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CNC punching UK at its best with V and F Sheet Metal

Monday, January 9th, 2017

For CNC punching UK at its best contact V and F Sheet Metal

CNC punching aluminium electronic housings

CNC punching formed CSK in aluminium blanks

CNC punching fibre optic light box blanks

If you are looking for a great example of the versatility of CNC punching UK when it comes to producing sheet metal work, look no further. Using our Trumpf 3000 CNC punch press we have been able to punch out the profile, all the round holes and slots using standard CNC punch press tooling that we have on the shelf for any of our customers to use. The fan ventilation pattern was produced with custom tooling for a neat and quick solution in 3mm thick aluminium. All the countersunk (CSK) hole forms have also been pressed into the sheet metal using a range of our own tooling after a pilot hole has been punched in the sheet.

For a quick guide to all out standard CNC punch press tooling take a look at our tooling library. You should be able to find enough tooling to suit most of your sheet metal component design needs. Many tools can be used in combination to create more complex patterns and cut-outs. Tools can also be hit and indexed multiple times to create longer slots or larger window cut-outs. If you are still not sure you only have to call our engineering programming team and we will be happy to help advise on the best tooling to use on any given material type and thickness.

We also have a CNC punching gallery with many past projects to take a look at. It may be that there is something that we have made in the past which can give you the inspiration you need when thinking of your new sheet metal component design.

Still not sure about designing sheet metal products for CNC punching?

So for CNC punching UK at its best 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 produce estimates for you.

Laser cut and CNC punched sheet metal panels manufactured direct to your designs

Wednesday, January 4th, 2017

CNC punched sheet metal panels

Laser cut sheet metal panels

Sheet metal panels come in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes. These sheet metal panels have been CNC punched and CNC laser cut. The slightly green image is the laser cut panels viewed through the fibre laser safety glass of the laser cutting machine. We have many examples of sheet metal panels on our website pages and blog posts. A good place to find more examples of sheet metal panels is our gallery pages. Which manufacturing machine we use depends on the material type, thickness and complexity of the sheet metal panels. If the panels are over 4mm thick they would definitely be laser cut. If the panels have very complex cut-outs or an outer profile that is difficult to produce without special CNC tooling then again they would be suitable for laser cutting. If however the panels have formed features such as tapped threads, formed ventilation louvres, raised dimples or self tapping screw forms then CNC punch would be the way to go.

We can often produce panels with either machine and have on occasions made large batches on both types of machine together. This flexibility of manufacturing service is something we are proud to offer our customers. We are here to help wherever we can with a flexible approach to production and with free advice on designing for manufacturing.

Perhaps you have some panels you need to have manufactured and you would like us to produce prices for you. Just send you drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk and we will be happy to take a look and help advise on your designs and offer competitive prices.

Still not sure? Give us a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to chat.

Sheet metal work with pressed inserts for quicker assembly

Sunday, January 1st, 2017

Sheet metal work with pressed inserts really does speed up your assembly times saving you money. Pressed inserts can also offer a more reliable method of servicing sheet metal parts for break downs and regular service inspections.

Black anodised angle brackets

Black anodised aluminium angle brackets are typical of the sheet metal work containing pressed inserts that we produce for our UK based customers. These angle brackets have had mild steel zinc plated bushes inserted after the bracket have been treated with an anodising and black dye process. The brackets are used by an electric motor company in one of their pumping units and we normally manufacture them in batches of 100 at a time. The bushes are used to replace M4 nuts in assembly and speed up the time taken to screw them into their pump chassis. The principle can be applied to any fixing bracket whether it’s mid steel, stainless steel or aluminium.

Folded zintec sheet metal chassis panels

Here’s another simple folded chassis manufactured from 3mm thick Zintec, a form of zinc coated mild steel sheet. The chassis components have been laser cut and folded up using CNC production equipment for speed and accuracy. The bushes are again pressed in to speed up the assembly times of our customer once they take the parts from us. The chassis are powder coated and all the inserted threads are blanked off prior to powder coating to enable easy assembly for our customers.

We have a range of equipment designed to press these inserts into sheet metal quickly and without leaving any witness marks. We insert hundreds of thousands of bushes and studs every year and will have a solution to your sheet metal design needs.

Sheet metal work with pressed inserts can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and we have lots of examples in our Insert Gallery.

To really understand how we can help you with the vast array of bushes, studs and stand-offs that can be selected we suggest you give us a call and our engineering team will be happy to help. Alternatively, if you wish to send us your drawings we can check through them and suggest better alternative inserts when needed.

Folded stainless steel brackets produced on a Trumpf 7036 CNC press brake

Thursday, December 22nd, 2016

Trumpf 7036 set up ready for production of stainless steel brackets

If you are looking for folded stainless steel brackets then V and F Sheet Metal have just the facility to help support you. Through 3D software modelling, CNC punching and laser cutting to CNC bending we will take care of the whole production process for you all under one roof. These folded stainless steel brackets are typical of the sub-contract sheet metal work that we produce every day of the week for our customers all over the UK. The Trumpf 7036 CNC press brakes we use to bend up small folded stainless steel brackets are ideally suited to this type of work. They are quick to program and set up as well as very fast in their production rates, all leading to very competitive prices for small and large batch metal work. Although we have shown them folding up small stainless steel brackets they can fold sheet metal profiles up to 1M long and will cover the vast majority of the sheet metal folding that we produce in our factory in Fareham, Hampshire, UK.

Laser cut and folded stainless steel brackets

You can easily see that these brackets have radiused end and teardrop shaped holes which would have been very difficult to produce on a CNC punch press without bespoke tooling. With our Trumpf fibre laser these shapes are easy to produce and cost no more to produce than a standard square ended bracket with round holes. The Trumpf fibre laser machine really comes into its own when cutting thin sheet metal work or with small batches where the cost of CNC punch press tooling would not be viable.

Putting these cutting and folding machines together truly offers you a great manufacturing service right here in the UK.

What do I do next?

Perhaps you have a sheet metal bracket that you need to have manufactured. Why not give us a call on 01489 577786 or send us your drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk. We will be happy to take a look and produce some prices for you. We can also see whether your design can be improved for manufacturing saving you further time and money.

Sheet metal working projects review for 2016

Monday, December 19th, 2016

Sheet metal working projects from V and F Sheet Metal during 2016

Here are just a few of the sheet metal projects that we have posted on our sheet metal blog this year. The range of materials, sizes and complexities of sheet metal work we manufacture never ceases to amaze me.

I want to wish a big thanks to all our customers for their support and orders during 2016. Please keep your ideas and orders coming so we can expand our service and help you further in the future.

CNC punching sheet metal work

CNC punched brackets produced from 3mm zintec coated mild steel

Light fitting reflectors

Laser cut aluminium sheet metal projects

Laser cut aluminium sheet metal work

Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press in action producing circular sheet metal panels with cluster and curved banana tooling

Typical 3D model of a galvanised mild steel bracket produced by V and F Sheet Metal

Black anodised angle brackets

Laser cut sheet metal panels

Sheet metal fabrication assembly of light fitting components

Sheet metal fabrication assembly of light fitting gear trays

Folding brass sheet metal contactor brackets

Bending aluminium boxes

Video of CNC punching sheet metal ventilation grilles

Thursday, December 15th, 2016

CNC punched grille with bespoke punch press tooling

CNC punch presses are so flexible when it comes to producing bespoke sheet metal work and our Trumpf machines are the best of the bunch. With their single head design allowing all punch and form tooling to rotate through 360 degrees we can produce some very complex components with the simplest of standard tooling that we have “on the shelf”.

The ventilation grilles shown here were produced with standard CNC punch press tooling and one specially made bespoke tool. This special tool was purchased by our customer to allow us to produce a repeating pattern across a range of grille sizes for them quickly, cleanly and cheaply.

The punch press video shows our Trumpf 3000R CNC punch press running with the presser foot option engaged. This system allows the stripper plate to positively press the sheet each time a hole is punched. This technique reduces the amount of distortion that is produced when CNC punching a series of close pitch holes such as the ventilation pattern in these sheet metal grilles.

CNC punching machine video

Fast Tube by Casper

Run the video and you will see that even with the presser foot activated the machine still has an impressive turn of speed.

Perhaps you have a sheet metal working project that needs a ventilation pattern CNC punched, we have lots of standard tooling we can use for you. If you want a bespoke shape the tools are surprising cheap for the life and volume of work that they can produce. Please call us on 01489 577786 to discuss your project.

