What is sheet metal fabrication? Large subcontract metal fabrication company, Hydram Sheet Metalwork, maintains a number of technical articles to help explain, amongst others, how sheet metal bending works, how powder coating works and how laser cutting works to explain how sheet metal components are fabricated.
Check out the full sheet metal design guide, giving you hints and tips on successful sheet metalworking design to aid manufacturing and reduce costs.
With over 40 years of sheet metalworking experience, Hydram’s metal fabrication experts work in partnership with customers to find the best, cost-effective, manufacturing solutions.
Have you ever wondered how things are made?
Laser cutting metal has been a popular method of sheet metal profiling for over 30 years. The technology has constantly developed and improved performance and efficiency of the process.
Computer-controlled mechanical punch presses can profile and form sheet metal rapidly, and the process is a popular sheet metalworking fabrication technique.
Laser cutting metal tube can be achieved with dedicated tube laser machines or flatbed laser cutters with a rotary attachment. Fabricator Hydram uses a dedicated tube laser machine.
Folding sheet metal using a CNC pressbrake is a common sheet metalworking fabrication technique, often operated manually or with a robot. Dedicated panel bending machines are fully automated sheet metal bending machines.
Metal fabricator Hydram uses a dedicated CNC tube bending machine to form metal tube to varying radii and bend axis rotations. Maximum metal tube diameter handled is 52mm.
Traditional metal machining using a rotating tool (milling/drilling) or a rotating part (turning) is achieved with modern CNC milling and CNC lathe machinery. Computer control optimises the process allowing multiple operations to be carried out during a single setup.
Forming sheet metal using dedicated press tooling to force material into shape requires expensive heavy-duty tooling and presses with high tonnage capacity. Sheet metalworking company Hydram has presses with up to 200 tonne capacity and 200mm stroke.
Metal fabricator Hydram uses both MIG and TIG welding techniques, programmable robotic MIG welding cells, and manual stud, spot and projection welding. Certification/ coding to multiple standards.
Subcontractor Hydram has four dedicated paint plants.
How does powder coating work? >
Sheet metal cabinets and assemblies are bolted, screwed or bonded together in Hydram’s dedicated assembly area.
With over 40 year’s experience in sheet metal fabrication, Hydram has put together a design guide for design engineers to consider when working on sheet metal components.
Sheet metalworking company Hydram is certified to the following quality standards:
Hydram is also certified to:
