What is sheet metal manufacturing? Process, material, application, surface treatment

What is sheet metal manufacturing? complete basics

Ⅰ  Overview of sheet metal processing

Sheet metal processing is the plastic deformation of some metal sheets by hand or die stamping to form the desired shape and size, and can be further formed by welding or a small amount of mechanical processing to form more complex parts.

Sheet metal parts are used in a variety of forms in our daily lives, including industrial products, daily necessities, the interior of electronic equipment such as computers and televisions, buildings, crafts and automobile bodies.

Ⅱ  Sheet metal processing technology

Ⅲ  Sheet metal processing process

1  Workpiece blanking

Workpiece blanking is also known as blank process, according to the development diagram and batch of different selection of different blanking methods, including laser, CNC punch, cutting plate, mold and other ways, and then according to the drawing to make the corresponding development. CNC punching machine is affected by the tool, for some special-shaped workpiece and irregular hole processing, there will be a large burr at the edge, to carry out later deburring treatment, and has a certain impact on the accuracy of the workpiece; Laser processing has no tool limit, smooth section, suitable for the processing of special-shaped workpieces, but it takes a long time to process small workpieces.

After the workpiece is blanked, the corners, burrs and contacts should be trimmed (grinding treatment). At the tool contact, the flat file should be trimmed. For the workpiece with large burrs, the grinder should be trimmed, and the small inner hole contact should be trimmed with a corresponding small file to ensure the appearance of the workpiece. The position of the workpiece on the bending machine is consistent when bending to ensure the consistency of the size of the same batch of products.

2  Next process

After the blanking is completed, enter the next process, and different workpieces enter the corresponding process according to the requirements of processing. There are bending, pressing riveting, flanging and tapping, spot welding, convex hull, section difference, sometimes after bending one or two times to press the nut or stud, which has mold convex hull and section difference to consider the first processing, so as to avoid interference after other processes first processing, can not complete the required processing.

Bending

The basic principle of bending is to use the plastic deformation of metal to make a part or assembly of the desired shape and size. According to the size of the drawing, the thickness of the material to determine the bending tool and the groove, to avoid the collision between the product and the tool caused by deformation is the key to the selection of the upper die (in the same product, different models of the upper die may be used), the selection of the lower die according to the thickness of the plate to determine. The second is to determine the order of bending, bending the general law is first inside after outside, first small after large, first special after ordinary. The workpiece with the edge to be crushed is first bent to 30° -40 °, and then the workpiece is crushed with the leveling die.

Squeeze rivet

Two or more sheet metal parts are joined together by rivets to form a structure that should be stable. The basic steps of the sheet metal riveting process include four main stages: preparation work, rivet installation, riveting and inspection. Its advantages are high connection strength, good sealing, superior fatigue resistance, and the surface of the connector is smooth and beautiful. In addition, the process is simple and efficient, which is suitable for large-scale production. However, it also has some disadvantages, such as the noise and vibration generated during the riveting process, which may have a certain impact on the working environment; At the same time, riveted rivet can not be removed, so once the need to repair or replace parts, you need to destroy the original connection.

Welding

Welding is the permanent connection of two or more metal sheets by heating, pressurization or a combination of both to meet the requirements of structural strength, tightness and appearance. Mainly argon arc welding, spot welding, gas shielded welding, manual arc welding, laser welding, etc., spot welding must first consider the location of the workpiece welding, and consider positioning tools to ensure the accurate spot welding position in mass production. Sheet metal welding, as one of the important technologies in the field of metal processing, is widely used in automobile manufacturing, aerospace, electronic and electrical appliances, mechanical equipment and other industries.

Surface treatment

Workpiece in bending, riveting and other processes after the completion of surface treatment, different plate surface treatment methods are not the same, according to the use of conditions and needs to choose different surface treatment methods, to meet the product's enhanced performance, corrosion resistance, appearance decoration or other special functional requirements.

Spray treatment

After surface treatment, when the workpiece is required to be sprayed after assembly, the teeth or part of the conductive holes need to be protected, the holes can be inserted with soft glue sticks or screws, and the conductive protection needs to be pasted with high-temperature tape.

Assembly process

After spraying into the assembly process, before assembly, to tear off the original spraying protective stickers, make sure that the parts of the inner thread hole is not sprayed into the paint or powder, in the whole process, to wear gloves, to avoid the hand dust attached to the workpiece, some workpiece also with an air gun to blow clean.

Inspection package

After assembly, it enters the packaging link, and the workpiece is loaded into a special bag for protection after passing the inspection. Some workpieces without special packaging are packaged with bubble film.

Ⅳ  Commonly used materials

Ⅴ  Surface treatment

The following are some examples of surface treatments commonly used in sheet metal manufacturing, if you want to learn more, please click "Learn more".

Ⅵ  Processing precautions

1  Bending parameters

During the bending process, several parameters need to be controlled to ensure the quality of the molding. Including bending line, outer die line, flange length, parting line distance, indent amount, bending axis, bending length, bending radius and bending Angle. The selection and calculation of these parameters are essential to ensure the accuracy and consistency of the parts.

2  Neutral axis and K coefficient

The neutral axis is a boundary line inside the sheet metal on which neither tension nor pressure is exerted, so that its length remains constant. The K coefficient is a parameter that describes the position of the neutral axis and is equal to the ratio of the neutral wheelbase distance to the thickness of the material. The value of K coefficient is affected by many factors such as material, bending operation and bending Angle.

3  Rebound and compensation

In the bending process, due to the residual stress inside the metal sheet, the sheet will have a certain degree of rebound after bending. In order to obtain the desired bending radius and Angle, it is necessary to over-bend the sheet and precisely control the amount of rebound. This usually requires experiments and experience to determine the appropriate rebound compensation value.

4  mold and tool selection

The choice of molds and tools is critical to the success of the sheet metal forming process. The material, size and shape of the mold need to be determined according to the production quantity, sheet metal material and bending degree. The fit of the punch and die also needs to be precisely adjusted to ensure the accuracy of the bending Angle and shape.

Ⅶ  Sheet metal application

Sheet metal parts are used in a variety of forms in our daily lives, including industrial products, daily necessities, the interior of electronic equipment such as computers and televisions, buildings, crafts and automobile bodies.

Ⅷ  Ending

Sheet metal forming process is an important metal processing method, through the application of force to make the metal sheet plastic deformation, so as to produce a variety of complex shapes of parts. Widely used in industrial products, factory production equipment, food manufacturing equipment, etc. In practical applications, it is necessary to master various process methods and technical details to ensure molding quality and production efficiency.

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