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Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing 2016

Monday, January 11th, 2016

Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing 2016

I thought I would start 2016 with a quick round up of the sheet metal work projects that are going through the manufacturing workshop. We have components be manufactured in galvanised mild steel, zintec coated mild steel and plain uncoated mild steel in these images. With a range of sizes, thicknesses, batch volumes and manufacturing methods. The purpose of this blog post is to help highlight the wide range of sheet metal work manufacturing that we can take on for our customers here in the UK and across Europe.

Light fitting galvanised mild steel gear plates

Light fitting galvanised mild steel gear plates

These light fitting electronic equipment gear trays have been manufactured from 0.7mm thick galvanised mild steel sheet. The initial flat blank was produced on our Trumpf CNC punch presses to a CNC program laid out in our Radan software. All the holes and outer profile was CNC punched using standard CNC tooling we already had so there was no tooling cost to the customer. The edges were simply de-burred using a vertical de-burring belt machine within the punching cycle time and then the bends were added on one of our CNC press brakes. This was a large batch of work with several thousand gear trays manufactured on this occasion.

Sheet metal plates made from pre-cut zintec blanks

Sheet metal plates made from pre-cut zintec blanks

Sometimes when the volumes are quite high and the format of the sheet metal component that we are manufacturing is simply a square or a rectangle we can remove the need to either laser cut or CNC punch the parts by buying in a pre-cut blank. These blanks are supplied by the material stockist direct from the master material coil as with these 0.7mm thick zintec coated mild steel sections. Again there were several thousand needed on this order and we have a range of tooling die sets that simply pierce out the end profiles and holes. Not only does this speed up the manufacturing of these parts but it frees up laser cutting and CNC punching capacity for more complex parts to be manufactured in our factory. The final operation on these components is to have a curved form pressed into each part along their length on one of our CNC press brakes using a special form tool and then pop riveted to a pre-formed end cap to make up an assembly. It’s just another way of manufacturing sheet metal work and shows the flexibility of manufacturing in the UK.

Mild steel wall mounting brackets

Mild steel wall mounting brackets

Theses wall mounting brackets for fan heaters have been manufactured from 2mm thick CR4 mild steel and will be completed by powder coating RAL9010 white. They have been manufactured by laser cutting from 2M x 1M sheets on our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser using nitrogen form a clean cut which will take a powder coated finish without any difficultly from oxidised edges. The mounting brackets have been pressed up into the shape you can see here with a custom press tool that forms all 6 bends in one go. You can see the classic draw marks along the sides of the mounting brackets where the mild steel has scuffed against the die as it was pressed into the tool on our HMS 55 ton power press. When the are reasonable volumes in each batch and a customer can be confident that they will not be changing their design press tooling can be a useful sheet metal work manufacturing method. If a component will be redesigned regularly or the volumes are smaller then the use of CNC press brakes come into their own with only a quick program change being needed to produce a longer bend of a different angle. As with all these manufacturing process methods you “pays your money and takes your choice”.

CNC punched motor support discs

CNC punched motor support discs

These simple motor support discs have been manufactured from 2mm zintec coated mild steel sheet metal. The 3 holes and the outer profile were all CNC punched with existing standard tooling we had on the shelf so again there was no tooling cost for our customer. Each part was CNC punched in under 2 seconds with the last punching operation being the blanking of the outer diameter straight through the die and into a collecting bin. The whole batch of 300 motor support discs were then simply dry barrel de-burred to remove any sharpness on the edges from punching and the components were finished ready for shipping. These parts are a great example of some of the simpler things we manufacture here at V and F Sheet Metal.

Sheet metal fixing plates

Sheet metal fixing plates

In much the same way that the motor mounting discs above were manufactured by CNC punching and dry barrel de-burring these fixing plates were manufactured by CNC punching with standard tooling. Again, using our Radan sheet metal programming software to create the blank design and select the correct tooling to suit the customer’s design we minimise the number of CNC punch hits and add tags where needed to enable us to hold each part in the sheet of zintec so the operator can remove them carefully ready for de-burring. The batch was several hundred and is a repeat part that we manufacture several times a year.

Sheet metal formed sections

Sheet metal formed sections

These sheet metal formed sections have been manufactured for a customer of ours who assemble fan units for air conditioning systems. These fan support sections have been CNC punched from 0.9mm Zintec coated mild steel, edge de-burred and had the 4 bends formed in one operation with some simple form tooling we made in house to keep the manufactured part cost to a minimum.

So in conclusion were are only a few days into 2016 and already a wide range of manufacturing projects have been finished. Perhaps you have a sheet metal component or assembly you want manufacturing in the UK, please give us a call on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to take a look and see how we can help you.

Sheet metal electronic equipment housing

Friday, January 8th, 2016

Mild steel equipment chassis

Mild steel equipment chassis

Here our customer needed a really strong chassis housing to act as an enclosure for equipment and as a base tray for all the components above. The equipment they are building has a large motor fixed into this chassis with high torque rates needing this tray to be 4mm thick mild steel. This tray along with its upper housing also acts as a barrier against explosion should the motor fail at high speed.

As ever we started this project by taking our customers DXF files and turning them into a 3D model within our Radan sheet metal software. This enables us to create the correct flat blank pattern needed for laser cutting. The mild steel blanks were laser cut from 2500 x 1250 x 4mm CR4 sheet using a nitrogen assist gas to produce a clean oxide free edge to all the cut-outs, slots and outer profile. This was particularly important as the final finished equipment housings were to be powder coated and a good adhesion was required. The folding was carried out on our Safan e-Brake CNC press brake and with 100 tons electric motive force there was no problem in bending up the 4mm steel into 90 degree bends. At the stage this photograph was taken the hank bushes had been inserted and it still needed to be welded up, cleaned off and then powder coated.

Sheet metal housing

This is simply another view of the same equipment housing showing the corner details. It’s a good example of using the Radan 3D model to enable us to model the type of joint we want to enable us to create an easy weld that has penetration and a V gap built into the design ready for the welders to use without any pre-weld grinding. With the accuracy of the laser cutter we can fine tune this joint to the welders needs and once the weld is cleaned up the housing will look like a continual solid part without any joints under the powder coating. Another feature worth mentioning is the ventilation slots on the left had side of the photograph which have been laser cut to the drawing dimensions. Using a laser cutter we had the freedom to give the customer exactly what they wanted without having to compromise on using the nearest CNC tool or nibbling the slots out. The laser also gives us the ability to easily change the size if the customer wants more air flow with longer or wider ventilation slots without any cost implications.

This equipment housing tray was just one of a series of parts all modelled together to create an assembly so that in production all the holes lined up, tolerances worked to enable us to be sure the outer covers fitted on the base and all welded brackets had tabs that fitted into slots to aid production. If you have a sheet metal work project that requires housings and covers in mild steel, stainless steel or aluminium please give us a call on 01489 577786 or feel free to send us your design ideas to sales@vandf.co.uk and our engineering team will be happy to help you explore your options and the best route for manufacturing.

Sheet metal bending and folding

Thursday, January 7th, 2016

Bending and easy bends

I like this image of zintec coated mild steel ventilation grilles produced in November 2015 in our factory, Fareham, Hampshire. The sheet metal parts show what’s possible with CNC bending and CNC bending when combined in a sheet metal design. The pattern of cut-outs have been produced by using specially shaped tools with radiused corners to produce each hole with a single punch. This enables us to produce a pattern of cut-outs right across the panel quickly and with a very clean look to each hole. The row of small holes have been CNC punched in to act as an easy bend feature where it’s too tight to use standard bend tooling. The row of holes simply produces a weakness in the sheet where it’s then possible to bend the sheet by hand.

All the other “standard” bends were carried out with the Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake using standard v bend tooling at no extra cost to the customer.

Brackets with many bends

These brackets have probably the most bends on any single sheet metal part that we manufacture. There are 13 bends although we have to produce the bracket in 19 different bend operations where in some places the bends are not bent up in one go.

If you have a sheet metal component with more bends we would love to see it and give you a price for manufacturing.

Looking for sheet metal work components?

Monday, January 4th, 2016

Sheet metal work

Always looking for new images to demonstrate the range of components we manufacture in sheet metal for our customers I thought this was a good example. Manufactured from 1.2mm thick 1050a aluminium alloy it shows off several manufacturing techniques in one component. These light tunnels have been made to focus the light from a fibre optic system into the common end of a fibre optic cable. They have been CNC punched out of sheet metal, have had all of their edges de-burred to a smooth finish to prevent assembly workers cutting their hands and to protect cabling within the light fitting housing from being cut, CNC bent and had M4 bushes inserted into the holes on the return flanges. The curved form was pulled around a former shape by hand to create the curve seen here.

Looking to have some components manufactured from sheet metal? Give us a call or send in your drawings and we will be happy to help you.

Sheet metal suppliers in Hampshire

Thursday, December 31st, 2015

If you are looking for a sheet metal work supplier in Hampshire it’s well worth taking a few minutes to review the services offered by V and F Sheet Metal. From CNC punching, demonstrated here, to laser cutting, CNC bending and welding fabrications. We have a range of delivery methods to bring your work direct to your door or if you wish you are always welcome to visit us and see in more detail where your sheet metal work is manufactured.

CNC punched zintec components

Just take a moment and click on this photo of a nest of CNC punched zintec coated mild steel chassis blanks produced for a pump mounting system. You can see in detail the amount of different shapes that can be produced with a Trumpf CNC punch press using simple standard rectangular tooling. Non of the examples show here in this blog post needed any new tooling when first being CNC programmed so the tooling cost to the customers in each case was zero. This is the case in the vast majority of sheet metal work that we produce here in Fareham, Hampshire using the flexibility of Trumpf CNC punch presses. Any of course we have the ability to put many components onto our Trumpf fibre laser cutter which never needs any tooling so the cost to get your work into production is very low even on small batches and prototypes.

CNC punched front panels for electronics components

A nice simple rectangular front panel required for an electronics assembly. Each front panel has been CNC punched around its outer profile with a 70.0 x 5.0 mm rectangle tool for the long sides and a 10.0 x 4.0 mm rectangle tool for the short sides. A technique called common line cutting has been employed around the outer profile to reduce the amount of punch press hits and material needed to produce each front panel. By sharing the tool cutting to produce a component and its neighbour at the same time time and money is saved and passed directly onto the customer through a cheaper part. With production of large batches every little advantage that can be produced is worth having and with smaller batched the importance lies with reducing the set up time needed to get a batch of parts into production. Luckily for us using Radan sheet metal programming software we can quickly try many different ideas and implement the one that is most productive across 2 CNC punch presses and a laser cutting machine.

Cluster tooling used to produce a ventilation pattern

CNC punched sheet metal with cluster tooling

With CNC punching as with all production processes time really is money. The longer we spend CNC punching your parts the more they will cost so what ever method we can use to reduce punching time is valuable to us and you. Be it common line cutting as above or in this case cluster tools they are all worth examining. A cluster tool is simply a fixed pattern of punches and a die with a series of holes to produce 2 of more holes with one hit. With the right combination of hole patterns a lot of time can be saved which can often pay for the tooling within a batch or 2 of production.

As with all the services we offer here from our factory in Fareham, Hampshire we try and supply a balance of design help, accurate production and competitive pricing to help you to keep production on the UK. Give us a call on 01489 577786 for more information or send you drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk for a design review or costing.

Sheet metal working projects December 2015

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

It’s nice to finish the year with more new sheet metal projects. Be it laser cutting stainless steel brackets, CNC punching mild steel light fitting gear trays or laser cutting scientific equipment chassis they have all been produced in December 2015. The range of manufacturing projects made at the end of the year was a good reflection of the wide range of items built across the year for all our customers.

To see more about sheet metal work and how we go about making it here at V and F Sheet Metal please follow the link.

We look forward to a busy and interesting year for 2016. For all our customers we just want to say thank you and look forward to helping you soon. And if you are not a customer yet please send us your sheet metal ideas, drawings or give us a call and we will be happy to start 2016 off with improving your sheet metal work service.

Folding small sheet metal brackets

Sunday, December 27th, 2015

Bending small brackets on a CNC press brake

Here’s a great view at V and F Sheet Metal showing our two Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes continuing to work when the emergency lighting was being changed. Having their own light supply is important when the operator is looking a very small parts with small bends. The machines also have a support table and can be sat at for the most comfortable operating position which is important when working on large batches of parts.

Laser cut stainless steel blanks

The small stainless steel brackets start off with being laser cut to a fine tolerance. This ensures that the bent parts will be consistent in production.

V bend tooling and ready to bend brackets

Using top and bottom standard V tooling we can produce a vast range of bent sheet metal components. From simple 90 degree bends, forms, safe edges, joggles and multi-bent curves these Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes are very versatile and productive.

Folded stainless steel brackets

The final stainless steel brackets have two 90 degree bends on the ends. Another sheet metal part manufactured at V and F Sheet Metal. For more information on sheet metal work and how it’s made take a look at this link.

Laser cutting circles in sheet metal

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2015

Laser cutting circles in sheet metal

Laser cutting circles in sheet metal panels

Cutting circles greater than the diameter of a single hit tool have always been problematic in sheet metal. Smaller holes can easily be stamped with a simple round punch and die in a CNC punch press, fly press or power press. We use this type of tooling all the time in the sheet metal work that we produce. Holes above 76mm diameter can be produced with a CNC punch press by either nibbling with a smaller tool and then cleaning up or by using a “banana” tool ground to a given radius. Both of these methods are good and we often use them to produce internal and external curves. The best solution to producing a perfect continuous circle is to use a laser cutting machine. Our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser is perfect for this type of work whether it’s a circular cut-out such as this shown here or a curved outer profile it makes no difference to us. The laser is also able to cut out ellipse shapes, irregular complex curves and irregular polygons. Using Radan software the start and stop points are automatically programmed to show no witness on the finished part reducing or often eliminating the need for any edge de-burring.

So if you have a sheet metal working project that has a large circular hole give us a call and we will be happy to produce a quote for cutting the parts for you.

CNC punched and folded brackets

Monday, December 21st, 2015

CNC punched and folded brackets

CNC punched and folded brackets

No bracket is too simple or complex for us here at V and F Sheet Metal. These galvanised mild steel angle brackets which are used to support fencing panels are just typical of the sheet metal work that can be going through our factory in any day of the week here in Fareham, Hampshire. These brackets have been CNC punched out from a standard 2mx1m sheet of metal and had the sharp edges removed before being folded up into the angle shape you can see here with two 135 degree bends. The whole process of CNC punching out, edge de-burring and folding was carried out in one day for more than 1,000 angle brackets.

If you have a sheet metal bracket that you need to have manufactured please give us a call or send us your drawings and we will be happy to help you.

Laser cut sheet metal brackets

Thursday, December 17th, 2015

Laser cut sheet metal brackets

Laser cut sheet metal brackets

We have just manufactured a batch of mild steel clamping brackets for one of our customers made to their own design. You can see that the brackets are not a complex part but it’s surprising how many features there are that we have to take into account when deciding which machines to use to manufacture them. When we first look at a new component such as these sheet metal brackets we have to decide whether we will laser cut or CNC punch out the blanks. The factors that can play a part in this decision are the material type, thickness, number of holes, complexity of cut-out shape, and complexity of the bracket outer profile. These brackets could have been CNC punched or laser cut with a result that the customer would have be happy with. We selected laser cutting with our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser to eliminate the edge de-burring so that a clean outer profile was achieved as the bracket was a cosmetically important part.
Let’s take a look at the stages we went through to produce these brackets, not only correctly to our customer’s requirements but in an efficient manner.

CNC Program

We created a 3D model of the bracket and used this to generate an accurate 2D blank for the bracket. We then tooled this part and filled up a standard sheet of metal, a 2M x 1M sheet with the brackets. All the necessary coding was generated to drive the laser cutting machine to produce the sheet metal bracket blank.

Radiused Corners

As well as laser cutting a clean outer edge profile the ability to cut any corner radius size and blend it to the bracket outer profile. This is great for small batches of work where a customer would not want to pay for special corner radius tooling.

Laser Cut Clean Edges

Not only does the outer edge of the bracket blank look clean and a continual profile it needs no de-burring in mild steel at this gauge. This is a big advantage for laser cutting in helping to redeuce the secondary cleaning operations.

Tapped Holes

If we have punched this bracket blank out on our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press we could have tapped the M3 threads in the machine. We chose not to do this on this occasion so that we could have a really clean outer edge from laser cutting. This meant we would have to tap the thread as a secondary operation which was done with a tapping head in one of our pillar drills.

Bending

The final operation was to bend up the 2 sides to transfer the flat blank into a U shaped bracket. These brackets were bent on one of our 2 Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Using standard CNC bend tooling and a quick program the brackets were bent up

Perhaps you have a sheet metal bracket that needs laser cutting? We would be more that happy to take a look at your ideas and produce some prices for you. Please e-mail your designs to sales@vandf.co.uk or call us on 01489 577786

Sheet Metal Work Portsmouth

Monday, December 14th, 2015

Sheet metal work manufactured in Fareham, Portsmouth, Hampshire

Based on the Segensworth East industrial estate near Fareham, Hampshire, V and F Sheet Metal manufacture sheet metal work and fabrications from their 13,000 square foot factory near the M27. They manufacture a range of sheet metal work for a range of small to medium sized companies across the UK. Here are another couple of examples of recent sheet metal work projects that they have been involved with.

Folded stainless steel cases

Large enclosure housings manufactured from 1.5mm 304stainless steel. These casings were cut from 2500mm x 1250mm sheet and only one came from each sheet. They were CNC punched with ventilation louvres stamped in each side. They were fabricated from several stainless steel parts all welded together to make a fabrication with a door fixed with hinges and locking pins.

Folded stainless steel cases

Formed sheet metal covers

Formed sheet metal covers

These formed zintec coated mild steel covers have been laser cut and formed on one of our CNC press brakes. The curved radius bend was achieved with a large single stroke curved form tool and the 2 smaller 90 degree return bends with simple V blade and V block tooling.

Both projects were manufactured in December 2015 and to our customers own designs.

If you are looking for a sheet metal working supplier based in Hampshire please give us a call on 01489 577786 or if you are in the area please pop in for a chat and take a look at our manufacturing facilities.

Folding brass sheet metal work

Thursday, December 10th, 2015

Part bent sections – first stage of bending

Brass is such a nice sheet metal material to work with in a modern sheet metal working factory. We can CNC punch it in just the same way as we would punch out mild steel, aluminium or stainless steel. No special tooling or processing is needed to produce the flat blanks straight from standard sheets of metal. We are also really lucky in having a Trumpf 3030 fibre laser which enables us to laser cut both copper and brass sheet up to 6mm thick where CO2 lasers would not be able to process these materials we can laser cut them in just the same way that we would cut stainless steel, mild steel or aluminium. It’s just the same with bending brass sheet metal components. The same tooling that is used on all our CNC press brakes can be used with brass. These surround parts for a box housing have had the first 2 bends already folded up on the Safan e-Brake at this stage with basic V bend tooling.

Sheet metal bending in progress

In this photo you can clearly see the back stops on the Safan e-Brake CNC press brake setting the depth of the bend to be formed. You can also see the top and bottom V tooling and a gap set between them so the final bend of the box surround can form between the tooling. There is also some thin plastic V block protection material clamped to the tooling to help prevent the outer surface of the brass being marked when the bend is being formed. The brass sheet also have a thin protective peelable film of plastic on it which helps to keep it scratch free and the customer can peel this off when they are ready without any residue being left on the component.

Finished sheet metal work housings

The final box surround components have been folded up and just need to have a couple of tack welds to hold them together into a rectangular shape. An engraved face plate completes the assembly and creates a housing for door entry equipment for flats. Although brass is not a common sheet metal to work with today it still has a part to play and we make a series of components from items like these boxes to brass menu display boards, decorative light fittings, decorative strip shopping fittings and electrical contact clips. Perhaps you have a brass sheet metal component? We would happy to take a look and produce some prices for you.

Video of the CNC press brake being used to form up the brass box surrounds to a program.

Fast Tube by Casper

Folded sheet metal components

Wednesday, December 9th, 2015

Folded sheet metal work

Folded sheet metal work

What might seem at a first glance to be a simple sheet metal folded bracket is more complex than you think. If you click on the image for an enlargement you can see that aluminium blank has been folded with 5 bends with different angles and different bend radii. The CNC tooling in the background was our Trumpf tooling used on once of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The Trumpf 7036 is so flexible when it comes to folding sheet metal components that a range of bend radii, bend lengths and bend angles can all be produced with the same tooling. Just by programming different lengths and angles into the folding machine control a complex sheet metal component can be produced quite easily.

