GR GNT 00166580000000717

SHEET METAL PROCESSES
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. Countless everyday objects are
constructed of the material. Thicknesses can vary
significantly, although extremely thin thicknesses are
considered foil or leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm
(0.25 in) are considered plate.
Sheet metal processing
The raw material for sheet metal manufacturing

processes is the output of the rolling process.
Typically, sheets of metal are sold as flat, rectangular
sheets of standard size. If the sheets are thin and very
long, they may be in the form of rolls. Therefore the
first step in any sheet metal process is to cut the correct
shape and sized ‘blank’ from larger sheet.
Sheet Metal Forming processes
Introduction
1. Sheet metal processes involve plane stress loadings

and lower forces than bulk forming
2. Almost all sheet metal forming is considered to be
secondary processing
3. The main categories of sheet metal forming are
• Shearing
• Bending
• Drawing
Shearing
Shearing is a sheet metal cutting operation along a

straight line between two cut-ting edges by means of a
power shear.
Blanking and punching
Blanking and punching are similar sheet metal cutting operations that
involve cutting the sheet metal along a closed outline. If the part that is cut out is
the desired product, the operation is called blanking and the product is called
blank. If the remaining stock is the desired part, the operation is called punching.
Both operations are illustrated on the example of producing a washer
Bending
Bending is defined as the straining of the sheet metal

around a straight edge
Bending force :
Maximum bending force, P = KYLT2

W
K – constant ranges from 0.3(wiping die) – 0.7(u-die)-1.3(V-die)
Y – yield stress
L- length of the bend
T- thickness of sheet
For a V-die
Max bending force, P = (UTS)LT 2
W
UTS – Ultimate tensile strength
Drawing
Drawing is a sheet-metal operation to make hollow-shaped

parts from a sheet blank
Dies and Punches
Simple- single operation with a single stroke
Compound- two operations with a single stroke
Combination- two operations at two stations
Progressive- two or more operations at two or more

stations with each press stroke, creates what is called a
strip development
COMPOUND DIES
 Several operations on the same strip performed in one

stroke at one station with a compound dies
Schematic illustrations: (a) before and (b) after blanking a common washer in a
compound die.note the separate movements of the die(or blanking) and the punch
Progressive dies
Merits
•High strength
•Good dimensional accuracy and surface finish
•Relatively low cost
Demerits
•Wrinkling and tearing are typical limits to drawing operations
•Trimming may be used to reach final dimensions
Applications
•Roofing
•Ducting
•Vehicles body buildings like 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, ships,
aircrafts etc.
•Furniture, House hold articles and Railway equipment
ROLL FORMING
 Process where sheet metal strips are passed through

consecutive set of rolls and bent in consecutive
stages and then sheared into specific lengths and
stacked continuously.
 Forming speed: below 1.5 m/s (300 ft/min)
 Examples: Door panels, picture frame, and gutters.
Stretch Forming
 Process where a sheet metal is clamped along

it’s edges and stretched over a male die (form
die or form punch).
 Examples: aircraft wing-skin panels, fuselages,
and boat hulls.
Rubber Forming
 One of the dies in the set is made of polyurethane
membrane, which is a type of flexible material.
 Polyurethane is resistant to abrasion, cutting or tearing
by the metal, and has a long fatigue life.
SPINNING
 Process where a circular
piece of sheet metal is
placed and held against a
mandrel and rotated
while a rigid tool deforms
and shapes the material
over the mandrel.
 May be performed at
room temperature or at
higher temperature for
thicker metal.
Shear spinning :
 Known as power spinning, flow turning, hydro-spinning, and

spin forging
 Produces axisymmetric conical or curvilinear shape
 Single rollers and two rollers can be used
 It has less wastage of material
 Typical products are rocket-
motor casing and missile
nose cones.
Tube spinning
 Thickness of cylindrical parts are reduced by spinning them on a

cylindrical mandrel rollers
 Parts can be spun in either direction
 Large tensile elongation up to 2000 % are obtained within certain
temperature ranges and at low strain rates.
Super Plastic Forming
Types of
structures made
by diffusion
bonding and
superplastic
forming of sheet
metal. Such
structures have a
high stiffness-to-
weight ratio.
EXPLOSIVE FORMING
 First used to form metals in the 1900’s. A sheet metal blank is

clamped over a die, and the entire assembly is lowered into a
tank filled with water. The air in the cavity is evacuated, and an
explosive is detonated at a certain height above.
MAGNETIC-PULSE FORMING
 Also called electromagnetic forming. Energy stored in a capacitor
bank is discharged rapidly through a magnetic coil. Magnetic field
crosses metal tube (conductor) creating eddy currents which have
an opposing magnetic field. (b)
(a)
Figure 16.45 (a) Schematic illustration of the magnetic-pulse forming process used to form a
tube over a plug. (b) Aluminum tube collapsed over a hexagonal plug by the magnetic-pulse
forming process.

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SHEET METAL PROCESSES

Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat

The raw material for sheet metal manufacturing

1. Sheet metal processes involve plane stress loadings

Shearing is a sheet metal cutting operation along a

Bending is defined as the straining of the sheet metal

Maximum bending force, P = KYLT2

Drawing is a sheet-metal operation to make hollow-shaped

Simple- single operation with a single stroke

Compound- two operations with a single stroke

Combination- two operations at two stations

Progressive- two or more operations at two or more

 Several operations on the same strip performed in one

 Process where sheet metal strips are passed through

 Process where a sheet metal is clamped along

 Known as power spinning, flow turning, hydro-spinning, and

 Thickness of cylindrical parts are reduced by spinning them on a

 First used to form metals in the 1900’s. A sheet metal blank is

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