What Is Sheet Metal Bending? Basics, Allowance, and Tips
The rise in the demand for custom-made products resulted in research that proved sheet metal to be a versatile material …
Custom engineering and manufacturing services from prototypes to on demand production of sheet metal parts. Low-cost sheet metal fabrication solution for you.
Sheet metal fabrication is the most cost-effective choice for custom sheet metal parts and prototypes with uniform wall thickness. RapidDirect provides various sheet metal capabilities, from high-quality cutting, punching, and bending, to welding services.
Intense lasers cut through 0.5mm to 20mm thick sheet metals to create high-grade prototype sheets for various parts.
CNC plasma cutting is widely used in custom sheet metal services, it is especially suitable for custom cutting of thicker sheet metals.
Sheet metal bending is used to shape steel, stainless steel, aluminum parts and custom sheet metal prototypes after the cutting process.
RapidDirect provides a AI-powered, hassle-free online quotation platform that can help simplify your ordering and manufacturing process. Stop wasting time in emails, get interactive quotes with DFM analysis within seconds, optimize your orders immediately, compare your multiple quotes side by side, manage your orders in one place.
Get in-bulk sheet metal fabrication quotes, allowing you to make a pricing comparison between different specs, quantities, raw material, and surface finishes, and helping you choose the solution that best suits your needs and budget.
Our online platform enables real-time visibility of the sheet metal manufacturing process that fosters more efficient operation monitoring and quicker response to negative changes.
Quickly check, search, and manage all your sheet metal fabrication orders in one place. What's even better is that you get visibility into all stages of the production process and every aspect of the manufacturing operation.
RapidDirect’s custom sheet metal fabrication services can be used for various applications such as mold tooling, rapid prototyping, and custom manufacturing, and more.
Custom metal fabrication can be formed into 2D shaped profiles from various metals, creating functional molds for specific parts.
RapidDirect can produce sheet metal prototyping from sheet metal within a short time and at a low cost.
From rich selections of materials to sheet metal parts manufacturing and assemblies, to flexible delivery, we provide end-to-end high-volume production solutions.
To ensure part manufacturability and precision of fabricated prototypes and parts, our custom sheet metal fabrication services are in compliance with the ISO 2768-m.
Dimension Detail | Metric Units | Imperial Units |
Edge to edge, single surface |
+/- 0.127 mm | +/- 0.005 in. |
Edge to hole, single surface |
+/- 0.127 mm | +/- 0.005 in. |
Hole to hole, single surface |
+/- 0.127 mm | +/- 0.005 in. |
Bend to edge / hole, single surface |
+/- 0.254 mm | +/- 0.010 in. |
Edge to feature, multiple surface |
+/- 0.762 mm | +/- 0.030 in. |
Over formed part, multiple surface |
+/- 0.762 mm | +/- 0.030 in. |
Bend angle |
+/- 1° |
By default, sharp edges will be broken and deburred. For any critical edges that must be left sharp, please note and specify them in your drawing.
Check out the specific advantages of each sheet metal manufacturing process and choose one for your custom part needs.
Processes | Description | Thickness | Cutting Area |
Laser Cutting | Laser cutting is a thermal cutting process that uses high-power laser to cut metals. | Up to 50 mm | Up to 4000 x 6000 mm |
Plasma Cutting | CNC plasma cutting is suitable for cutting thicker sheet metals. | Up to 50 mm | Up to 4000 x 6000 mm |
Waterjet Cutting | It is especially useful for cutting very thick metals, including steel. | Up to 300 mm | Up to 3000 x 6000 mm |
Bending | It’s used to shape custom sheet metal prototypes after the cutting process. | Up to 20 mm | Up to 4000 mm |
No matter the application and requirement of your sheet metal parts, you’ll find the right material when you trust RapidDirect. The following outlines some popular materials available for custom metal fabrication.
Commercially, aluminum is the most sought-after material for sheet metal manufacturing. Its popularity is due to its adaptive qualities and its high thermal conductivity and low resistance rates. Compared to steel—another common sheet metal material—aluminum is more cost-effective and has a higher rate of production. The material also generates the least amount of waste and can easily be reused.
Subtypes: 6061, 5052
Copper is a broadly used sheet metal fabrication material in many industries as it offers good malleability and ductility. Copper is also well suited for sheet metal fabrication because of its excellent heat conduction properties and electrical conductivity.
Subtypes: 101, C110
Brass has desirable properties for a number of applications. It is low friction, has excellent electrical conductivity and has a golden (brass) appearance.
Subtypes: C27400, C28000
Steel offers a number of beneficial properties for industrial applications, including rigidity, longevity, heat resistance and corrosion resistance. Steel sheet metal is ideal for producing complex designs and parts that require extreme precision. Steel is also cost-efficient to work with and has excellent polishing properties.
Subtypes: SPCC, 1018
Stainless steel is the low carbon steel that contains a minimum of 10% chromium by weight. The material properties associated with stainless steel have made it a popular metal within a broad range of industries, including construction, automotive, aerospace and more. Within these industries, Stainless steel is versatile and is an effective choice for many applications.