Folded sheet metal components

Folded sheet metal components

Here is a much simpler folded sheet metal component. If is an aluminium angle bracket that has again been folded on a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake but this time it just has a single 90 degree bend. A nice touch here is the right hand bottom V block has been raised by a few mm so that it acts as a positioning stop for the operator to bend against. This enables really quick positioning of each part for the bend against the back stop and speeds up the bending operation, saving time and money for the parts manufactured.

If you have any small folded sheet metal components that you need to purchase please let us take a look for you. We are happy to provide prices or design suggestions to reduce the cost of your components in production.

Copper sheet metal work

Thursday, December 3rd, 2015

Copper sheet metal work

Copper sheet metal work

Either working with copper sheet metal or copper bar V and F Sheet Metal can provide solutions to your copper components needs. We can laser cut copper sheet metal up to 6mm thick with our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser, CNC punch sheets of copper with our two Trumpf CNC punch presses and work with copper bar with a series of machines. We can saw, crop, pierce and drill copper bar as well as fold it with a range of CNC press brakes.

So it you are looking for copper earth tags, heat sinks, electrical buzz bars etc made to your own designs please get in contact with us. You can call us on 01489 577786 for a chat with a member of our engineering team or e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk for a quote.

Laser cutting sheet metal brackets

Monday, November 30th, 2015

Mild steel bracket

All sheet metal brackets no matter how simple or complex start with a 3D model on our Radan sheet metal software system here at V and F Sheet Metal. We can be lucky sometimes and have a 3D model given to us by our customers which can save us time in producing the final developed blanks for cutting. If not, we then have to create one ourselves to act as the master file for all material information, thickness, hole sizes, outer profile and bend information. Once that has been completed the flat blank can be created and used to program either a CNC punch press or a CNC laser cutter to enable the parts to be cut from flat sheet metal.

Laser cutting sheet metal brackets

Here’s the Trumpf fibre laser in action cutting out the 1.5mm thick mild steel bracket blanks using nitrogen as the cutting gas. The first 3 are missing as they were used to check that the laser edge was clean and the component size was correct to the drawing / 3D model tolerances. Once that was approved the rest of the batch could be laser cut repeating the same part again and again. You can see what a dynamic cutting process it is from this photographic still image capturing the moment the laser is piercing a hole straight through the 1.5mm thick mild steel sheet.

Laser cutting progress

The operator can monitor the progress of the laser cutting while it’s in process. They can stop the machine at any point and make adjustments or remove components that are in the way of the laser cutting head. You can see that the batch of components turns green on the screen as they are cut so we are approximately a third of the way through the batch at this point. The layout of the components on the sheet is controlled by the CNC programming department along with the design of each part.

Laser cutting sheet metal brackets video

Fast Tube by Casper

The laser is cutting the sheet metal with nitrogen as the assist cutting gas so that a clean oxide free edge cut is achieved.

If you have a sheet metal bracket that needs laser cutting please give us a call or send an e-mail with your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk as we will be happy to quote for your sheet metal work.

Sheet metal boxes

Tuesday, November 24th, 2015

Sheet metal boxes manufactured from 3mm aluminium

sheet metal boxes

I’m always on the look out for good images to show the range of parts that we manufacture for our customers. These aluminium boxes caught my eye as they have several production processes to be carried out before the final boxes are ready to ship to the customer. The boxes are a typical example of the work we manufacture from our factory in Fareham, Hampshire, UK. Firstly the boxes were CNC punched out from sheet aluminium to the exact blank sizes calculated by our Radan sheet metal software. The edges were de-burred to remove any sharp sections and then bent up as you see here on our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake bending machines. The then went on to have M4 bushes inserted, corners tacked welded together and finally powder coat painting. The batch size was 400 which lies in the middle of the volumes we normally produce for our customers. We can cope with sample prototype parts and small special projects to repeat batches for tens and many hundreds through to thousands off for some smaller parts.

If this has whetted your appetite to see how V and F Sheet Metal can help you please give us a call or send your sheet metal box project to us on sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help.

Sheet Metal Work

Monday, November 23rd, 2015

Sheet Metal Work

Sheet Metal Work, November 2015

Another sheet metal work project completed in November 2015. A complicated looking shape but simple really, just laser cut mild steel, CNC folded bends using swan neck tooling to achieve the deep bends and then powder coated black. These parts were created as 3D models, unfolded, nested, production route cards created, manufactured and powder coated in under 10 working days. Many repeat purchase orders are produced quicker than this when they are just simple sheet metal brackets, plates or boxes.

For more information on sheet metal work and how it’s made please have a look at this page.

Sheet metal work is our business and we would love to quote for any sheet metal work that you need to have manufactured.

Laser cut and folded brackets

Saturday, November 21st, 2015

Laser cut and folded brackets

Laser cut and folded brackets

We manufacture a whole range of sheet metal work here at V and F sheet Metal in Fareham, Hampshire but if I had to pick one sheet metal item that we are really good at it would be sheet metal brackets. Whether they are CNC punched out on one of our 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses or laser cut on our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser we just love sheet metal brackets. These mild steel brackets have been laser cut and then folded up on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. The brackets could just as well have been made form Zintec, galvanised steel, aluminium alloy, stainless steel, brass, copper, pre-painted steel, spring stainless or tin plate and we would still have been happy to make them. We have a large range of punching and bending tooling that suits all sorts of sheet metal brackets from 0.3mm thick tin plate electronic screening can brackets to 8mm thick steel building support brackets.

