SHEET METAL SHOP

METALS USED IN SHEET METAL WORK

The following metals are generally used in sheet metal work:
1. Black Iron Sheet: It is probably the cheapest of all the metal used for sheet metal work. It is
bluish black in appearance and is used generally in form of uncoated sheet. It can be easily rolled
into the desired thickness. Since it is uncoated it corrodes rapidly. Hence to increase its life it can
be painted or enameled. This metal is generally used in the making or roofs, food containers,
stove pipes, furnace fittings, dairy equipment’s, tanks, cans and pans, etc.
2. Galvanized Iron (G.I.): It is popularly known as G.I. sheets. It is soft steel coated with
molten zinc. This coating resists rust formation on surface and improves appearance and water
resistance. Articles such as pans, furnaces, buckets, cabinets etc. are made from GI sheets.
3. Stainless Steel: It is an alloy of steel with nickel, chromium and small percentages of other
metals. It has good corrosion resistance. It is costlier but tougher than GI sheets. 1t is used in
kitchenware, food processing equipment’s, food handling articles, tools and instruments for
surgery working hospitals and components of chemical plants etc. Other metal sheets used for
sheet metal work are made up of copper, aluminum, tin, and lead.
4. Aluminum Sheets: Aluminum Sheets On account of it’s inheriting weakness it is not used in
its pure form. The usefulvariety of aluminium alloy. Which is rolled into sheet form, carries
additions ofsuitable amount of silicon, manganese copper and iron? It is whitish in colour
andlight in weight. It offers very high resistance to corrosion and abrasion. Itsapplications are
aero plane bodies, kitchen ware, etc.
5.Copper Sheets: These sheets are relatively costlier but having specific advantages in being
goodcorrosion resistant and good in appearance. They are reddish in colour and theircold rolled
variety, which is vastly used in sheet metal work, is highly ductile andmalleable and therefore
can be easily worked. Some representative examples ofautomobiles, various applications in
chemical plants, domestic heating appliance,etc.
SHEET METAL TOOLS
The following tools are commonly used for sheet-metal work:
1. Hand shears or snips
2. Hammers
3. Stakes and stake holder
4. Cutting tools
5. Measuring tools
6. Miscellaneous hand tools such as chisels, groovers, seamers, rivet sets and hand
punches.
Some of the important sheet metal tools are described as under.
1. Hand shears or snip: They resemble with pair of scissors and are used like them to cut thin
soft metal sheets of 20 gauge or thinner. They are required to size and shape the sheets. They can
make straight or circular cuts. Different types of hand shears are:
1. Straight hand shear: It is used for general purpose cutting, making straight cuts and
trimming away extra metal.
2. Curved hand shear: It is used for cutting circular or irregular curved shapes ranging
from 20 to 35 cm.
2. Hammer :There are the various types of hammers used in sheet metal work for forming
shapes. The uses of different kind of hammers are given as under:

Mallets: Mallets are used during working with soft metal sheets. They may be of wood, rubber
or raw hide. A mallet strikes a blow with the minimum damage to the surface. In sheet metal
work, the commonly used mallets are bossing mallet, tinman’s mallet and rawhide mallet.

3. Stakes: Stakes are used to form the metal sheets into various shapes. It is a sort of anvil,
which supports the sheet for sheet metal work. It consists of a shank and a head or horn. The
shank of stake is designed to fit into a tapered bench socket.

The head or horn of stake is available in a number of varieties of sizes and shapes. Their working
faces of stakes are machined or ground to needed shape. With the help of a hammer, operations
such as bending, seaming or forming can be easily performed on these stakes. Some stakes are
made of forged mild steel faced with cast steel.
Stake Holder: Stake holder is a rectangular cast iron plate that has conveniently arranged
tapered holes so that the various stakes may fit in and may be used in different positions for
tackling the sheet metal job for a particular work.

