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Zintec sheet metal brackets produced in Hampshire UK

Friday, December 2nd, 2016

Zintec brackets produced in Hampshire UK

If you are looking for sheet metal brackets for your latest project look no further than V and F Sheet Metal. With the ability to take your basic design ideas right through to fully details 3D models we can support you with design advice for manufacturing and a range of cost estimates to suit the volume of work you will need. Often we have manufactured sheet metal brackets very similar to the parts you may want and can easily produce your work from stock materials and standard CNC tooling that we hold here in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire.

The s[ecific zintec sheet metal brackets shown here were produced by CNC punching and CNC bending in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire UK. They are typical of the sheet metal work that we produce everyday for our customer base across the UK and into Europe. All sheet metal projects start by creating design data within our Radan CAD/CAM system and then this is used to power our CNC punching and CNC laser cutting machines.

What to do next?

We are always looking for a new challenge when it comes to the manufacture of sheet metal brackets so if you want to talk through a design you are working on or have a specific purchasing need for sheet metal brackets please call us on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

CNC punched sheet metal work manufactured to your own designs

Thursday, November 24th, 2016

If you are looking for CNC punched sheet metal work manufactured to your own designs then you really must give V and F Sheet Metal a try.

CNC punched sheet metal work manufactured to your own designs

The flexibility of produce sheet metal blanks on a CNC punched press is illustrated here. Some parts have been punched out along the length of the sheet and some across the sheet. These efficient CNC punch nests have been produced automatically using Radan sheet metal software. Whenever we can we will extract as much value out of a sheet of metal, saving waste and helping to keep down your piece part prices.

CNC punched sheet metal work produced to your own designs

This is a simple sheet metal surround CNC punched on our Trumpf 200 CNC punch press. It could just as well have been CNC punched on it’s bigger brother, the Trumpf 3000 or even laser cut on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutter. Having all these machines under one roof enables us to use the correct option for your sheet metal design when is comes to prototyping or volume production. Produced in a thin gauge zintec coated mild steel substrate these parts are perfect if they need to be powder coated or can even be left self colour if they are used in a dry and warm environment.

For more help on your sheet metal work designs or any manufacturing advice please give our engineering team a call on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Sheet metal workers in the UK, contact us for manufacturing your sheet metal work projects

Thursday, October 27th, 2016

CNC punching sheet metal workers in the UK

CNC punched aluminium sheet metal housings

Sometimes we have to manufacture a range of parts all on the same order for our customers. If the sheet metal work if all designed to use the same materials and thickness we can produce them as families of parts from the same sheet. The aluminium parts shown here are just such a case in point. We have CNC programmed the housing bases and covers together to ensure that they can be CNC punched out together. This then allows us to fold them together and check all the holes align and the cover is a good fit on the housing base before they are sent off to be powder coated. This technique is often useful if the sheet metal parts do not fit a standard sheet very well. By looking at several parts to be nested together we can often eliminate waste in the sheet and then reduce the sheet metal component costs.

Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press producing sheet metal housing blanks

I have managed to capture the Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press in the middle of CNC punching out the aluminium housing bases. Being sheet metal workers based in the UK we need to use manufacturing equipment that is flexible for any size of project we are asked to make for our customers. The Trumpf 3000 is a very powerful machine being able to produce samples, small batches and large production volumes with very little tooling set up times. This makes it the perfect sheet metal working machine to produce CNC punched parts for the starting point of the manufacturing process. Added to the ability of the punch press to tap threads and form up bent sections the machine is the best you can get when manufacturing sheet metal work.

CNC punched sheet metal work produced at V and F Sheet Metal

Here’s a perfect example of the type of sheet metal work that we can produce on our CNC punch presses. Both of the examples selected here could have been CNC punched on either machine. This leads to a more flexible approach to production demand planning and security of supply for time sensitive orders.

Trumpf 200 CNC punch press in action, sheet metal workers in the UK

Trumpf 200 CNC punch press producing zintec sheet metal blanks

Although our Trumpf 200 CNC punch press is an older simpler machine it is still the work horse that just goes on and on. Punching out sheet metal work in a range of materials and thicknesses is easy for this machine. With a wide range of CNC punch tools and the right software we can CNC punch most sheet metal work that our customers need without any new tooling. For more information on our standard CNC punch press tooling which can be used in your designs please take a look at CNC punch press tooling tables.

If you have a sheet metal project and it needs CNC punching let us know and we will be happy to produce a quotation for you.

Sheet metal folded profiles using our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake

Monday, October 24th, 2016

Sheet metal folded profiles produce by V and F Sheet Metal

Safan e-Brake CNC press brake in action

These components are typical sheet metal folded profiles produced on our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake. Simple folded profiles like these are produce all the time here at V and F Sheet Metal. These profiles were folded from 0.5mm aluminium alloy and will be used in the building trade. The blanks were easily cut on our guillotine and then straight to the CNC press brake for folding. All the tooling used was from our standard tooling range which we can share with our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The use of common press brake tooling allows us to be more flexible when it comes to rush jobs and production bottlenecks. The ease with which folded profiles can be CNC programmed and then set up ready for production is a real plus with the Safan-Brake and enables us to try out pre-production parts quickly when needed. All the CNC program data is then stored on our company server ready for any repeat batches of components.

