match your needs. The material we work with is vast including all the standard mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium alloys as well as specialist lighting reflector materials, pre-painted materials and spring stainless steels.

Light fitting ceiling panels

As far as finishes go, what do you want? Zinc plating and passivating, anodising, Surtec 650, Iridite NCP, powder coating, screening, hot-dip galvansing you name it we can supply it.

What’s next?

For an impartial view on designing for the manufacture of sheet metal housings contact us on 01489 577786. If you already have some drawings, that’s great, please send them to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will take a look for you.

Would you like to see more images of sheet metal components to give you some ideas for your own designs? Take a look at our gallery pages within our website or on our: Pinterest Board.

Speak to you soon.

Inserting sheet metal fastenings in to aluminium brackets

Friday, September 21st, 2018

Inserting sheet metal fastenings using our Haeger inserter machine

We are inserting sheet metal fixings everyday of the week. They may be female threads such as the parts shown here or male threaded studs. Simple brackets like these can also have bushes inserted using one of our fly-presses when needed. If you follow the links you will see plenty of examples of sheet metal work projects with inserts.

Batch of sheet metal clamping brackets

Aluminium top hat brackets

And here’s the process in action …

Fast Tube by Casper

Thin gauge aluminium brackets are perfect for receiving sheet metal fastenings. Aluminium is generally too soft to receive a self-tapping screw. Unless the gauge is considerably thicker we would not recommend tapping a thread. Pressed inserts however are perfect for the job.

If you have a new design for a product in sheet metal and it needs inserts please give us a call. We have lots of standard inserts on the shelf and we can buy in most within a day or two. As a result we can be manufacturing your parts and have the inserts in ready to go when needed. Just give us a call and let’s see what we can do for you.

Aluminium and mild steel sheet metal brackets manufactured especially for you

Friday, August 31st, 2018

Sheet metal brackets manufactured from aluminium and mild steel

If you are looking for aluminium or mild sheet metal steel brackets you have come to the right place. With over 30 years experience in sheet metal work we will produce brackets to your own designs. Our website has a vast array of past examples of sheet metal brackets made for our UK customers.

Mild steel sheet metal brackets

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we will CNC punch and laser cut the blanks for any aluminium or mild steel brackets. We will produce them to your design using the very latest CAD/CAM software ensuring accuracy to your initial ideas. For that reason we always use Radan sheet metal software to enable us to communicate with our customers. Whether it might be 3D design files or detailed drawings we will be able to support you with your manufacturing project.

Take a look at our past CAD/CAM examples to see what we get up to.

Once we have accurate blanks we have a range of CNC press brakes to fold the brackets. Using accurate tooling we will produce a wide range of shapes and sizes of bracket. Please take a look at our bracket gallery for more examples. Another good source for sheet metal bracket examples is our Sheet Metal Bracket Pinterest Board.

Aluminium sheet metal brackets

We can also work with other grades of material including stainless steel, copper and brass. More specialised materials such as zintec, bondcote and pre-painted steel are no problem to us.

In conclusion you can see that we are definitely the people to contact when you need sheet metal brackets. You can send us your drawings right now and we will be happy to take a look. Producing price alternatives for material type and volumes options is not a problem to us. If you would rather have a chat please call us on 01489 577786, we will be waiting for your call.

Folding sheet metal brackets from mild steel laser cut blanks

Sunday, May 13th, 2018

Folding sheet metal brackets from mild steel laser cut blanks using our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes

So the best place to start when you want an accurate sheet metal component is an accurate blank. Using years of experience and the latest CAD/CAM software we are able to offer this with little fuss. Linking CNC programs to our CNC punching and laser cutting machines leads to efficient manufacturing. If you can start with an accurate blank it makes folding sheet metal brackets so much easier.

laser cut mild steel brackets

The best way to produce an accurate sheet metal blank is to use a laser cutter. We have the option of cutting accurate sheet metal blanks using our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutter. Depending on the component’s shape, material and thickness we will decide whether to CNC punch or laser cut. These parts have been laser cut which was perfect for the shape and batch size involved.

CNC press brake tooling folding sheet metal brackets

Once an accurate sheet metal blank has been produced we can tackle the folding. We are lucky to have such a wide range of machines to fold our sheet metal work. Perhaps we might have a simple sheet metal part and fold it on a fly-press of Guifil CNC press brake. We may use our Safan e-brake with it’s 3M bed. In this case the Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes were ideal for the job. The component’s CNC program was written in under 10 minutes. The tooling was all laid out for one bending sequence. And off we went producing parts.