Sheet Metal Assembly

Friday, November 20th, 2015

Sheet Metal Assembly

Looking for sheet metal assembly, pop riveting, spot welding, mechanical assembly or fabrication welding?

Pressing together sheet metal components using fly presses, spot welding assemblies, tack welding and seam welding ferrous and non-ferrous parts as well as screwing together sets of sheet metal parts.

V and F Sheet Metal are happy to take your drawings and offer design changes where possible to save you money and produce quotes to suit the batch sizes you need.

Call us on 01489 577786 or send you drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk

CNC punching sheet metal work in Hampshire

Thursday, November 19th, 2015

CNC punching sheet metal work in Hampshire

CNC punching sheet metal work in Hampshire

If you are looking to purchase sheet metal work that has been CNC punched then please contact V and F Sheet Metal in Fareham, Hampshire. We have 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses and a wide range of tooling which we have built up over many years. Supported by our experienced design team using Radan sheet metal software we can offer help to you when you need to improve your sheet metal work design and we can offer quote options so you can see the price difference between different designs. If you already have a proven design we can take it in DXF, DWG, SAT, STEP or PDF format and run it through our CNC programming software before we produce a price for you to ensure there will be no problems in manufacturing.

The 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses work perfectly together using the same tooling systems to allow us the freedom to move jobs between each machine when you may have a rush job or need some samples quickly to prove a new design idea you may have. The 2 CNC punch presses tend to work a single shift system so there is always spare punching capacity for that one off rush job that comes along if needed.

Situated between Southampton and Portsmouth right next to the M27 in the south of Hampshire V and F Sheet Metal are ideally placed to service local companies needs in Hampshire as well as across the UK with door to door deliveries when needed and overnight pallets services. If you have a sheet metal work project and you want to come in to see us and view our factory we would be pleased to show you around. You can always simply e-mail your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will take a look at them for you.

So for the full CNC punching sheet metal service in the heart of Hampshire contact V and F Sheet Metal.

Sheet metal boxes

Wednesday, November 18th, 2015

Sheet metal boxes

Sheet metal boxes

V and F Sheet Metal specialise in manufacturing sheet metal work in thin gauges. We can CNC punch sheet metal from 0.4mm up to 3.0mm thick in a range of steel, aluminium and stainless steel alloys. Thicker gauges can be worked on with our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser cutting machine.

These aluminium boxes are typical of the sheet metal work projects that we get asked to manufacture for our customers. These boxes have been CNC punched, edge deburred and CNC folded on one of our Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes. Shown here at this stage they are in the process of having sheet metal bushes and studs inserted on a Haeger bush inserter machine to act as fixing points for various electronics components that will be assembled into the boxes after they had been welded on the corners and powder coated.

Have a project that needs sheet metal boxes and lids then give us a call. We are sure we will have a CNC tool to punch out the correct cut-outs and if not we can always laser cut them for you.

Sheet metal components manufacturers

Tuesday, November 17th, 2015

Laser cut brackets

Sheet metal components manufacturers

Sheet metal components manufacturers are important for companies who do not have the capability to manufacture sheet metal components for themselves. This might be due to the lack of overall requirement not justifying enough production to have an in house manufacturing department, lack of the right skills to retain sheet metal manufacturing in house or sometimes the opposite in too much work for the sheet metal work capacity that they have. For whatever reason when sheet metal manufacturing is needed on a sub-contract basis either for a one off project or on going repeat batches of sheet metal work, V and F Sheet Metal can help you. They have been manufacturing sheet metal work components, assemblies and welded fabrications for over 30 years now to a wide range of companies in the UK and into mainland Europe. From lighting companies, heating and air-conditioning work, professional audio equipment and electronics enclosures are just a few of the areas V and F Sheet Metal have been involved with for decades.

Sheet metal manufacturers – mild steel brackets

Offering laser cutting, CNC punching, CNC bending and a whole range of secondary welding and fabrication services from laser cutting and bending small brackets, CNC punching and folding enclosures, to welding stainless steel fabrications and press work. If your parts need to be painted, zinc pated or anodised then they have a network of suppliers to offer the right service and price. From thin gauge mild steel brackets that have been laser cut, as shown here, thick stainless steel channels or folded aluminium profiles we will have your sheet metal manufacturing needs covered here within our factory at Fareham, Hampshire, UK.

If you have any sheet metal manufacturing needs and have drawings that you wish us to review for you then please e-mail us at sales@vandf.co.uk or call for a chat on 01489 577786.

Laser Cutting Sets of Sheet Metal Work

Monday, November 16th, 2015

Laser cutting sets of sheet metal work

Laser cutting sets of sheet metal parts

Laser cutting sheet metal sets

When we use our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutter to laser cut sheet metal blanks for production we normally fill each sheet with the same component. This enables us to get the best fit per sheet and the least amount of time on the laser machine for each type of part. Sometimes however we can fit a “family” of parts together onto the same sheet. This might be a simple as boxes and lids together or front panels and rear panels together or left hand and right hand brackets together. This technique is useful with smaller batch sizes so that all the parts needed for a particular job that come from the same material and gauge can be laser cut in one go reducing the number of CNC programs generated and it makes it easier for the machine setter to produce all the parts in one set up.

