Sheet Metal Bending Archives

Welcome to LIKE Sheet Metal

by like machineryon 30 August 2021in Assembly & Welding, CNC Machining, Custom Metal Services, Matel Parts Processes, Metal Stamping, Metal Stamping Knowledge, Metal Stamping Material, Sheet Metal, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Stamping Services

Welcome to LIKE Sheet Metal

Welcome to LIKE Sheet Metal & Fabrications Ltd based in Ningbo, China.

We are a well-established business that takes great pride in making your component purchasing easier. We combine our technical and engineering expertise to consistently supply top quality bespoke metal work backed up by our efficient and hassle-free service.

Using Mild Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminium, LIKE can undertake a wide variety of work including CNC Punching, Laser Cutting, Tube Forming / Bending and Welding. We can manufacture metal components up to five tonnes in weight and are happy to undertake one-off and/or short production runs.

Don’t hesitate to contact us for all your welding, fabricating and sheet metal working requirements.

Welcome to LIKE Sheet Metal

Featured Works
At LIKE we like a challenge and therefore treat each and every enquiry with the same professional manner, however complex or unusual the request. The images shown below represent a number of Special Projects in a variety of different finishes we have been asked to complete recently.
Recent Work
Industrial Fan Housing
Recent Work
Shop workstation trolley
Recent Work
Steel framework
Recent Work
Sheet metal casings
Recent Work
Sheet metal frames
Recent Work
Sheet metal seal plates
Recent Work
Steel display cabinet
Recent Work
Steel fabricated tanks

The installation of a Wiedemann CNC Centrum 3000 Turret Punch provides us with more options to handle your requirements. Whether it be in mild steel, stainless or aluminium and a batch run or something more bespoke, we have the solution.

The demand for tube bending has increased significantly at Wayland so we have therefore invested in and installed a DB-39 Twin Head Tube Bender. The bending capacity for this machine is such that it will bend up to 38mm diameter x 2mm Mild Steel and Stainless Steel, subject to a maximum length of 3 metres.
We utilise Tig and Mig Welding facilities for light to medium fabrications up to 5 tonnes in weight.

If required, we can also provide Aluminium and Stainless Welding.

We have recently installed 2 brand new Amada 100 tonne & 50 tonne Press Brakes. Our new machines come with Amada’s ‘Instant Reactive Beam’ for consistent accuracy and Stop – Start technology for reduced power consumption.

Model HFE M2 1003 – Force : 1000kN (100 tonnes), Press beam length : 3110mm.

Model HFE M2 5020 – Force : 500kN (50 tonnes), Press beam length : 2090mm.

From our manufacturing plant in Heywood, we can handle the entire process. Working in partnership with our customers we meet their exact requirements, from initial CAD drawings, to fabrication, punching, bending and welding. We undertake all the production and finishing in-house, to give the quickest turnaround without jeopardising quality.

Our hard earned reputation for quality stems from the calibre and training of our workforce. We retain our employees by developing their skills and recognising their abilities. This family run business generates positivity to the company resulting in a friendly working environment and close-knit team. Ultimately, this is of great benefit to our customers in every aspect of their dealings with us.

We are also pleased to confirm that phase two of our ongoing machinery and plant investment programme has now been completed. These additional services will benefit four specific areas of our operation.

Get A Free Quote / Need Help ? Contact Us

OEM Non-standard Wear-resistant Stamping Parts

Stainless Steel Deep Drawn Stamping Enclosure

Bending Processing Sheet Metal Bracket

Customized Metal Sheet Bracket Fabrication

Custom HVAC Fabrication Sheet Metal Case Parts

High Precision Metal Stamping Shell for Home Appliance

Customized Sheet Metal Fabrication Stainless Metal Stamping Stand

Adjustable 2Inch/50mm Hitch Ball Towing Starter Kits

316L Stainless Steel Secure Cable Cleat Support Bracket for Forte Trefoil

Extreme Stainless Steel Trefoil Cleats for Power System (44-50mm OD)

Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication Electrical Box

Metal Stamping Design Processes

by like machineryon 1 July 2021in Metal Stamping, Metal Stamping Knowledge, Sheet Metal, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Stamping Services

Metal Stamping Design Processes

Metal stamping is a complex process that can include a number of metal forming processes —blanking, punching, bending, and piercing and more. Blanking: This process is about cutting the rough outline or shape of the product. This stage is about minimizing and avoiding burrs, which can drive up the cost of your part and extend lead time. The step is where you determine hole diameter, geometry/taper, the spacing between edge-to-hole and insert the first piercing.

Metal Stamping Design Processes

Bending: When you are designing the bends into your stamped metal part, it is important to allow for enough material — make sure to design your part and its blank so that there is enough material to perform the bend. Some important factors to remember:

If a bend is made too close to the hole, it can become deformed.
Notches and tabs, as well as slots, should be designed with widths that are at least 1.5x the thickness of the material. If made any smaller, they can be difficult to create due to the force exerted on punches, causing them to break.
Every corner in your blank design should have a radius that is at least half of the material thickness.
To minimize instances and severity of burrs, avoid sharp corners and complex cutouts when possible. When such factors cannot be avoided, be sure to note burr direction in your design so they can be taken into account during stamping
Coining: This action is when the edges of a stamped metal part are struck to flatten or break the burr; this can create a much smoother edge in the coined area of the part geometry; this can also add additional strength to localized areas of the part and this can be utilized to avoid secondary process like deburring and grinding. Some important factors to remember:

Plasticity and grain direction

Plasticity and grain direction – Plasticity is the measure of permanent deformation a material undergoes when subjected to force. Metals with more plasticity are easier to form. Grain direction is important in high strength materials, such as tempered metals and stainless steel. If a bend goes along the grain of a high strength, it can be prone to cracking.

Bend height

Bend height –The overall height of a bend has minimum requirements to be formed effectively and should be at minimum, 2.5x the thickness of the material + the radius of the bend

Bend relief

Bend relief – Add small notches located immediately adjacent to the portion of the part to be bent — they should be a minimum of twice as wide as the material is thick, and as long as the bend radius plus material thickness.

Bend Distortion/Bulge: The bulging caused by bend distortion can be as large as ½ the material thickness. As material thickness increases and bend radius decreases the distortion/bulge becomes more severe. Carrying Web and “Mismatch” Cut: This is when a very slight cut-in or bump-out on the part is required and is typically about .005” deep. This feature is not necessary when utilizing compound or transfer type tooling but is required when utilizing progressive die tooling.

Types of Metal Stamping

The Basics of Metal Stamping

OEM Stamping Lamp Brass Accessories Lighting Component

Stainless Steel Trefoil Cable Clamp Metal Stamping

Brass Stamping Parts Lamp Accessories Metal Spinning Processing

Hitch Pin and R Clip Double Hole Lock for Trailer Truck Car

Lighting Spring Piece Stamping Processing

Sheet Metal Design Considerations

by like machineryon 15 June 2021in Sheet Metal Fabrication

Metal Fabrication Resources

Sheet Metal Design Considerations: Maximum Amount of Bend

In order to understand what the maximum amount of bend is for certain gauges of sheet metal, it’s essential to understand a few basics of bending and other terms involving metalworks.

Let’s take a look at everything you need to know about this particular sheet metal design consideration and understand what the maximum amount of bend is for certain gauges of sheet metal.

Metal Fabrication Resources sheet metal design considerations

Sheet Metal Design Considerations: Bending, Radius, and Metalworking
For the purposes of this piece, “bending” refers to the process by which metal is manufactured to the point that along a straight axis, it produces a
V-shape
U-shape
Channel shape
Box and pan brakes, and other brake processes, are most often used for bending.

“Bend radius,” meanwhile, is the term used to describe the radius of the inside curvature of previously bent sheet metal. It’s the minimum radius that a pipe can be bent or otherwise compromised without getting:

Kinked
Damaged
Otherwise having its useful life shortened

Sheet Metal Bending: Minimums & Maximums

It stands to reason, then, that the thicker and harder the plate is, the larger the minimum bend radius is. However, finding the true minimum bend for a steel or an aluminum plate requires a bit of thought (and, in some cases, trial and error).

1. Sheet metal plates run about 0.005” to 0.249” in thickness.
2. Aluminum and steel plates, on the other hand, start at about 0.250 inches in thickness, and can go as high as 13 inches in thickness.