CNC folded mild steel brackets

Finally the finished article. A mild steel bracket with a series of bends and stiffening points built into the bends. Folding sheet metal brackets couldn’t be made easier than when using a laser cutter in conjunction with a CNC press brake.

Looking to get some sheet metal brackets manufactured then please give us a call. We love a challange, send us your STEP or DXF files and we will get working on a quote for you. Call 01489 577786 or e-mail sales@vandf.co.uk for help with your sheet metal project.

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.

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.

Merry Christmas from V and F Sheet Metal 2017

Thursday, December 21st, 2017

Merry Christmas from all at V and F Sheet Metal.

We just want to say thank you to all out customers for their business through 2017, we really appreciate it. We also want to thank the support of our suppliers through this year. Lets all hope that 2018 will be just as busy and profitable for all of us.

Merry Christmas

From the team at V and F Sheet Metal

Sheet metal fabrication in the UK – V and F Sheet Metal

Wednesday, December 6th, 2017

Laser cut and CNC bend zintec sheet metal work produced with Trumpf manufacturing equipment

Sheet metal fabrication in the UK covers a wide range of processes. From laser cutting and CNC punching thin sheet metal to folding complex sections. Using various welding techniques and secondary manufacturing and finishing operations a large range of sheet metal fabrications can be produced.

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we specialise in batch production of sheet metal fabrications. From our factory in Fareham, Hampshire we supply sheet metal work right across the UK. We can support you with your new designs by producing prototypes. We can also produce small batches of sheet metal components and then where needed larger volumes.

For far more information on sheet metal fabrications and what we can do with them take a look at this link.

Zinc plated mild steel sheet metal brackets

If you are looking for a company to supply sheet metal fabrication in the UK V and F Sheet Metal are the people to contact on 01489 577786. Alternatively you can always e-mail us your drawing data and our engineering team will be happy to advise on your designs or produce estimate options.

Sheet metal work manufactured in Great Britain 2017

Thursday, November 16th, 2017

CNC punched sheet metal work

If you are looking for sheet metal work manufactured in Great Britain here’s as good a place to start as any. During 2017 V and F Sheet Metal have invested in more plant and machinery to improve product quality and speed up manufacturing. The projects shown here are typical of the sheet metal work that we manufacture every day. Whether it’s CNC laser cutting or CNC punching. CNC bending from just a few sample parts to orders of many thousands. Parts may be simply left self colour or treated and finished in a variety of ways. Calling upon the talents of a range of sub-contract specialists in the area we can offer the complete manufacturing service.

Sheet metal trays

Sheet metal work manufactured in Great Britain is cost effective compared with importing. We have many customers who use our services from Europe and the US. Or course our home market of Great Britain is where the majority of our customers as based. With the ability to communicate easily and offer quick samples we provide a useful service to many companies. With the latest sheet metal manufacturing equipment prices are also very keen.

Folded sheet metal work

To get a really good idea of sheet metal work manufactured in Great Britain you should take a look at our gallery pages and plant pages. They will illustrate the wide range of work we manufacture and the ways in which we save time and our customers money.

So if you are looking to get your sheet metal work manufactured in Great Britain give us a try. We are happy for you to call us and have a chat with one of our team of experienced engineers. If you wish to simply e-mail us your drawings that’s fine and we will work on producing estimates for you.

Sheet Metal work in Great Britain 2017

Monday, November 13th, 2017

Sheet Metal work in Great Britain

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we are proud to be able to offer a wide range of sheet metal services to all our customers. Whether it’s laser cutting stainless steel fixings plates or CNC punching aluminium front panels. CNC folding electronics chassis components or mild steel angle brackets. Welding in a wide range of materials and gauges using modern welding techniques. We are here to help you with your designs and provide the best choice of manufacturing techniques to produce your sheet metal work in Great Britain.

With an active program of investment in sheet metal working equipment we are helping to keep sheet metal work in Great Britain. In the last year we have purchased a brand new 1.5 ton fork lift. We have invested in 1M power rolls for rolling up circular sections. We have also invested in another Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake to strengthen our folding section. Along with our other 6 CNC press brakes we have a great range of services to support the most complex sheet metal work.

Using the latest sheet metal working CAD/CAM software we can tune designs to suit the correct and most efficient manufacturing machines. If you have a project that needs some input from a friendly sheet metal working company we are here to help. We can take a quick look at your designs and suggest areas that can be improved with a view to saving you money. Simply send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will take a look for 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.

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 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.

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.

Folding sheet metal work in Great Britain using CNC Press Brakes

Friday, August 25th, 2017

Folding sheet metal work is a big part of what we do here at V and F Sheet Metal

From the smallest angle bracket to components up to 3M long we are here to support you. But what does that mean?

small sheet metal folding

Well for us it means not only having the right machines and tooling, you would hope all sheet metal workers would have that. No, it means having the experience to help you with your designs. Selecting the correct materials and thicknesses for a given part with an eye to the cost of the final part. For example why would you use 5251 aluminium if 1050A will do the job and is cheaper. Many of our customers will not know what material to select and we will help them to get it right and at the right price.

Defining a suitable manufacturing tolerance is another area where people can be unsure what can be achieved in practice. Say you want a small stainless steel channel folding up similar to the part shown on the right. It may be fitting into another rightly controlled machined item. Asking for +0/-0.25 across the bends may be required and achievable. Asking for the same tolerance on a much larger support bracket in 4mm mild steel would be adding extra time and scrap where it’s just not needed. Sometimes simply talking through these points with us is enough to get it right and save time and money in production.

We have all experienced the standard drawing border that is applied to every job without any thought.

For more information on bending please check out this link

large sheet metal folding

So you can already see that there are plenty of actions you can take when considering designing for folding sheet metal work. The specific machine we chose and the tooling needed is not your problem. Of course you will want us to have modern accurate machines. We won’t disappoint there with a program of constant investment in plant and tooling. Getting your design right for that tooling is your problem and we are always happy to help you with it. If you want to discuss a current sheet metal project that will need folding please give us a call on 01489 577786. Alternatively you can e-mail us your drawings and we will be pleased to review them for 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.

Sheet metal housings and gear trays manufactured in the UK

Tuesday, August 15th, 2017

Mild steel sheet metal housing base

Sheet metal can be used to create a wide range of housings, enclosures and boxes for electronic and lighting products. Whether the housings are made from stainless steel, mild steel or aluminium we have the correct equipment for efficient manufacturing. With a varied customer base demanding a quick service from just a few samples right up to volume production we have a large flexible sheet metal housing production service.

Sheet metal light fitting gear tray

Whether it’s CNC punching or laser cutting that’s needed to start off a sheet metal housing we have the right software to get the best from any given sheet of metal. Using either fresh standard sheets, custom sheared blanks or remnants from previous jobs we can cope with your requirements. Radan CAD/CAM software is very powerful with it’s ability to change a part from CNC punching to a laser cutting job in seconds. This allows us to swap production jobs around when that inevitable panic order comes in.

Linking the flexibility of CNC punching and laser cutting under the same roof as CNC bending is perfect for most people’s sheet metal housing needs. Bending housings as small as the palm of your hand right up to 3M long is no problem for us. With many of our CNC bending machines sharing the same tooling enables us to be flexible when running higher volumes of work. We can set up the same part over several machines to increase work flow when needed.

These small housings are typical of the easier parts we manufacture. If you have something more complex please don’t hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to take a look for you. Whether it’s a 3D STEP file or 2D data please give us a try.

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.

There is a limit to the amount of examples of CNC punching we can show here, for more you have to take a look at our Pinterest Board, “CNC punching sheet metal work”

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.

Folding sheet metal work with a CNC press brake

Thursday, July 27th, 2017

Folding sheet metal work with a Safan e-Brake CNC press brake

Fast Tube by Casper

When we are looking to fold sheet metal components we have a number of options here at V and F Sheet Metal. We have a number small CNC press brakes for folding sheet metal work up to 1M long. We also have a 2.5M long machine for forming longer channels and angles. But when it comes to more complex sheet metal work we would use our Safan e-Brake with it’s 3M long bed and 100 tons bending force. The video shown here is bending a typical simple sheet metal tray and it nicely shows the speed with which work can be formed.

Folding with a Safan CNC press brake

Folding sheet metal work needs a good machine, accurate tooling and a skilled work force. The Safan e-Brake is a great machine to program with an easy to understand controller. As we are a sub-contract company we need to be able to move from job to job quickly. Some job changes can take just minutes and with small batch sizes this is essential to get the best from the machines. All our CNC bending programs are saved to our system server and then backed up over night to ensure we also have the right data ready when needed.

CNC punched sheet metal blanks

To achieve an accurate final folded component you need to start with an accurate flat blank. We are lucky to have Trumpf CNC punch presses and a Trumpf laser cutting machine. These machines enable us to produce the correct parts every time. Using Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software we are able to select the best flat blank production method to suit the parts details.

