Metal manufactured into flat pieces of variable thickness, ranging from thin foils to heavy plates, is called fabricated sheet metal. It frequently finds use in sheet metal manufacturing processes to create goods for the commercial, residential, and industrial sectors.
The process of shaping a metal sheet into the required shape is called sheet metal fabrication. Cheap sheet metal is used in this common manufacturing method to create a product. The technique is a part of the metal manufacturing sector.
Different Sheet Metal Types
Numerous metals and metal alloys are used to create sheet metal. Here are a few of the most commonly used metals:
Aluminum: Aluminum is used in a wide range of sheet metal fabrication processes due to its many advantages, including its ample supply, low cost, ease of fabrication, high strength-to-weight ratio, thermal and electrical conductivity, resistance to corrosion, non-toxicity, and strong recyclability. Automobile parts, parts of electrical appliances, and cooking vessels are frequently made from aluminum sheets.
Aluminized steel: A coating of an aluminum-silicon alloy is applied to carbon steel to create aluminized steel. This method produces a material that combines aluminum’s outstanding corrosion resistance with carbon steel’s high strength. Aluminized steel sheets are used for items like cooking utensils and appliances that withstand high temperatures or corrosive conditions.
Carbon steel: Carbon steel is an alloy containing up to 2.1% carbon. When subjected to heat treatment procedures, the material produced as the carbon content rises becomes harder and stronger while losing ductility. Many products in the industrial and consumer markets are made of carbon steel.
Copper: Copper has greater electrical and thermal conductivity than aluminum. But the price is also higher.
Galvanized steel: Galvanized steel, like aluminized steel, is produced by hot dipping steel in zinc to increase its corrosion resistance. Automobile bodywork, water pipes, and other structural components are all made from sheets of galvanized steel, including fences, roofs, and staircases.
Galvalume: Galvalume is steel that has been galvanized using an alloy of aluminum, zinc, and trace amounts of silicon. The end product is stronger and less prone to corrosion than galvanized steel. Galvalume sheets are utilized for outdoor applications, such as on roofs frequently exposed to weather factors, because of the material’s better resistance to corrosion.
High-strength steel: High-strength steel sheets are used to make the armor plates used by the military. To increase the material’s hardness, steel is alloyed with a number of elements, including carbon, manganese, and copper.
Hot-rolled steel: Hot-rolled steel is produced at a substantially lower cost than cold-rolled steel. It is frequently employed in structural applications, like in the bodywork of automobiles.
Stainless Steel: A steel alloy with less than 1.2% carbon by weight and at least 11% chromium is known as stainless steel. The material has a superior strength-to-weight ratio, fire and heat resistance, and manufacturability. Stainless steel sheet metal is frequently used for food processing machinery parts, chemical storage tanks, and kitchen utensils.
Titanium: Titanium is excellent for various industrial applications due to its superior metallurgical properties. Construction materials, medical devices, and aviation parts are a few examples of typical applications for titanium. It has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is resistant to corrosion, as well as a high level of biocompatibility, durability, and recyclability.
Choose steel metal with the help of professionals who can offer expert advice and a full range of custom fabrication capabilities for various sheet metals, including aluminum, stainless steel, copper, and high-strength alloys. These professionals should have experience in providing customers with sheet metal fabrication services.