Using Radan sheet metal software we can organise all the parts needed to be laser cut onto one program in the office before the jobs go to the shop floor and produce print outs of the CNC laser nests if needed to aid production and help identify work after laser cutting.

Sheet Metal Work With Weld Studs

Friday, November 13th, 2015

Sheet Metal Weld Studs

When designing a sheet metal component that needs a fixed male thread (stud) you have 2 options. The first is to specify a flush head stud which is pressed into a pre-pierced hole in the sheet. These studs can be inserted into aluminium, mild steel and stainless steel components and come in a range of thread sizes and lengths. The advantage of using a pressed in stud is the accuracy of the hole for positioning the stud can come from the CNC punch press or laser machine. The down side is the fact that the stud head can be seen pressed into the sheet metal and can still be visible even when a part has been powder coated.

The second option is to use a weld stud, which is shown in the picture above. There are no holes pierced into the sheet so the accuracy has to come from a stud welding jig, which is normally a plate with positioning holes. This plate is positioned on top of the work piece and a weld stud gun is used to fire the weld stud into place. The advantages of this production method is that the weld stud is not visible from the front face which can be an advantage when attaching earth or fixing studs to a front panel. The disadvantage is that this method of production is slower than pressing in a stud so as ever with all these sheet metal processes you pays your money and takes your choice.

As with all these design options if you need any help you just have to call us on 01489 577786 or send your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to take a look and offer the best solution for your sheet work metal design.

Sheet Metal Design

Thursday, November 12th, 2015

sheet metal bracket design

Sheet Metal Design in 3D CAD

The use of 3D modelling software such as Radan sheet metal software has enabled V and F Sheet Metal to work on simple and complex sheet metal designs without the need to spend a lot of time trying out samples before production. The ability to take a customer sheet metal design in a 3D format such as a STEP or SAT file as well as reducing development time also reduces the risk of translation errors with the sheet metal design before any CNC programming is under taken. If on the other hand a customer doesn’t have a 3D model it’s easy for us to create one which is what we had to do in this sheet metal design example shown here. The design was given to us as a 2D DWG file and we created the sheet metal design in the 3D module and then folded it out ready for programming for laser cutting. All the relevant sheet metal design information such as the material type, thickness, shape, size and bend radii were included in the 3D model to replicate the actual finished component and help the software to develop the correct shape and sized blank.

Sheet metal bracket flat blank design

Sheet Metal 2D Flat Blank Design

Once the 3 dimensional sheet metal design has been completed and unfolded a flat or 2D blank is produced. This is then where the computer aided design (CAD) becomes computer aided manufacturing (CAM). We can clean up the design and produce the most efficient tool part around each part. With CNC punching this would be to take the sheet metal design and automatically apply the appropriate CNC tooling for the gauge, internal and external features along with any tags needed to hold the parts in the sheet. With laser cutting, as in this case, the tooling is a continual cutting tool laser beam around the sheet metal design outer profile and it’s 4 holes. This is all carried out automatically by the software with very little intervention from the programmer. Once this stage is complete the part is ready to be nested into a full or part sheet.

laser cutting nest for sheet metal brackets

Sheet Metal Laser Cutting Nest Design

Now we have to fit the sheet metal design to either a full sheet if the order size needs it or a part sheet or even remnant from a past order. Again the software can automatically select the best layout of components to use the least amount of material whilst running the batch. It can also find the quickest path through the pattern (nest) of components and reduce heat build up when laser cutting. All the orientation of components can be controlled by us to enable parts with a grain direction to be specified or when bending is needed after on a sheet metal design and all parts must run in a certain direction to produce the correct bend angles. At this stage all the codes needed to drive either CNC punch presses or laser cutting machines are generated and saved to the system network server ready to be called up on the shop floor when cutting is needed.

Mild steel bracket

Finished Sheet Metal Design

The final sheet metal design has been transformed into a real useful product, in this case a bracket that is fixed to a leather belt and used to hang a drum for marching bands. The sheet metal design has been taken from a 2D drawing, through 3D modelling, CNC part and nest programming. The mild steel bracket has been laser cut, edge de-burred and CNC bent. The final sheet metal design was then polished and chrome plated by the customer to produce a highly reflective surface finish.

If you have a sheet metal design and you want to discuss some details that you feel we could improve to help with manufacturing and reduce cost please give us a call. Alternatively e-mail your sheet metal design drawings or 3D models and we will be happy to produce some prices for you.

Mild Steel Sheet Metal Work

Wednesday, November 11th, 2015

Mild steel sheet metal work

Mild steel sheet metal work

Mild steel is such a flexible material and it is the main stay of the sheet metal we use here at V and F Sheet Metal. We laser cut and CNC punch it out to make accurate blanks with edge profiles, holes, cut-outs and pressed in forms before we do anything else. Being sheet metal workers the vast majority of our work starts as flat sheet although we do work with some mild steel tube and bar. All the flat blank patterns are created in bespoke sheet metal programming software called Radan. This software enables us to 3D model parts, unfold them and tool them either for CNC punching or laser cutting. The mild steel blanks can then be folded up using a range of CNC press brakes that we use here with the latest and biggest being a Safan e-Brake 3M long 100 ton 6 axis CNC press brake bending machine. Along with TiG, MiG and spot welding and bush / stud fastener insertion we can do anything with sheet metal work when it’s in mild steel.

