Steel and aluminium are two of the most common metals used to make sheets that can be used for a variety of applications. Brass, copper, tin, nickel and titanium are also used for making sheet metals. For decorative purposes, you can also find sheets of silver and gold.
The sheets of metal can be used in making metal boxes, medical tables, roofing systems, and vehicle parts. For items that will be used in highly corrosive environments, aluminium is commonly used because this metal is naturally corrosion resistant. On the other hand, the availability and price of aluminium made steel a much better choice. Steel may be weak in terms of corrosion resistance but zinc can be used to have Galvanized Sheet of steels that can last for decades despite exposure to oxygen and electrolytes.
Sheets of aluminium and galvanized steel vary in thickness that is measured in gauge. A sheet metal can have 30 to 8 gauge. Those with higher number of gauge are thinner than those that have lower gauge values.
They can also be categorized based on the grade. Steel grade 304, 316 and 410 are three of the most common sheet steel grade. The grade 304 is resistant to corrosion while still formable and can be welded. The grade 316 is corrosion resistant as well and great to be used where temperature is extreme. The grade 410 does not have a good corrosion resistance but can be heat treated.
Aluminium, on the other hand, has four grades in sheet form. The 1100-H14 is pure aluminium. It is weather resistant so it is used in equipment for chemical processing. The grade 3003-H14 is also strong and a bit cheaper than the first grade. The grade 5052-H32 is way stronger than the first two. It also has good corrosion resistance and is weldable. It is commonly used in pressure vessels and tanks. The 6061-T6 grade is not formable but a good choice for people who need weldable, strong and corrosion resistant aluminium.
To turn metals into sheets, a lot of processes are undergone. Most sheet metal manufacturers will bend, curl, deep draw, press brake form, perforate, punch, roll, spin, stamp and wheel aluminium and steel. Laser cutting and water jet cutting have also been a very common process in metal processing. Laser cutting is usually done using computers.
Deep drawing involves stretching the metal over a form. It is done when sheets of steel or aluminium are to be used as sinks, cans, or tanks. Perforating is also a way of cutting the metals by punching lots of small holes closely. Press brake forming is just one forms of the bending process. The process is done using a press brake machine, which will have a die and a puncher. It is great for creating sheets of metals that need to be long and extremely thin.
The roll forming is another process which is done when the sheets of metals are to be used in tubes and other open profiles. Spinning is another process that can be used to make tubular parts.
Tags: galvanized sheet, metal boxes, price of aluminium
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