48. SHEET METAL FABRICATION
Sheet metal typically begins as sheets, but after undergoing cutting, bending, stamping and welding operations it takes on useful engineering forms.
Sheet metal has become a significant material for,
- automotive bodies and frames,
- frames for home appliances
Sheets are popular materials because the sheets themselves are easy to produce, and the subsequent operations can be performed easily. The major operations typically include,
bending - an angle is used to create non-parallel faces
punching/shearing/blanking - a major portion of the material is cut off by putting the material in shear.
