10 Different Types of Sheet Metal Forming Process and their Applications
Based upon the manufactured components and the manufacturing process, various kinds of forming are developed.
Different types of sheet metal forming processes and their applications and characteristics are discussed below:
1. Roll forming
In this process the sheet metal is passed through a large numbers of set of rollers continuously. The each set of rollers do a little change in the shape of the flat sheet by means of forming.
Applications and characteristics:
– Suitable for constant cross section and long sheetmetal parts.
– Good surface finished component can be produced.
– Suitable for mass production
– Less production cost and heavy tooling cost.
2. DeepDrawing
Instead of the rollers, if the forming of the sheet metal happens through a series of die and punch then the process is called drawing
and when the depth of the drawing is more than the diameter of the component then the process is called as deep drawing.
Applications and characteristics:
- Shallow components like sheet metal caps and cups are suitable candidates for this process
- Suitable for mass production
- Less production cost and heavy tooling cost.
3. Stamping
Lots of sheet metal manufacturing processes like embossing, coining, flanging, stamping, punching etc comes under stamping where a single or multiple stations of die are used.
Applications and characteristics:
Suitable for mass production
Less production cost and heavy tooling cost.
4. Stretch forming
As the name suggested, large sheet metal pieces are stretched to give its shape by holding it tightly with two jaws and forcing against the stretching die.
Applications and characteristics:
- Suitable for large sheet metal components like car door panel, aircraft fuselage, wing panel etc.
- Suitable for large bending radius
- Low production rate
- High labour cost
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