We also manufacture sheet metal work products from stainless steel and aluminium alloys.

Looking to get a sheet metal work project manufactured from mild steel, please give us a call on 01489 577786 or e-mail use on sales@vandf.co.uk

Sheet metal workers in Southampton

Tuesday, November 10th, 2015

Sheet metal workers in Southampton

Looking for a Sheet Metal Worker in Southampton, Hampshire?

V and F Sheet Metal have been supplying companies in Southampton and across the UK with sheet metal work for over 30 years.

Take a look at the services offered by V and F Sheet Metal based in Fareham, Hampshire to see the complete service we can offer you. Our plant pages detail out all the major services we can offer you, gallery pages with hundreds of examples of previous sheet metal work and an active blog with tips on designing for sheet metal production and past projects.

? Laser cutting ferrous and non-ferrous sheet metal with a Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser
? CNC punching sheet metal work with 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses
? CNC bending sheet metal work from a few mm to 3000mm long with 6 CNC press brakes
? Press work up to 50 tons with a fast action mechanical power press
? TiG and MiG welding of a wide range of sheet metal work
? Spot welding sheet metal assemblies
? Bush and stud insertion

If you can’t see what you are looking for please give us a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to help you with your sheet metal working project.

Folding Sheet Metal Work In Hampshire

Monday, November 9th, 2015

Folding sheet metal work

Folding Sheet Metal Work In Hampshire using CNC press brakes

When V and F Sheet Metal need to fold up a sheet metal work project for one of their customers they have a range of machines to choose from to complete the task. Having 6 CNC press brakes in a busy production factory in Fareham, Hampshire enables them to fold sheet metal work from only a few mm across such as copper earth clips or mild steel support brackets right up to 3M long galvanised steel profiles and stainless steel channels. Using 600mm, 1000mm, 2500mm and 3000mm long machines V and F Sheet Metal have the tools for any folding job that they need to complete.

Using straight, swan neck, safe edging and special forming tools a whole range of shapes and sizes of folded sheet metal work can be created across the range of machines with standard tooling at no cost to the customer. If you have a sheet metal component and are not sure whether it can be bent of not you only have to call or send over your drawing and we will be happy to take a look for you and find the most cost effective method of manufacturing.

For successful folding to a given tolerance accurate machines and needed with clean tooling. What is often overlooked is the accuracy of the flat blank that has to be folded. Using Radan sheet metal software to drive Trumpf CNC punch press and a Trumpf laser cutting machine enables V and F Sheet Metal to produce very accurate punched and laser cut blanks. This in turn enables the CNC press brakes to produce the right component again and again in production.

Sited right on the M27 near Fareham, Hampshire we are happy for customers to call in and see their sheet metal work being folded or discuss future sheet metal projects.

CNC Punching Sheet Metal Brackets

Thursday, November 5th, 2015

CNC Punching Sheet Metal Brackets

Trumpf 200 chute

One of the many useful features of using a Trumpf 200 CNC punch press is the component chute that is built into the bed of the machine. On the Trumpf 200 it can cope with small blanks up to 180mm square. By controlling the order that the CNC punch press tools are used the sheet can be positioned over the chute opening so that the last punch operation can free the blanks from the parent sheet and allow it to fall away from the sheet and straight down the open chute and into a collecting bin below the machine.

Mild steel brackets

The sheet metal brackets are created with a series of standard CNC punch tools working in combination to produce the final component shape. These tools we hold on the shelf and can use them any customers standard work that comes along. If special tools are required we can offer advice and price options direct from the original machine manufacturer to get the best tool options to save money and length of tooling life. At this stage you can see that all the internal holes and slots have been CNC punched and the outside profile has been created with the use of several different tools.

CNC punching nest

The final hit for each sheet metal blank sends it down the chute and into the bin leaving the hole behind in the sheet. This view shows quite nicely the arrangement of tooling used in the CNC punch marks that are left behind. The advantage of this method of CNC punching is that there are no tags left holding the part in the punched sheet so the de-burring is easier. It is also quicker to collect the parts than having to break or shake them all out of the sheet. This all saves time and as we all know time is money.

Sheet metal workers in Portsmouth

Wednesday, November 4th, 2015

Sheet metal workers in Portsmouth

Looking for sheet metal workers in Portsmouth?

V and F Sheet Metal have been supplying sheet metal work and welded fabrications since the 1980s. From our manufacturing base in Fareham, Hampshire we supply a range of companies in and around Portsmouth, Hampshire. From laser cut blanks on our Trumpf 3030 3KW fibre laser and CNC punched sheet metal work on 2 Trumpf CNC punch presses through 6 CNC press brakes and a wide range of secondary manufacturing plant we can offer you the full service when it comes to sourcing sheet metal work. Using 3D software to aid pattern development and efficient tooling and material layout to save money we are happy to help you with your component designs. If you have a sheet metal bracket that need cutting and folding, a sheet metal box that needs folding and welding, a fabricated assembly, spot welded chassis we are the people to ask.

So if you are based in Portsmouth or further afield please contact us on 01489 577786 or send us a drawing on sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to help you and prepare a range of price options.

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