According to fabricator LIKE’s Watson, there’s a simple mathematical equation to determine a minimum (and maximum) bend radius for both sheet metal and aluminum and steel plates. Follow these steps in order:

Divide 50 by the material’s tensile reduction percentage.
Subtract 1 from that answer.
Multiply that answer by the plate thickness.

The end result will give you the minimum inside bend radius. The maximum bend radius, meanwhile, has an equally simple equation: add the minimum bend radius to the part thickness, and multiply the result by 2.

For More Information …
For more free information on sheet metal sizing — including several useful charts categorized by material — click the graphic below.

As sheet metal fabricators trusted by no less of an authority than the LIKE is here for all your sheet metal needs. For more design assistance, contact us today. (We also do free engineering consultations!)

OEM Stamping Lamp Brass Accessories Lighting Component

Brass Stamping Parts Lamp Accessories Metal Spinning Processing

Hardware Stamping Parts Processing For Lamps and Lanterns

What is Metal Stamping

Metal Stamping Material Considerations

Precision Metal Stamping Stainless Steel Mounting Bracket

How Thin Can Sheet Metal Get?

by like machineryon 14 June 2021in Sheet Metal, Sheet Metal Fabrication

How Thin Can Sheet Metal Get?

Metal thickness is a critical factor in all manufacturing processes. It is a key determinant in almost all metal forming processes, from welding and fabrication to finishing.

The thickness of any metal mainly depends on its application. The thickest sheet metal out to have a 6mm thickness, with the thinnest having around 0.5mm. This article takes you through the process of sheet metal thinning, how it happens, and what determines the thickness of sheet metal. Read on!

Sheet Metal Thinning Processes

Thinning is the process of reducing sheet metal to get the desired size. Thinning helps transform sheet metal to the eventual size needed for use. While the lower end of sheet metal thickness is 0.5 mm, it can still be reduced further to form metal foil.

Metal foil is the thinnest level that sheet metal can get. The process of reducing sheet metal is complex and can be performed in the following ways;

How Thin Can Sheet Metal Get?

Cold and Hot Rolling

Rolling may be used to reduce sheet metal thickness as well as to make it more uniform. In the rolling process, sheet metal passes through a set of rolls to gain the desired thickness.

This process depends on the temperature levels applied. In hot rolling, a temperature of about 1400F is used for steel. This temperature is enough to reduce sheet metal up to 1/16th of an inch.

In the mills, rollers are used to reduce the metal thickness while at the same time, extending its overall length, to achieve roughly the final thickness. Temperature plays a vital part in the rolling processes. It determines the surface finish quality alongside sheet thickness.

Cold rolling is ideal for the formation of sheet metal for precision applications. The majority of metalworkers prefer using cold-rolled steels because it’s easy to control over the final dimensions. In hot rolling, the steel shrinks slightly after cooling, and its shape might change.

Ironing

Ironing is another metal thinning process used to reduce thickness in certain areas rather than the whole sheet metal. It helps achieve a uniform wall thickness for precision manufacturing.

Ironing is another essential process in the manufacture of soda cans. The can walls have to be thinned to a stipulated thickness. Usually, ironing occurs in 2 or 3 processes, whereby different dies are used to form the preferred thickness of soda cans. This process may be undertaken in combination with deep drawing.

Deep Drawing

This metal forming process uses circular tension-tangential compression to decrease sheet metal size and shape. Deep drawing converts flat sheet metal into either hollow box-shaped or cylindrical or vessels. The vessels may have straight or elongated sides or a combination of curved, tapered, and straight sides.

The formed vessel diameter is reduced through a series of dies and, at the same time, increase its length. This happens with insignificant variation to the wall thickness.

Why Thin Sheet Metal?

This sheet metal has various purposes and is more than the toughness and long life expectancy. It is a significant asset in all industrial applications and a natural choice for many applications.

Thin sheet metal is long lasting and offers permanent solutions to almost everything. Also, the majority of sheet metal products are maintenance-free, unlike metal plates that demand extra maintenance through welding.

Choosing Your Ultimate Metal Fabrication Experts

Are you looking forward to the next metal fabrication project? If yes, having the right people for the job is critical. Remember, metal forming is an intricate process that demands professional input.

Get in touch with our metal fabrication experts today, and we’ll make your project a success.

Sheet Metal Design Considerations

Metal Stamping Material Considerations

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LED Light Precision Custom Stamping

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