What is sheet metal cutting?

Introduction

In the field of manufacturing and processing, sheet metal cutting plays a vital role. It can be said that the sheet metal cutting step is the most basic operation in manufacturing sheet metal parts. Any sheet metal metal must go through sheet metal cutting before it can be formed. Therefore, in this guide, we will explore some relevant information about sheet metal cutting technology in depth.

For friends who are ambitious or interested in the sheet metal cutting industry, this article should bring a lot of benefits. It will give you a clear understanding of sheet metal cutting. Next, let's take a look at the details together.

What is sheet metal cutting?

Sheet metal cutting is the process of cutting metal sheets with a variety of cutting tools or cutting equipment to obtain the initial shape of customized sheet metal parts. This is an important step in manufacturing various parts in various fields such as automobiles, aerospace, and construction.

How does sheet metal cutting work?

The working principle of sheet metal cutting is to change the shape and size of metal sheets through external forces according to the characteristics of plastic deformation of metal materials to achieve the required shape and structural requirements.

What types of sheet metal cutting are there?

Since customized sheet metal parts are diverse, to obtain the corresponding manufacturing accuracy and good appearance, different sheet metal parts require different types of cutting technology.

‌Sheet metal cutting operation types mainly include the following: line drawing milling, wire cutting, plasma cutting, oxy-acetylene flame cutting, die stamping, high-pressure water cutting, and CO2 laser cutting. ‌

These methods have their advantages and disadvantages and are suitable for different precision, speed, and cost requirements. ‌

‌Line drawing milling‌: Milling cutting by drawing lines. This cutting method takes into account the size of the workpiece to a certain extent and can draw the required lines or patterns. It is suitable for parts with low precision requirements. ‌

Wire cutting‌: ‌Wire cutting is a processing method that uses a continuously moving thin metal wire (electrode wire) to perform pulse spark discharge on the workpiece to erode metal and cut it into shape. This cutting method‌ is suitable for the processing of precision parts.

Plasma cutting: This is a cutting technology that uses the heat of a high-temperature plasma arc to partially melt the metal at the workpiece cut and uses the high-speed plasma high-pressure airflow to blow away the molten metal to form an incision. This technology is mainly used for cutting thicker metal materials and is highly efficient and rapid.

‌Oxy-acetylene flame cutting‌: This is a thermal cutting technology that uses a mixture of acetylene (combustible gas) and oxygen flames to form a burning high-speed cutting oxygen flow to achieve metal cutting.

This cutting method is simple in equipment, economical and practical, and flexible to use. It is widely used in the processing of various metal materials and is suitable for cutting parts that do not require high precision.

‌Mold stamping‌: Mold stamping is a processing method that applies pressure to the material through a press and a mold to cause it to plastically deform or separate, thereby obtaining the desired shape and size. ‌ This cutting method can perform continuous stamping and cutting operations through special continuous molds, which is very suitable for mass production.

‌High-pressure water cutting‌: This is a high-pressure water flow cutting technology that uses ordinary water after multi-stage supercharging to spray a high-speed "water arrow" through an extremely fine nozzle, generating extremely high pressure on the cutting surface, thereby achieving the cutting of various materials. ‌

Therefore, this cutting technology is also called "water jet" cutting. This cutting technology can cut various high-hardness materials, such as common glass, ceramics, stainless steel, etc. Not only that, it is also suitable for cutting low-melting-point metals and is not easy to deform.

‌CO2 laser cutting‌: A CO2 laser cutting machine refers to a laser beam that is focused into one point through a focusing mirror, and the material is melted and vaporized by the instantaneous high temperature, and the molten material is blown away by compressed gas, thereby achieving precise cutting.

This cutting method is accurate and suitable for thin or medium-thick metal plates. Not only that, wood, cloth, leather, plastic, rubber, ceramics, food packaging materials, and some metal materials can be cut by this cutting method, so its usage range is wider than some of the above cutting ranges.

What raw materials can be cut by sheet metal cutting?

In addition to some of the raw materials mentioned in the above cutting process, sheet metal can also cut a variety of other metals, including cold-rolled plates, hot-rolled plates, galvanized plates, copper plates, aluminum plates, and stainless steel.

These materials are widely used in sheet metal processing because they have good physical and chemical properties and are suitable for processes such as cutting, forming, and welding.