Subtypes: 301, 304, 316
Choose from a wide variety of finishing options that alter the surface of sheet metal fabricated parts and products to improve their corrosion resistance, enhance cosmetic appearance, and decrease cleaning time.
Name | Description | Materials | Color | Texture | Link |
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Anodizing | Anodizing improves corrosion resistance, enhancing wear resistance and hardness, and protecting the metal surface. Widely used in mechanical parts, aircraft, and automobile parts, precision instruments, etc. | Aluminum | Clear, black, grey, red, blue, gold. | Smooth, matte finish. | Learn More>> |
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Bead Blasting |
Bead blasting results in parts with a smooth surface with a matte texture. Used mainly for visual applications and can be followed by other surface treatments. |
ABS, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel |
n/a | Matte | Learn More>> |
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Powder Coating | Powder coating is a type of coating that is applied as a free-flowing, dry powder. Unlike conventional liquid paint which is delivered via an evaporating solvent, powder coating is typically applied electrostatically and then cured under heat or with ultraviolet light. | Aluminum, Stainless Steel, Steel |
Black, any RAL code or Pantone number |
Gloss or semi-gloss |
|
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Electroplating | Electroplating can be functional, decorative or corrosion-related. Many industries use the process, including the automotive sector, in which chrome-plating of steel automobile parts is common. |
Aluminum, steel, stainless steel |
n/a |
Smooth, glossy finish |
|
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Polishing |
Polishing is the process of creating a smooth and shiny surface, either through physical rubbing of the part or by chemical interference. The process produces a surface with significant specular reflection, but in some materials is able to reduce diffuse reflection. |
Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel |
n/a |
Glossy |
|
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Brushing |
Brushing is a surface treatment process in which abrasive belts are used to draw traces on the surface of a material, usually for aesthetic purposes. |
ABS, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless Steel, Steel |
n/a | satin |
For several years, we have been manufacturing various of metal fabricated parts, prototypes, and various products for different clients. Below are the previous sheet metal fabrication parts we had made.
Just upload your design files and configure material, finishing options and lead time. Quick quotes for your sheet metal components can be created in just a few clicks.
With an ISO 9001:2015 certificated sheet metal manufacturing factory, we provide material and full dimensional inspection reports as your request. You can always rest assured the parts you get from RapidDirect will exceed your expectations.
Our domestic factories in China provide a complete sheet metal project solution through flexible material, surface finish options and infinite manufacturing capacity for low volume and high volume production runs.
We provide 24/7 online engineering customer support for your custom sheet metal engineering and manufacturing problems. This includes case-by-case suggestions to help you reduce costs early on in the design phase.
A customer’s words have a more substantial impact than a company’s claims – and see what our satisfied customers have said regarding how we fulfilled their requirements.
Hi, Andy. I want to express my gratitude to you and your team for all your efforts in completing the project. Working with RapidDirect on this metal fabrication project has been a great pleasure. I wish you a wonderful rest of your summer, and I am confident we will work together again in the future.
Stephen Phearsdorf
– Lead Mechanical
I would like to thank you for working with us on this successful project. Our project team has been very impressed with RapidDirect’s quality of work and timely deliveries. We will definitely keep you in mind for future sheet metal projects and recommend you to other companies.
Derek Armstrong
– Project Manager
RapidDirect has been a creative and trustworthy partner for both unique ideas and quality parts production for many years. We heartily endorse RapidDirect as a one-stop shop for both straightforward and intricate designs. They offer services for design enhancement, large selection of materials and finishing services, and quick responses.
Kleng Ellwood
– Product Engineer
RapidDirect is an essential part of our supply chain. They regularly deliver on schedule sheet metal parts and with top-notch quality. They are easy to work with and considerate of their client’s demands. Whether it is repeat orders for parts or one of our numerous last-minute orders, they always deliver.
Feri Russell
– Director of Product Development
I am happy to say that RapidDirect is one of our top sources for fabricated metal parts. We have a 4-year relationship with them, and it all began with excellent customer service. They do a fantastic job of informing us about our order progress. We view RapidDirect more as a project partner than just a supplier for us in many ways.
Rahim Smyth
– Designer
Whether it’s metallic auto parts or electronic device components, RapidDirect’s sheet metal fabrication has helped businesses in different industries.
Sheet metal fabrication tolerances refer to the acceptable deviations for features of sheet metal parts required for accurate and consistent installation and integration.
For sheet metal parts, ISO 2768-mk is usually used to ensure proper control of the elements of geometry and size. The following will show you 7 tolerance standards range of linear and angular dimensions, flatness & straightness, cylindricity, and circularity.
K factor is the sheet metal process is the ratio of neutral axis to material thickness. This value changes with respect to the various physical properties and thickness of materials used.
Every aspect of a sheet metal fabrication project comes with an associated cost — the design, possible prototype, finishing processes, and others. Asides from the process itself, materials also cost money. To learn some tips for reducing custom sheet metal fabrication costs, you can learn from this article.
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