Sheet metal folding with a CNC press brake

Here are the folded profiles stacked us ready for packing and shipping to our customer in Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. Although these folded profiles were simple with just 2 bends in them much more complex sheet metal work can be folded up on this press brake and up to 3M long. With 100 tons forming capacity the press brake covers all the needs we have for folded profiles that our customers have.

If you are looking to purchase folded sections of aluminium, mild steel or stainless steel please give us a call and we will be happy to produce price breaks to suit your needs. Call us on 01489 577786 for more details or e-mail us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk

Sheet metal components manufactured with pressed inserts

Thursday, October 20th, 2016

Stainless steel front panels with pressed inserts

Stainless steel front panels with stainless steel stand offs.

If you are looking for sheet metal components manufactured with pressed inserts you have certainly come to the right place. Based in Fareham, Hampshire, UK right by the M27 for over 30 years we have produced a wide range of sheet metal components with inserted studs, bushes and standoffs. Whether it is stainless steel panels, aluminium enclosures, mild steel angle brackets or welded fabrications we have a vast experience of pressing in a wide range of inserts. The 2 sheet metal work examples shown here happen to both be manufactured from 304 stainless steel. As well as the components being in different ferrous and non-ferrous materials we can also insert stainless steel, aluminium alloy and mild steel zinc plated fixings. With the wide range of designs available to you there is always a solution that we can use to help speed up your assembly.

Pressed insert studs in sheet metal panels

Sheet metal work with pressed studs inserted

All the sheet metal components that we manufacture here at V and F Sheet Metal have inserts pressed in either on our Haeger bush / stud inserter or various fly-presses. Both methods work well in pressing inserts into pre-punched or laser cut holes. The positional tolerances are to within +/-0.2mm and they are very reliable. As well as the standard self-clinch and hank style anchor rivet style bushes / studs there are many specialist parts that can be inserted. For example there are inserts allowing PCB to be snapped in place or bushes with nylon rings to prevent screws vibrating out when in operation.

If you want more information on the types of pressed inserted that we can source and insert for you please give us a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to advise you on the right solution for your sheet metal component design.

CNC punching sheet metal work with folded tabs from V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, October 17th, 2016

CNC punched sheet metal with folded tabs

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we have been CNC punching sheet metal using CNC punch presses for many years. We have used them to produce all our sheet metal blanks and they are for most jobs the first operation in the manufacturing sequence. Whether the CNC punching is carried out with turret machines or single head (Trumpf) style machines the process is designed to punch holes into a single sheet of metal as quickly as possible. We use the Trumpf style CNC punch presses as we feel they are the best machine when offering a sub-contract sheet metal work service. These CNC punch presses are so flexible and quick to set, helping us to keep components costs low even when only small batches on components are required. Both of our CNC punch presses are programmed with Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software. Having common programs and common tooling across both machines enables us to plan production more efficiently to smooth out the inevitable rush job that comes along.

CNC punching with multi-bend tooling

Multi-Bend tooling

As well as being able to punch holes, slots, forms and outer profiles we can produce folded tabs in our sheet metal work. The special CNC tooling that enables us to do this is called a multi-bend tool. The tool can form up tabs up to 40mm long and 20mm high and is great on applications like these aluminium lighting gear trays. These sheet metal trays have 4 tabs folded up on the Trumpf 3000R punch press and then the remainder of the folds bent on our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake.

The multi-bend tooling is very quick to use and can on the right job form up more than 2,500 bent tabs per hour. The size and angle of each bend is controlled from the Radan software and only adjusted at the machine for sheet gauge fluctuations.

If you would like to know more about CNC punching sheet metal with this tooling option or any other features that we can use to enhance your sheet metal designs please give us a call on 01489 577786 and our engineering team will be happy to help you.

Welded sheet metal fabrications from V and F Sheet Metal

Thursday, October 13th, 2016

Spot welded sheet metal fabrications

Today I thought it would be good to show off a couple of welded sheet metal fabrications that have been recently manufactured. As well as TiG and MiG welded sheet metal fabrications we often get involved with supplying our customers with spot welded fabrications. These zintec cages have been CNC punched out on our Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press and then folded on one of our CNC press brakes. The final manufacturing operation was to spot weld together folded flaps to the side panels to create a complete strong cage. These cages were then powder coated before shipping to our customer.

Aluminium TiG welded sheet metal fabrications

Sheet metal enclosures with welded corner joints

These aluminium cases and end caps are typical of the welded sheet metal fabrications produced here at V and F Sheet Metal. They have been CNC punched out and folded up before having their corner joints TiG welded. The final manufacturing operation was to clean off the welds so that they were nice and smooth ready for powder coating. Once they were powder coated there was no witness of the welding or cleaning up operations.