Laser cutting sheet metal electronics enclosures with a Trumpf 3030 fibre

Monday, December 12th, 2016

Just take one look at our Trumpf 3030 fibre laser cutting out these electronics enclosures and you will realise how flexible this machine is when it comes to producing sub-contract sheet metal work. Whether it’s laser cutting special connector cutouts, complex outer profiles or intricate fan apertures this machine can cut through all sheet metal materials in seconds. We use our fibre laser cutter mainly on thinner gauges materials from 0.7mm to 3mm but it’s more than capable of laser cutting through 20mm mild steel. Driven by Radan sheet metal software it allows for the most efficient component nesting to keep material costs down and use up off cuts from parts projects.

Fast Tube by Casper

The fibre laser’s ability to cut through ferrous and non-ferrous materials including copper and brass set it apart from the traditional CO2 laser enabling us to offer you the complete sheet metal working service. Our website has many pages and photo galleries illustrating the range of sheet metal work we have produced from this machine in the past 3 years. It still amazes me today the speed and accuracy of this machine of the wide range of work we get involved with for our customers across the UK. If you are ever passing Fareham, Hampshire and want to come and witness laser cutting in action feel free to drop in and say hello.

If however you would prefer to e-mail us some drawings to sales@vandf.co.uk our engineering team is ready to produce competitive quotes fro you and help manage your laser cutting projects.

Sheet metal brackets manufactured to your own designs

Thursday, December 8th, 2016

When you are looking for sheet metal brackets manufactured to your own designs you need to speak with V and F Sheet Metal. Based in Fareham, Hampshire we are ideally placed to service the sheet metal working needs of companies across the south of England and further afield.

CNC punched and CNC folded mild steel fixing brackets

We love manufacturing sheet metal brackets and have all the equipment you could possible want to make the job of producing your bespoke brackets as easy as possible. From 3D CAD/CAM software to model your brackets. Through sheet metal bend blank development and bend allowances, CNC tooling and laser paths efficient CNC punch or CNC laser cutter nesting. We have CNC bending machines that allow us to try out programs to calculate bend sequences and check off flat pattern sizes before committing to cutting and sheet metal materials. The CNC bending press brakes can handle a vast range of small brackets everyday ranging from small spring stainless steel angle brackets, electronics chassis aluminium support brackets, mild steel, zintec or galvanised steel clamping brackets, stainless steel mounting brackets through to copper bus bar brackets and pre-painted steel decorative brackets.

Where your bracket design needs manufacturing with plunged self tapping holes, threads built in, pressed in bushes, stand-offs and studs we can sort it all out for you. Perhaps you need to have several parts welded together to make a fabricated bracket assembly? We can cope with ferrous and non-ferrous MiG and TiG welding techniques as well as spot welding for lighter gauge brackets. We will advise you on your designs if we feel they can be improved from manufacturing and always try and get the price down if we can see a better way of producing your brackets.

For more examples of past sheet metal brackets projects please take a look at our bracket gallery page.

If you have sheet metal brackets for a new project or possibly you are thinking about a new design then please send us your drawings in STEP, SAT, DXF, DWG or PDF format to sales@vandf.co.uk. If you are not sure quite sure what is possible please give our engineering team a call on 01489 577786 and we will be happy to chat through your options.

CNC folded sheet metal work – manufacturing in the UK

Monday, December 5th, 2016

CNC folded sheet metal work – manufacturing in the UK

CNC folded sheet metal work

CNC folded sub-contract sheet metal work

CNC folded sheet metal work

Here are another 2 examples of folded sheet metal work recently produced within our production facilities in Fareham, Hampshire. These particular parts were manufactured for a lighting company and a ventilation company both based in Hampshire. With 6 CNC press brakes ranging from the small 600mm wide CNC press brakes for simple angle brackets and channels, through more complex brackets and chassis components on our Trumpf 7036 machines right up to our Safan e-Brake 3M 100 ton new CNC bending machine.

Whether it’s a few sample brackets for a new design, batches of folded profiles or custom built cabinet projects we have the folding capability to produce sheet metal work from as thin as 0.3mm tin plated mild steel screen cans, 0.9mm zintec angles brackets, 3mm aluminium enclosures, 5mm steel channels right up to 10mm thick steel support brackets.

With the ability to save all CNC bending programs to our system server we can recall past projects within seconds and load up tooling to repeat parts without delay. For a fast and accurate service please give us a call on 01489 588876.

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 around Romsey Hampshire UK

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.

Folding sheet metal work

Laser cutting mild steel brackets in Romsey Hampshire

Spot welding Zintec sheet metal assembly

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