18-10-2010, 04:04 PM
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This article is presented by:
Shrikrishan Juneja
Ritesh Sharma
Sheet Metal Design
Contents
Introduction
Metals used in Sheet Metal Working
Gauges
Sheet Metal Forming Processes
Comparison to other forming processes
Die Manufacturing
Progressive die with scrap strip and stamping
Die operations and types
Design calculations
For Blanking and Piercing
Draw Die Designing
Bending Design
Punching Design
Die Construction
Workshop Practice
Safety Guide for Sheet Metal Workers
Introduction
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes.
The thickness of the sheet metal is called its gauge. The gauge of sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 8 gauge
Sheet metal working involves manufacturing articles from sheet metal or thin sheets, which may be of black iron, galvanized iron, copper or stainless steel.
Metals used in Sheet Metal Working
A large variety of metals in the form of sheets and plates used in sheet metal working include black iron, galvanized iron, copper, brass, tin, aluminum, lead and zinc.
The thickness of sheets vary inversely as their gauge number, higher the gauge number, smaller the thickness and vice-versa.
Important metals used in sheet metal working are described below. Black Iron Sheet or uncoated sheet is the cheapest material used for sheet metal work. Since these sheets carry no protection coatings on their surfaces, these are likely to corrode quickly.These are, therefore, used for marking those articles, which are later enamelled or painted before use.
Gauge
The sheet metal gauge (sometimes spelled "gage") indicates the standard thickness of sheet metal for a specific material. As the gauge number increases, the material thickness decreases
Sheet metal thickness gauges for steel are based on a weight of 41.82 pounds per square foot per inch of thickness. This is known as the Manufacturers' Standard Gage for Sheet Steel.