Both the spot welded enclosures and the TiG welded aluminium cases have been CNC programmed using our Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software. The software is great at enabling us to experiment with initial 3D model design ideas, laser or CNC punching tooling options, the best corner treatment for bending and welding and nesting the most parts for a given sheet of metal.

Please contact us and we will be happy to discuss the right time to use spot welding or Tig / MiG welding in you sheet metal designs. If you are happy that you have the right solution please send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to produce estimates for you.

Sheet metal working projects in October 2016 from V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, October 10th, 2016

Sheet metal working projects in October 2016 manufactured by V and F Sheet Metal in Fareham, Hampshire, UK

A collection of aluminium sheet metal work

I thought it would be nice to mention a couple of sheet metal working projects that we have been involved with recently. These are a collection of aluminium parts that go to make up a set of brackets and housings for some LED display equipment. In October we manufactured just a small batch of sheet metalwork for a regular customer of ours for them to try out before they move into production quantities. All the aluminium parts have been laser cut on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser and needed no further edge de-burring due to the clean edge produced from the laser. They were then folded up and had a series of bushes and stand-offs inserted ready for our customer to start their assembly.

Sheet metal working projects in October 2016 from V and F Sheet Metal

Zinc plated mild steel sheet metal brackets

Here is a higher volume sheet metal work project that we manufactured in October, this batch was for 1,500 brackets. These mild steel brackets have simply been laser cut and folded here and then we had them zinc plated and colour passivated using one of our sub-contract treatment partners. Being able to call upon the resources of a number of painters, powder coaters, platers, anodisers, machinists, silk screeners etc. enables us to offer a more complete service for your sheet metal working needs.

So if you are looking to have a sheet metal working project produced this October or in the future please give us a call. We are happy to take your current drawings and produce price options for you or help with production design ideas where you need them. Please call on 01489 577786 if you want to chat through your required. If you want to send us you files please e-mail them to sales@vandf.co.uk or fill in the contact sheet on the website.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Brass sheet metal used to produce electrical contactor brackets

Thursday, October 6th, 2016

Folding brass sheet metal contactor brackets

It’s not often that we manufacture components in brass but on this occasion brass sheet metal was used to produce these electrical contactor brackets. Small brackets like these can be cut out from brass sheets by either CNC punching using a range of our standard CNC punch tools or by laser cutting with our Trumpf fibre laser cutting machine. Being one of the new breed of fibre laser cutting machines it is able to laser cut brass and copper sheet materials, up to 6mm thick. These materials were previously very difficult or impossible to laser cut with CO2 laser cutting machines. As well as copper and brass our fibre laser cutting machine can laser cut mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium enabling us to offer our customers a wide ranging service in processing sheet metal blanks. In this case the small flat blank was then edge de-burred to make it smooth and safe to handle before being folded up with three 90 degree bends. Using basic CNC press brake tooling a whole range of simple and more complex bends can be performed on any material to make bespoke sheet metal work.

Folded brass sheet metal contact brackets

Although these small brass sheet metal brackets are simple they nicely show the ease with which sheet metal components can be formed up using bends on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. You only have to look through a few of the blog posts on this site or the sheet metal component gallery pages to realise just how flexible sheet metal manufacturing can be when you have the latest CNC manufacturing technology.

If you want to know more about how we manufactured these brass electrical contactor brackets or any other sheet metal ideas you might want to discuss please just give us a call on 01489 577786. If you already have a sheet metal component design that you want us to take a look at, so much the better. Just send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Sheet metal brackets made to your own bespoke designs

Monday, October 3rd, 2016

Sheet metal brackets made to your own bespoke designs using ferrous and non-ferrous materials

Mild steel brackets with formed sections

If you are looking to have brackets made from sheet metal then we have a wide range of manufacturing techniques that can help you achieve your goals. It might be that you need just a few sheet metal brackets to enable you to complete a special project. Perhaps a range of sheet metal brackets for a regular enclosure assembly that you fabricate or a large batch of small sheet metal brackets to support an electronics assembly. Whatever your requirements might be we are here to help you achieve your production goals. The mild steel brackets that you can see here have been CNC punched out, had their edges de-burred and then formed up with customer made fly-press tooling to produce the curved clamping section in the middle of the bracket.

Sheet metal fixing brackets folded using CNC press brakes

These sheet metal brackets have been manufactured from mild steel sheet by CNC punching. They could just as well have been laser cut and the bracket blanks would have been exactly the same size. Having both CNC punching and CNC laser cutting machines right next to each other within our sheet metal work facility enables us to pick the right manufacturing process for your bespoke sheet metal brackets. Sheet metal brackets made to your own bespoke designs are just what we specialise in and can produce your bracket with the right manufacturing method regardless of the material, thickness or complexity.

Sheet metal angle brackets

These angle brackets differ from the other two angle brackets already discussed in that they have been manufactured from angle extrusion. Rather than CNC punching or CNC laser cutting flat sheets of metal and then folding the brackets these have been sawn off from a standard angle section. Once the bespoke bracket was sawn to length it had its holes pierced in position using punch and dies on one of our fly presses. The final manufacturing operation was to barrel the metal brackets to take off any sharp edges left from the sawing and piercing operations.

So you can see that if you want sheet metal brackets made to your own bespoke designs we are the people who can help you. All you have to do is give us a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to discuss your ideas for your own bespoke bracket. If you already have drawings then that’s great, you can send them to sales@vandf.co.uk as DXF, DWG, SAT, STEP or PDF format and we will be happy to take a look and sort out some prices for you. Either way we are here ready to help you.

Laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work with a Trumpf 3030 fibre laser

Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work in Fareham, Hampshire.

Fast Tube by Casper

Here’s a nice little video of us laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work with our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutter. You can get a real feel for the speed of the laser cutting machine when cutting a thin sheet of metal and the ease with which it can process straight and curved profiles. Laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work can be carried out using either nitrogen or compressed air as the cutting assist gas. In this case we are using compressed air as the components were not too thick and the edge finish achieved was more than acceptable.

Stood alongside our laser cutting machine are 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses which can process a wide range of sheet metal materials and thicknesses. Often when we are laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work we may then use one of our CNC punch presses to finish off a component. Perhaps it will need ventilation louvres, formed dimples or self tapping screw forms all of which can easily be pressed in after laser cutting. Having both types of blank processing machines enables V and F Sheet Metal to provide the right manufacturing process to suit your sheet metal work design and volumes.

Laser cutting aluminium sheet metal work is just one of the metals that we often cut alongside mild steel and stainless alloys. Being a fibre laser we can also cut brass and copper without any fuss right up to 6mm thick. So if you are looking for a new supplier of laser cut sheet metal work please give us a call on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to provide you with some price options.

Video of laser cutting zintec with a fibre laser cutter

Tuesday, September 27th, 2016

Looking to have your sheet metal work laser cut, please take a look below.

Fast Tube by Casper

Here’s another great video showing how versatile our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser can be when used to manufacture sub-contract sheet metal work. We are laser cutting 0.7mm thick zinc coated mild steel, called zintec, to produce gear trays for LED light fittings for one of our customers in the UK. Laser cutting zintec is easy with our laser cutter and the finished parts are clean and grease free. With a laser cutter there is no specific tooling needed so all sorts of complex cut-outs can be created easily and CNC programmed using our Radan sheet metal software without extra cost to our customers.

These zintec gear trays are being laser cut using compressed air as the assist gas for a clean cut competitively prices part.

If you have a sheet metal work project that needs laser cutting from zintec or other sheet metal materials please contact us and we will be happy to take a look at your design and produce prices for you. We will also see if your design can be altered to suit the best manufacturing techniques to save us time and save you money.

Looking for sheet metal workers in Eastleigh area

Thursday, September 22nd, 2016

laser cutting sheet metal, sheet metal supplier

Laser cutting in Hampshire by V and F Sheet Metal

If you are a company based in the Eastleigh area of Hampshire or further afield you should be contacting V and F Sheet Metal as your sheet metal supplier.
For your welding, CNC punching, CNC bending and laser cutting needs give us a try. With our Trumpf fibre laser cutting machine we can laser cut your ferrous and non-ferrous sheet metal work as well as copper and brass sheet up to 6mm thick. As well as providing laser cut components and assemblies we can CNC punch sheet metal work using a wide range of standard CNC punch tooling before it’s folded up and welded where needed. Through our extensive network of sub-contract suppliers we can have your parts painted, powder coated, zinc plated, silk screened etc to your specification reducing the need for secondary purchase orders.

Looking to change your sheet metal supplier for your next sheet metal project?

We are happy to review your existing designs and provide you with pricing options and design advice to help reduce your purchasing costs. To talk to our engineering team please call 01489 577786 or simple send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will get started for you.

Welded sheet metal projects for the Andover area of Hampshire

Thursday, August 25th, 2016

Welded sheet metal projects for the Andover area of Hampshire

Welded fabrications for the Andover area of Hampshire

MiG welded mild steel housings

From our 13,000 sq.ft. manufacturing factory in Fareham, Hampshire we are in easy reach of Andover for daily deliveries of welded sheet metal projects if needed. We have been manufacturing sheet metal projects for over 30 years and have a wealth of experience when it comes to manufacturing using the latest sheet metal working equipment. So if it’s mild steel, stainless steel of aluminium welding fabrications you are looking for we have the equipment and techniques to help realise your sheet metal projects. These mild steel oil tanks shown here have been fully seam welded up all the corners and then leak tested before being powder coated. They are used as oil pump reservoir tanks in hydraulic systems.

Welded sheet metal projects for the Andover area of Hampshire

Welding stainless steel enclosures

If you are looking for a sub-contract sheet metal working company who can laser cut or CNC punch stainless steel components, CNC bend then up to 3M long to tight tolerances and then weld to make fabrications please contact V and F Sheet Metal. Whether it is simple stainless steel brackets with Tig welded joints, stainless steel housings with seam welded corners or stainless steel assemblies with a series of fabricated joints and sections we can help you out.

These stainless steel housings are completely welded up so that they are water tight when used outside to control pumping systems. Laser cut for close cut accuracy, the parts all fit together as a set before welding to make production quick and easy, helping to keep your costs down and at the same time improving the finished part quality.

For more information on sheet metal work production please give us a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to chat through your sheet metal work project ideas.

Sheet metal projects in August 2016, take a look and see what we get up to

Wednesday, August 24th, 2016

Sheet metal projects in August 2016

Laser cut 5mm thick aluminium sheet metal project

Here’s a great example of a sheet metal laser cutting project we have produced for a customer of ours using 5mm thick 5251 aluminium alloy. These components were used to create an end cap for sections of aluminium extrusion on a building project. The Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutting machine we use made quick work of these parts cutting all features with nitrogen for a clean edge with minimal de-burring needed on the reverse edges. You can see for yourself just how effectively the parts can be laid out on the sheet to get the best possible material use and cheapest price.

Spot welded sheet metal assemblies manufactured in August 2016

Another sheet metal project that was manufactured in August 2016 was to make a series of zintec coated mild steel components and then spot weld them all together. These spot welded assemblies are used in an air conditioning unit and we often make in batches of 50-100 at a time. All the parts have been CNC punched, CNC bent and then spot welded to make up the fabricated assemblies and they are typical of the sheet metal projects we have manufactured during August 2016.

Zinc plated sheet metal working project August 2016

These zinc plated components have been laser cut from 3mm thick mild steel and formed to shape using standard CNC press brake tooling. We used oxygen as the cutting assist gas on these parts as any sign of edge oxidisation will have been removed in the zinc plating treatment process during the first acid dip stage.

All these sheet metal projects were manufactured during August 2016 in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire, UK. If you have a sheet metal project that you want to review or perhaps a new sheet metal project that you wish to have an estimate for costing then please give us a call on 01489 587776 or send our sheet metal engineering team your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk. We can accept DXF, DWG, PDF, STEP and SAT files direct from your design department.

Sheet metal workers in Alton Hampshire

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

Serving companies in the Alton area of Hampshire with sheet metal work

Folded sheet metal work

From our base in Fareham, Hampshire we supply sheet metal work right across Hampshire and the UK. We manufacture a wide range of sub-contract sheet metal products for our customers using laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC bending and welding fabrication techniques. If you are looking for mild steel housings such as these, stainless steel brackets, aluminium front panels and heat sinks, zintec boxes, galvanised steel mounting plates etc. we can provide you with the perfect service. We will take your designs and produce you a range of prices options and advise you on your designs where necessary to help you reduce costs in manufacturing.

Mild steel housings

With the latest CNC driven manufacturing equipment and sheet metal CAD/CAM software we can manufacture small batches of parts very efficiently enabling you to enjoy low prices and at the same time maintain low stock levels. These mild steel boxes have been CNC punched and CNC bent up using Trumpf sheet metal manufacturing equipment for a great quality job. If you are looking for a sheet metal working company in the Alton area of Hampshire or further afield please give us a call.

If you are looking to gain an advantage with your sheet metal purchasing please give V and F Sheet Metal a call on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

CNC punched sheet metal Basingstoke

Monday, August 22nd, 2016

CNC punched sheet metal work in the Basingstoke area of Hampshire

CNC punched zintec coated mild steel

If you are looking for a sheet metal working company to manufacture components for you and you need to have work CNC punched then V and F Sheet Metal are just the people to talk to. With 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses they can handle small batch work and design prototypes, special projects, repeat batches and higher volume CNC punching. Working with a huge range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials, many from stock,they can provide you with the advice you need to improve your designs to tailor them to CNC punching and save you money. These zintec coated mild steel sheet metal brackets are typical of the work V and F Sheet Metal CNC punch out everyday of the week,

CNC punched plastic coated aluminium sheet metal

Here is a typical sheet metal project being CNC punched in aluminium with a plastic peelable protective film. The plastic film can be left on the components right through the sheet metal manufacturing and even into your own assembly processes. Working alongside the 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses is a Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser cutting machine which is the perfect partner when it comes to producing sheet metal work projects. Offering the facility to cut thicker materials and shapes without special tooling the 2 processes offer the perfect combination of production for sheet metal projects.

If you are looking for a responsive sheet metal worker in Hampshire please give V and F Sheet Metal a call or send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk

Sheet metal work and fabrication in Bournemouth

Friday, August 19th, 2016

Looking for a sheet metal working company that can deliver a reliable sheet metal work service in the Bournemouth region of Dorset.

3D modelling of sheet metal enclosures

Using 3D solid modelling with Radan sheet metal software is a great way to ensure that components align correctly before having to cut any sheet metal. Any problems with the customer’s design can be highlighted and corrected before committing to production. The correct developed blank sizes can be generated from the 3D model allowing for material thickness, material type and the production machine being used to manufacture the parts. V and F Sheet Metal have been using Radan 3D solid modelling software since 2001 and have lots of experience in handling complex models, assemblies and fabrications for their customers.

Folded sheet metal work assembly

Here we have an image of developed blanks within a CNC punch nest for our Trumpf 3000 machine. Using Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software we can layout the individual parts, tool them for CNC punching and produce the most efficient CNC punching nest to get the best fit of parts from a sheet of metal. All CNC programs are held on our system server so they are ready instantly for any repeat batch work or design issue changes.

CNC punching nest of sheet metal parts

The final sheet metal chassis and cover have now been CNC punched, edge de-burred, folded and had their inserts pressed in. All holes align perfectly and the job is ready to be shipped to the customer. These parts have been produced in batches of 100 parts and are typical of the sheet metal work that we produce every week for companies right across the UK. If you are looking for a sheet metal working company to help you with your designs and make the parts simpler to reduce production costs please give us a call on 01489 577786 or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Folding sheet metal boxes with special RollBend tooling

Monday, July 25th, 2016

Bending aluminium boxes

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we are folding up a wide range of sheet metal components on a daily basis. They can be small electronics screening cans in 0.3mm tin plated mild steel, 0.4mm special pre-anodised reflector aluminium alloys, 0.9mm zintec coated mild steel channels, 1.5mm pre-galvanised mild steel lighting gear trays, 2mm brushed stainless steel housings, 3mm copper bus bars, 4mm mild steel support angles, 19” rack aluminium components and so much more. The sheet metal work that we fold up may have just a single simple angle bend right through to multiple bent complex parts with easy bends, safe edges and multi bent curved sections. When folding sheet metal boxes we can employ a number of different machines and tooling techniques to make the right part for you.

Today we are going to look at a component that has electrical cut-outs cut in a 3mm thick aluminium part which will cause a problem is they are folded up with normal air bending V tooling. The problem with using standard V bend tooling with cut-outs that are too near the bend line is the unsupported material that will be in the die bend zone will not fully bend up. This problem is increased with the increase in the sheet metal component thickness. Once way around this would be to bend up the components first and then machine in the cut-outs after which is acceptable but slow and would lead to an expensive part. The tooling technique we use to solve this problem is to use a range of RollBend tooling from Trumpf. This tooling can be used in both our Trumpf 7036 and Safan e-Brake CNC press brakes enabling us to cover a wide range of tricky bending work.

The RollBend tooling rotates around 2 fixed points enabling the bottom tool to fully support the material as its being folded with no air gap. The machine can be set up with the standard top V tooling and can be run at the same speed as normal so importantly the part price is not affected by using this type of tooling. The set time is just as quick as using the normal bottom bend tooling and just drops straight into place in the bed of the machine.

Folded aluminium boxes

Here is the 3mm thick aluminium gear box folded up and ready to have a number of bushes and studs inserted before powder coating. You can see that the 2 circles and the 2 rectangular cut-outs have all the material between the cut-outs and the bend line bent up properly and require no other operations to straighten out the material. For more general information on CNC bending and CNC press brakes please follow the link.

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Welcome to our new V and F Sheet Metal website

Friday, July 22nd, 2016

We are really pleased to be able to launch our new look website. Designed to be more flexible when viewed on the go now you can access tooling data, machine videos, the latest news etc. in the office, at home or where ever you need it. We will be adding more examples of sheet metal projects to our gallery pages soon and expanding on the design data pages.

So if you are looking for more information on the full range of sheet metal services we can offer you here in Hampshire, UK or are interested in looking back at our past sheet metal projects for design ideas to help you with your latest sheet metal project, please take a look at our new website.

Sheet metal workers in Romsey

Monday, May 30th, 2016

A range of sheet metal brackets manufactured for the Romsey area in Hampshire, UK.

If you are based in the Romsey, Southampton or Eastleigh areas of Hampshire, UK then V and F Sheet Metal are just 30 minutes away from you. Having manufactured sheet metal work for over 30 years including, sheet metal brackets, boxes, housings, enclosures and rack mount enclosures, lighting reflectors, front panels, fixing plates, support angle brackets, channels, angles, welded fabrications and press work, there isn’t much that we cannot manufacture for you. If you want to pop in and discuss your sheet metal project we will be happy to see you and show you around our 13,000 Sq. Ft. busy sheet metal production factory based on the Segensworth industrial estate near Fareham and explain the sheet metal services we can offer you.

So if you have a range of drawings you want to send us from PDFs or DXF, DWG files right up to 3D STEP and SAT files please just send them to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to advise you on your design and offer some very competitive price options.

CNC punching sheet metal work in Hampshire, UK

Monday, May 23rd, 2016

CNC punching sheet metal work in Hampshire, UK

If you are looking for a sheet metal working company to CNC punch out your sheet metal components then V and F Sheet Metal based in Fareham, Hampshire, UK are just what you need. As well as a Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser machine we have Trumpf 200 and Trumpf 3000 CNC punch presses. These punch presses are very flexible machines being able to punch out components from 0.3mm to 5mm thick material in a wide range of metal materials. From 0.3mm tin plated steel and 0.4mm thick specialised aluminium lighting reflector materials, standard aluminium, mild steel, stainless steel alloys through to 5 bar tread plate, pre-painted steel and pre-anodised aluminium. All stainless steel and aluminium alloys can be supplied with plastic coatings on their top and bottom faces to prevent damage in production and during your assembly stages.

The machine shown here is our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press punching out pre-painted mild steel sheet metal. The circular discs are gear trays for industrial light fittings and are very competitively priced compared to manufacturing from mild steel and powder coating white. The final punch on this part would be to sever the component from the parent material and collect it in a tray underneath the machine from a programmable chute in the machine bed.

The Trumpf machines having a single head which can rotate through 360 degrees make them very flexible when it comes to complex sheet metal designs and small batch work. This flexibility can be advantageous when it comes to your designs with the ability to punch slots at any angle, cut-outs in complex shapes with our standard FREE CNC punch tooling.

These CNC punch presses are fully supported in all manufacturing features by our Radan sheet metal CAD/CAM software as well as offering 3D modelling for accurate bank size calculations it allows us to swap jobs from our laser to our CNC punch presses when production work loads necessitate.

Looking for a sheet metal worker with the flexibility and expertise to handle your production projects in a range of sheet metal materials, please give V and F Sheet Metal a call on 01489 577786 or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will be happy to review them for you.

Folding sheet metal housings

Friday, May 20th, 2016

Safan CNC press brake in action

Our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake is such a versatile sheet metal folding machine. We can fold up sheet metal components from just a few mm across to 3M long sections all with the same bend tooling. Programming is so easy that a new project can be programmed in a matter of minutes and saved away to our system server to be called back whenever the part is needed for repeat orders.

Mild steel housings folded

Simplicity is the key to a quick setup of a sheet metal component. When you are moving from one job to another throughout the day it’s not just about the speed of bending that saves time and money but the machine setup and programming time. The Safan e-Brake scores well on this account with a clear, simple touch screen control system and a full library of CNC tools shared with our 2 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes.

Mild steel housing CNC punched blank

The initial product blanks were produced on our Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press from 0.9mm mild steel. Products like this are typical of the sub-contract sheet metal work service we offer our customers, taking a design and programming it to be CNC punched or laser cut and folded up ready for welding, bush and stud insertion and powder coating.

If you need to purchase some sheet metal housings or brackets please give us a call on 01489 577786 or e-mails us your drawings or photos to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Looking for sheet metal workers in the Chandlers Ford area?

Monday, May 16th, 2016

Looking for sheet metal workers in the Chandlers Ford area?

Sheet metal components

Here at V and F Sheet Metal we support companies right across Hampshire UK with a comprehensive sheet metal fabrication service. With customers regularly delivered to in Chandlers Ford, Eastleigh, Southampton and Winchester as well as next day overnight small packet and pallet deliveries right across the UK. If you have a one off sheet metal work project you need assistance with or a more regular production requirement we will be happy to help you. Contact our engineering team for advice of designing for efficient manufacturing of sheet metal components. Want to pop in and discuss your needs or see in more detail the services we can offer you, just give us a call.

Sheet metal parts

The 2 parts shown here are just typical of the many thousands of items we manufacture every month from our 13,000 sq. ft. factory in Fareham, right on the M27. Using the very latest CNC punching and fibre laser cutting production processes to produce sheet metal blanks quickly and accurately to a price that you need. Along with 6 CNC bending machines, up to 3M long and 100 tons force, we have great flexibility when it comes to that rush job you just have to get out.

Have a sheet metal project you need help with? Call us on 01489 577786 or e-mail you drawings to sales@vand.co.uk

Pressing in studs with fly-presses

Saturday, May 14th, 2016

Flush head studs inserted into sheet metal products

Fly presses in action

We use flush head studs to provide a permanent stud (male thread) into a range of sheet metal materials and thicknesses. They might be aluminium, stainless steel but by far the most popular are mild steel and zinc plated studs. They come in a range of lengths from 6mm up to 50mm and from M2.5 to M8, other sizes can be achieved by special order. They act as a permanent screw thread in place of a screw for assembling components and are often used for an earth point in electrical cabinets and electronics chassis and gear trays. The example show here is of a light fitting gear tray and the studs are used a fixing positions for a lighting ballast.

Lighting gear trays with flush head studs

The studs are often pressed in with our Haeger bush and stud inserter machine. It can cope with all studs, bushes, stand-offs and tank bushes. In this case we are showing one of our fly-presses being used to insert M3 x 18mm mild steel zinc plated flush head studs.

If you have a sheet metal component design and you are not quite sure what you need please just give us a call and we will be more than happy to help you with finding the right insert to suit you. Call us on 01489 577786 or send us your designs to sales@vandf.co.uk

Looking for sheet metal workers in the Winchester area?

Friday, May 13th, 2016

Manufacturing sheet metal work for companies in and around Winchester

Folding long sheet metal profiles

V and F Sheet Metal have been manufacturing sheet metal work and welded fabrications for over 30 years now. We supply a wide range of sheet metal products from our base here in Fareham, Hampshire to companies in Hampshire and right across the UK to the lighting, heating, electronics and professional audio industries as well as a wide range of specialist companies across the UK. We often deliver products to Winchester, Eastleigh, Southampton, Portsmouth and Basingstoke as well as using overnight services to Scotland, Wales and the rest of the England.

When you are making long channel sections like these you need a bending machine that can provide the bending power and accuracy on bend size and angle right up to 3M long. Our Safan e-Brake 100 ton CNC press brake is just such a machine. Installed new in 2015 this machine is perfectly suited to the range of sheet work we tend to bend and provides a bending force that matches the longest work we can laser cut.

Sheet metal bending

You can see here the guillotined blanks on the right hand of the bending machine and the finished folded U channels on the left hand side of the machine. You need a fair bit of space when it comes to producing parts like these and our 13,000 sq. ft. factory provides the flexibility to take on this type of work as well as higher volumes of smaller parts. You only have to look through some of our past blog posts and the gallery pages on the website to see the wide range of sheet metal work that we get involved with for our customers. From these 3M long sections to CNC punched and folded aluminium lighting gear trays, stainless steel support brackets, mild steel electrical cabinets, copper bus bars, brass display units, aluminium LED display PCB plates etc.

Bent galvanised steel sections

The final 3M long galvanised mild steel sections stacked on a pallet ready to be wrapped up and delivered to the customer. This batch was for 2 different channel cross sections and approximately 350 of each type.

If you are based in Winchester or the surrounding areas of Hampshire and you want to visit us to discuss your sheet metal projects in more depth or you simply want to send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk please don’t hesitate and we will be happy to help you.

Looking for sheet metal workers in the Southampton area?

Thursday, May 12th, 2016

Sheet metal workers in the Southampton area

CNC punching sheet metal in Southampton

Based in Fareham right on the M27 we are perfectly positioned to supply sheet metal work and welded sheet metal fabrications to companies in the Southampton area. Working with a vast range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials we are happy to CNC punch thicknesses from 0.3mm right up to 5mm thick with our two Trumpf CNC punch presses, over 5mm we can easily handle with out Trumpf fibre laser. These particular aluminium CNC punched panels were made for an electronics company who used them to house control gear on pumping systems. Whether it’s small electronics housings and front panel, lighting modules or gear trays, support brackets or welded fabrications we are here to help you.

Sheet metal work in Southampton

Here we have a typical small stainless steel bracket that we have just manufactured for one of our customers in Southampton. These components have been laser cut and have stainless steel PEM studs pressed in the ends, once they had been folded up they were used in conjunction with a small battery power portable LED lighting system. Whether it’s a few prototypes for a new design you are working on, repeat batches of sheet metal work or higher volumes we can cope with your needs.

So if you are looking for sheet metal work and you are based in the Southampton area please give us a call or pop in for a look around and see the range of services we can offer you.

Looking for sheet metal work in the Gosport area?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016

Trumpf 7036 CNC bending

We are based in Fareham, Hampshire with a 13,000 Sq. Ft. factory and we are well placed to manufacture sheet metal work for companies based in the Gosport area. Whether it’s laser cutting, CNC punching or CNC bending sheet metal work, as illustrated here we are happy to help you with your designs refining them for efficient manufacturing and produce a range of price options for you.

These sheet metal covers are relatively simple to produce (laser cut and CNC bent) and are typical of many products we manufacture for an array of customers large and small in Hampshire and further afield. We also produce more complex sheet metal fabrications using laser cutting, CNC punching, bending and welding techniques.

Folded sheet metal covers

The machine shown here is a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake. It’s one of 2 that we have which are 1M long and very quick. There are perfect for small batch production and prototype work but also equally at home folding up thousands of complex components.

So if you are based in the Gosport area and you have a product that you manufacture and it needs some sheet metal work please give us a call. We also produce sheet metal work for companies right across the UK and are happy to have you call in and see us in action producing sheet metal products.

Simple sheet metal projects

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016

Simple sheet metal work

A simple sheet metal plate made from mild steel sheet. The parts have been CNC punched out on our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press and they will be barrel de-burred to remove any sharpness from the CNC punching process before shipping to the customer. A simple sheet metal part, easily made in seconds on a CNC punch press and there’s not much else to say about this part except its typical of many simple parts we manufacture every day of the week here at V and F Sheet Metal.

Have a simple sheet metal component that you need for your project, please give us a call on 01489 577786 or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you.

Sheet metal manufacturing

Monday, May 9th, 2016

A range of sheet metal parts demonstrating CNC punching, CNC laser cutting and CNC bending in a sub-contract manufacturing environment. Virtually all the sheet metal projects that we manufacture for our customers use one or more of these production processes to produce the parts to our customer’s design. This is where most investment goes and the technology is supported by sophisticated software and control processes. Some of these parts can be laser cut or CNC punched out from standard sheets of metal in seconds and with quick setting CNC press brakes can be bent in minutes. These techniques lead to competitive prices for small batches of parts when our customers cannot commit to higher volumes.

To see the advantages of these production techniques in a modern manufacturing factory please contact us with your project. You can speak to our engineering team on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings in DXF, DWG, SAT, STEP or PDF format and we will be happy to help advise you on your designs and produce prices for you.

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