Fig. : Stake holder

4. Cutting Tools
Commonly used cutting tools involve types of files, chisels, scraper and hacksaws. Some of the
commonly used cutting tools are discussed as under.
1. Files. These are flat, square, round, triangular, knife, pillar, needle and mill types.
2. Chisels. The flat chisel and round nose chisel are most widely used in sheet metal work.
3. Scrapers. These are flat, hook; triangular, half round types.
4. Hacksaws. Hacksaw used in sheet metal shop may be hand hacksaw or power hacksaw.

5. Measuring Tools
There are a fairly large number of measuring tools used in sheet metal shop. The most commonly
used measuring tools are given as under.
1. Folding rule
2. Circumference rule
3. Steel rule
4. Vernier caliper
5. Micrometer
6. Thickness gauge

6. Miscellaneous Hand Tools

1. Steel square, 2. Divider, 3. Scriber, 4. Soldering iron, 5. Pliers

Fig.: Scriber

FOLDING TERMINOLOGY OF SHEET METAL JOINT

1. Edge: The edges on part need to be folded to increase the strength and to eliminate the sharp
edges of sheet metal component. The common types of folded edges are:

1. Single hem: It is made by folding the edge over. To layout such a hem, a line is drawn at
a distance equal to the desired hem width.
 Fig.: Single hem

2. Double hem: It is a single hem with its end bent under. To layout such a hem, draw two
parallel lines each equal to the width of the hem

Fig.: Double hemFig.: Wired edge

3. Wired edge: It consists of an edge, which has been wrapped around a piece of wire. This
edge is used where more strength is needed. To layout wired edge the diameter of wire is
to be determined. The steel metal will be needed to roll around the wire.

2. Seam
A seam is the section where pieces of sheet metal are joined together. Most common types of
seams are:
(a) Single seam, (b) Double seam, (c) Flanged seam, (d) Cap seam

Fig(a): Single seam Fig(b): Double seam Fig(c): Flanged seam Fig(c): Cap seam

SHEET METAL OPERATIONS

1. Shearing: It takes place in form a cut when punch strikes and enters in the sheet placed
on die. The quality of the cut surface is greatly influenced by the clearance between the
two shearing edges of the punch and dies.
2. Parting: It signifies that scrap is removed between the two pieces to part them using suitable
punch and die of press tool in press machine.
3. Blanking: It is an operation in which the punch removes a portion of material called blank
from the strip of sheet metal of the necessary thickness and width using suitable punch and die of
press tool in press machine.
4. Punching: It is the operation of producing circular holes on a sheet metal by a punch and die.
The material punched out is removed as waste. Piercing, on the other hand, is the process of
producing holes of any desired shape in the part or sheet using suitable punch and die of press
tool in press machine.
5. Nibbling: It is an operation of cutting any shape from sheet metal without special tools. It is
done on a nibbling machine.
7. Trimming: It is the operation of cutting away excess metal in a flange or flash from a sheet
metal part using suitable punch and die of press tool in press machine.
8. Deep drawing: Deep drawing is a sheet metal forming process in which a sheet metal blank is
radially drawn into a forming die by the mechanical action of a punch. It is thus a shape
transformation process with material retention. The process is considered "deep" drawing when
the depth of the drawn part exceeds its diameter. This is achieved by redrawing the part through
a series of dies. The flange region (sheet metal in the die shoulder area) experiences a radial
drawing stress and a tangential compressive stress due to the material retention property.
 9. Bending: Bending is the operation of deforming a sheet around a straight axis. The neutral
plane lies on this straight axis. In bending all sheet material are stressed beyond the elastic limit
in tension on the outside and in compression on the inside of the bend. There is only one line, the
natural line that retains its original length.

MACHINES USED IN SHEET METAL SHOP

The various machines, which are in use to perform different operations on metal sheets,
can be listed as follows:
1. Shearing machine
2. Bending machine
3. Folding machine
4. Grooving machine
5. Peining machine
6. Beading machine
7. Swaging machine
8. Burring machine
9. Double seaming machine
Apart from the above, many other special purpose machines are also manufactured to suit a
particular kind of work especially in mass production of identical parts. The above machines
vary in shape and also slightly in the procedure of operating according to the mechanism adopted
by different manufactures.