Sheet metal plays a crucial role in satisfying the needs of all the sectors of the economy, be it household, commercial, or industrial. The sheet metal manufacturers produce a variety of sheet metal that are used by other manufacturers to make semi-finished and finished products. The durable, shiny, rust-free, and thin metal sheets can be used in a multitude of applications. Their availability in various sizes and types make it easier for different industrial segments to make the most out of them. Before moving on to some common uses of sheet metal, let’s have a look at its brief description and types.
What is Sheet Metal?
Sheet metals basically are thin sheets of metals having thickness varying from 1mm to 6mm.
They are manufactured by using a cold metalworking process and are passed through various operations, including cutting, punching, shearing, folding, reverting, and a few others.
The sheet metal fabricators provide these thin sheets of metal sheets in different kinds to meet the diverse needs of the manufacturing sector. The sheet metals act as the foundation or essential component in making a wide range of other manufacturing parts and ready-to-use products.
Different types of Sheet Metal
- Stainless steel sheet metal: Stainless steel sheet metal is popular for its excellent durability and high-quality. As the metal has 13% or less chromium content, it possesses incredible strength to withstand high pressure and atmospheric exposure. The sheet metal is resistant to corrosion and any other form of natural decay.
- Brass sheet metal: Brass is an alloy that is made mostly by combining copper and zinc. One of the main reasons for the popularity of brass metal in the industrial sector is its high corrosion resistance. It is a lightweight and durable that makes its utilization mainly in decorative works like ceilings, fences, and similar others.
- Copper Sheet Metal: Another crucial type of sheet metal is copper sheet metal. As we all know that copper is a conductive metal, owing to which it mainly serves its purpose in the electronic industry. The sheet metal is easy to fabricate and offer excellent durability.
- Corrugated sheet metal: When it comes to finding the best metal sheet for work like roofing and siding, then nothing can beat corrugated metal sheet. It can easily take any shape through the roll forming process and smoothly be cut into different sizes.
- Galvanized Sheet Metal: Made out from steel, the galvanized sheet metal is another crucial type of sheet metal. It is used in a vast array of applications like construction, plumbing, insulation, electronics, and so on.
Common uses for Sheet Metal
- Automotive Industry: Sheet metals act as the spinal cord of the automotive industry. The thin sheets of metal are ideal for structuring the outer bodies of cars and other vehicles. Even the bodies of railroad cars are made using sheet metals.
- Airplanes: The fuselages and wings of all sized planes are covered with metal to make them withstand extreme atmospheric exposures. The material used is lightweight and does not add excess extra weight. The durability and strength of the sheet metal make its use effective in the airplane manufacturing sector.
- Interior designing: The sheet metal has a shiny, smooth, and interesting appearance. It can be colored, formed, stamped, and textured to give it an incredible look that any other material can ever achieve. The metal sheets are used to act as a divider to bisect a large area and can also be converted into fancy rooftops, staircases, and much more.
- Building & construction: You can always find metal sheets lying at a construction site. They are used as covering to walls to give them good strength and to make them fire-resistant. The metal sheets can be easily cut and shaped into multiple sizes and shapes to deliver their best use in the making of a megastructure.
The manufacturing applications can hardly be imagined without the presence or existence of sheet metals. Many industries use sheet metal as their raw material to manufacture other goods, and the remaining industries use machines made incorporating metal sheets to process applications in their production units. One way or the other, sheet metal plays a crucial role in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. We ensure that this article will help you to develop an understanding of the importance and common uses of sheet metal.