Cold-rolled plates (SPCC) and hot-rolled plates (SHCC): These two are commonly used materials in sheet metal processing. They are made by cold rolling and hot rolling processes respectively, with stable thickness and excellent processing performance.

Galvanized plates: Galvanized plates are also usually included in the raw materials for sheet metal cutting, such as galvanized steel plates SECC and hot-dip galvanized plates SGCC. These materials have excellent corrosion resistance after electroplating or hot-dip galvanizing.

Copper plates and aluminum plates: Copper plates and aluminum plates are also one of the raw materials for sheet metal cutting. Copper plates have good electrical and thermal conductivity and are often used in products that require high conductivity, such as wire connectors.

Aluminum plate: The aluminum plate is often used to make light sheet metal products due to its lightweight and corrosion resistance.

Stainless steel plate: Stainless steel plate is often used to make products that require high durability due to its corrosion resistance.

In addition, some special materials are also used in sheet metal processing, such as titanium plate, nickel plate tin plate, etc. These materials each have unique properties and application ranges, suitable for specific sheet metal processing needs. ‌

What factors affect the accuracy of sheet metal cutting?

In the process of sheet metal cutting, there are many factors that affect the cutting accuracy. The most important factors are equipment accuracy, material properties, operating process, and environmental factors.

Equipment accuracy: Equipment accuracy is one of the important factors affecting sheet metal cutting. The choice of equipment and the corresponding stability directly affect the upper limit and accuracy of cutting accuracy.

Material properties: The thickness and uniformity of the material will affect the cutting effect. If the thickness of the sheet is uneven, it may cause angle errors and rebound during the cutting process, thus affecting the cutting accuracy.

Operating process: In the process of sheet metal processing, experienced operating skills and process flow are crucial. Only by following standardized operating procedures can it be possible to produce guaranteed processing accuracy.

In sheet metal processing, a combination of finishing and roughing methods is often used to ensure the conformity to manufacturing requirements of the processed sheet metal products.

Environmental factors: Since cutting is a technology that uses high temperatures for cutting, the drastic changes in temperature and humidity in the outside world will cause equipment deformation and material expansion to a certain extent, thereby affecting the accuracy of cutting.

What are the application areas of sheet metal cutting?

‌Sheet metal cutting has a wide range of applications, mainly including the automotive industry, aerospace, home appliance manufacturing, mechanical equipment, advertising and logos, etc. ‌In these fields, sheet metal cutting technology is widely used due to its high precision, high efficiency, and flexibility.

Automotive Industry

In the automotive industry, sheet metal cutting technology is mainly used to manufacture body panels, chassis structural parts, etc. With the intensification of the trend of lightweight automobiles, the demand for sheet metal parts made of lightweight materials such as aluminum alloys and high-strength steel has increased significantly.

Laser-cutting technology can easily cope with the cutting needs of complex shapes, meet strict dimensional tolerance requirements, and promote the diversification of automobile design and the improvement of performance. ‌

Aerospace Field

In the aerospace field, sheet metal cutting technology is used to manufacture aircraft skins, wing frames, rocket fairings, satellite structural parts, etc. with its advantages of non-contact processing, small heat-affected zone, and high edge quality.

These parts require extremely high processing accuracy and surface quality to ensure the safe flight of aerospace vehicles.

Appliance Manufacturing

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In-home appliance manufacturing, sheet metal cutting technology is used to manufacture refrigerator door panels, washing machine shells, air conditioning panels, etc.

It can easily achieve accurate engraving of complex patterns, texts, and logos, improve the aesthetics and market competitiveness of products, and promote the automation and intelligent upgrading of production lines.

Mechanical Equipment Manufacturing

Sheet metal cutting technology is also widely used in the field of mechanical equipment manufacturing to manufacture machine tool beds, protective covers, and other structural parts.

Especially for materials that require high strength and high wear resistance, laser cutting can ensure the flatness and smoothness of the cutting edge, laying a good foundation for subsequent processing.

Advertising & Signage Industry

In the advertising and signage industry, sheet metal cutting technology is used to make personalized billboards, light boxes, display racks, and other products. It can easily achieve the cutting of various complex graphics, meeting the perfect combination of creativity and technology.

Do you offer sheet metal cutting services?

At RT, we offer a wide range of cutting services to meet your sheet metal parts project needs. You can communicate with our sales team one-on-one or chat with our customer service through the online chat function. If you need a sheet metal cutting quote, just upload your CAD file and our experienced quote engineers will provide you with a free quote service.