Folded sheet metal work

The final folded trays are stacked and ready to move to their next production process. The secret to folding sheet metal work is to keep it simple. Easy to use machines, clean accurate tooling, accurate flat blanks and a wealth of experience. This enables us to offer the best solution for folding your parts and keeping the costs down.

If you want to know more or would like us to quote you for your sheet metal work please send us your drawings or give us a call on 01489 577786.

Sheet metal working in Hampshire Great Britain 2017

Monday, July 24th, 2017

If you are looking for sheet metal working in Hampshire Great Britain then a good place to start is with V and F Sheet Metal.

CNC folding with Trumpf 7036 press brakes

Sheet metal working in Hampshire Great Britain

Sheet metal manufacturing

V and F Sheet Metal have been manufacturing sheet metal work for over 30 years and are proud of the service we offer to companies all across Great Britain.

Using the very latest CNC punching, laser cutting and CNC bending equipment we can satisfy all your sheet metal working needs. From simple flat plates, angle brackets and boxes right up to complex multi-part assemblies we can support you. Anywhere from sample parts to larger repeating batches and high volume requirements we have the plant and people to help you.

We have always been happy to help our customers with their needs and advise where we can to reduce time in manufacturing to save them money. Perhaps we can do the same for you, call us on 01489 577786 for more information.

With so much equipment we have the flexibility to help you if you have an urgent requirement, repeat batch work, call-off needs or higher volume orders.

If you want to send us your drawings or 3D models please send them to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will be happy to help you. Also, please take a look at our website and you will see plenty on past sheet metal working projects. These can often help you with design ideas and illustrate the wide range of items that can be manufactured from sheet metal.

Sheet Metal Working Gallery

So if you are sheet metal working in Hampshire Great Britain and you are passing the door please call in for a look around and discuss your sheet metal project.

Sheet metal aluminium fabrications produced in Great Britain 2017

Thursday, July 20th, 2017

Typical aluminium fabrications produced in 2017 by V and F Sheet Metal

Folded aluminium sheet metal fabrications

Whether it’s TiG or MiG welding we can supply your sheet metal aluminium fabrication needs. Producing all our sheet metal blanks from the best CNC punching and laser cutting machines enables us to produce very accurate weld joints. This saves time and money when it comes to welding and reduces the amount of cleaning up that has to be carried out after welding.

TiG welding aluminium housings

If you are looking for aluminium housings, boxes or enclosures we can help. Using Radan CAD/CAM software to plan out the exact fit of the parts to save time in production. We can build in location tags and slots to simplify assembly and ensure the correct alingment of fabrications.

Welded sheet metal fabrications

Along with aluminium fabrications we can also weld stainless steel, mild steel, zintec, galvanised steel and brass. Take a look through our website recent fabrication projects, blog posts and galleries to see just how many people we help with their products.

So if you need aluminium fabrications to complete your products and you want to purchase them from a supportive supplier in Great Britain why not contact us on 01489 577786.

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.

Sheet Metal Projects in March 2017 from V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, April 10th, 2017

Sheet Metal Projects in March 2017 from V and F Sheet Metal

Laser cutting sheet metal work

Again, this month we have been busy laser cutting sheet metal projects. From small clips and angle brackets in 0.7mm stainless steel to 6mm thick mild steel and 5mm thick aluminium and everything in between. One particular project was interesting when we were asked to laser cut replica sword blanks to be used in film work. You just never know what’s coming next in sub-contact engineering.

New machine starts work straight away

We were really pleased to have another brand new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake join the ranks of bending machines we use here in Fareham, Hampshire. There were so many bending sheet metal projects in March 2017 that the new machine helped with. Having already used two of the these machines before we had all the old CNC programs ready to go as well as the tooling. With the purchase of new tooling to expand our tooling library the machine was up and running the same day it was delivered.

Formed sheet metal chassis

These formed sheet metal chassis are just typical sheet metal work that we make for out UK based customers and were just another one of the sheet metal projects in March 2017 that were completed in the UK.

If you are looking for a new sheet metal worker then please take a look at our website and the services we can offer you. We are constantly investing in new technology to help improve the manufacturing processes we can offer you. From the latest CAD/CAM software (we have Radan 2017) to a brand new Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake (installed March 2017), these are exciting times.

If you have a set of drawings you want us to review for you please send them through to sales@vandf.co.uk. We are happy to offer alternative prices even if it’s just a costing exercise to check that your current supplier to competitive. Perhaps you want to have a chat to check out your designs are suitable for manufacturing. Our manufacturing team is here waiting to help you, call us on 01489 577786.

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.

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