Contents
Common Challenges in Sheet Metal Forming for Distribution Boxes and How to Overcome Them
What is Sheet Metal?
Common Challenges in Sheet Metal Forming
Choosing the Correct Materials
Alignment and Integration Issues
Heat Management
Forming Complex Shapes
CNC: The Key to Overcome Fabrication Challenges
Distribution boxes are commonly made through a process called CNC, which works on sheets of metal to create the finished products. CNC is a production method that offers amazing precision and flexibility, enabling manufacturers to create high-quality parts with ease.
However, like all industrial production lines, the process is full of challenges that require a well-thought-out plan. This article will help guide you through some of the most common issues in sheet metal forming in distribution boxes as well as the steps you can take to overcome them.
What is Sheet Metal?
Sheet metal refers to metals that have been worked on until they form thin sheets. These metal sheets will then be used as materials for other finished products, such as distribution boxes in this case. Sheet metal has been used by various nations and cultures since the 15th century, first as armor plates and then as the basis for modern construction.
Sheet metal was commonly made of stainless steel due to how easy it is to work with this material. However, as the Industrial Revolution rolled in, aluminum quickly replaced steel as the premier choice for sheet metal fabrication due to how flexible and malleable this material is. Aside from these two, titanium is a great material for sheet metal as well, and it is used extensively in the aircraft industry thanks to its amazing durability.
Common Challenges in Sheet Metal Forming
Sheet metal forming, or sheet metal fabrication as some might call it as such, is a process where sheet metal is fabricated from raw materials. This is a process that has been perfected through centuries of trial and error, so it should be a smooth process for the most part. That said, there are still some challenges you might have to overcome every now and then.
Choosing the Correct Materials
The materials present the first major obstacle you have to navigate through in your sheet metal fabrication process. All materials are different from one another in many ways, so you will have to pick the perfect material for your project. This would require you to assess the requirements of the finished products themselves, as well as your current tools and capabilities.
Some materials such as aluminum, brass, and stainless steel are very easy to work with, so you won’t have to worry about having the in-depth technical skills to work with them. Conversely, materials such as titanium can be quite hard to work with, so you need experts in the field to handle them.
Alignment and Integration Issues
When you fabricate metal sheets to make distribution boxes, alignment and integration issues might present a major hurdle. Because you have to make metal sheets of different sizes and dimensions to assemble a distribution box, it is likely that some misalignments will pop out every now and then. These misalignments will make it harder to assemble and integrate metal sheets into a single finished product.
The key here is to create a solid plan first before starting your fabrication line. Make sure that every worker in your production line follows through with the plan to minimize the risk of misalignment. Alternatively, you can consider a CNC production line, which uses computers to vastly improve the consistency as well as the precision of the process as a whole.
Heat Management
The sheet metal fabrication process involves a lot of heat, as you have to consistently apply heat to raw metals to make them workable. These heat treatments can, paradoxically, cause warpage as well as other unintended effects on the sheet metal if not managed correctly, resulting in disruptions in your production line.
To manage heat treatments effectively, you should always assign experts to these steps of the process. Heat treatments are quite tricky to get right, so only the best people in your manufacturing line should take up this task.
Forming Complex Shapes
Complex shapes pose a significant challenge to most sheet metal fabricators, as metal sheets do not offer as much flexibility as injection molding, another popular production method. Thus, engineers will have to pay extra attention to every single corner as well as the angles of the metal sheets to make sure that they can form complex shapes after the process is done.
One easy way to overcome this challenge is to get the help of a computerized system. CNC offers much better precision as well as coordination compared to manual work, which helps you to avoid many issues down the line.
CNC: The Key to Overcome Fabrication Challenges
In the era where AI and automation have brought forth so many changes in our daily lives, sheet metal fabricators can also leverage CNC, or computer numerical control, to help them control the production process and add more consistency to the entire process itself. A CNC system will use computers to help engineers draw better plans as well as to improve the overall precision of the process itself. By integrating CNC machining tools into your fabrication line, you will save a vast amount of money, as your waste will be kept at a minimum, and you will be able to maximize your profits.
With over 20 years of experience in aiding clients around the world in integrating CNC into their production line, KuiXing Shanghai is your one-stop partner when it comes to CNC as well as other production needs. Contact us now for more information!
The most common challenges in the sheet metal forming process for distribution boxes include material selection, alignment issues, heat management, and forming complex shapes. To overcome these challenges, fabricators will have to work with experts in the field at certain steps of the process and rely on the help of computers as well as automation systems such as CNC. These systems will go the extra lengths to help you smoothen your production process.
Reference:
