Call Us (631) 650-9658 • 142 Freeman Avenue Islip, NY 11751
Call Us: (631) 650-9658 • Email Us: Info@Schillco.net • 142 Freeman Avenue Islip, NY 11751
Sheet Metal Fabrication & Installation
we fabricate All ductwork in-house
Sheet Metal Fabrication & Installation
Schillco – The Trusted Sheet Metal Fabrication Partner For Businesses In The Five Boroughs Of New York.
From delicate aluminum parts for computers to rugged stainless-steel parts for vehicles, sheet metal fabrication has been the go-to approach for many businesses for decades. It’s partly responsible for weaving the “metallic fabric” that permeates modern society.
What Is Sheet Metal Fabrication?
Sheet metal refers to any metal (like aluminum or stainless steel) pressed into long and thin sheets. It’s one of the many forms a metal can take – rods, pipes, plates, etc. The difference between a metal sheet and a metal plate is thickness. If the thickness is less than one-fourth of an inch, it’s usually considered a sheet. If it’s thicker, it might be classified as a plate. But it's not an official classification, and the two terms, sheet and plate, are often used interchangeably.
Sheet metal fabrication refers to fabricating/creating metal parts using these sheets. The sheets are bent, punched, cut, and welded (among other things)into the desired shape. The beauty of sheet metal fabrication is that it’s a financially viable choice for creating all types of metal parts, from simple to sophisticated. Numerous fabrication techniques can be used to turn sheet metal into a functional metal part, and the complexity of the technique (and the expertise it requires), tools, time, and finish quality are just some of the factors that determine the cost of sheet metal fabrication.
Sheet Metal Fabrication Process
The process of fabricating a finished product out of sheet metal usually involves several steps. These are the most commonly used steps:
Cutting
Cutting is a crucial part of post-sheet metal fabrication jobs. It’s used to cut a larger sheet into smaller pieces, cut away undesired part of the sheet, or cut it into a specific shape. Different types of tools and techniques are used for cutting a metal sheet. Another classification is the type of tool used for cutting.
Both mechanical and laser cutting are employed for sheet metal. High-powered lasers (with wattage between 4,000 and 6,000) can easily cut through 1 to 2.5 inches of stainless steel. Both metal and laser cutting have their advantages and limitations. Water jets and plasma are also used to cut metal sheets.
Some Common Cutting Techniques Include:
- Shearing: Two blades are used for clean linear or angular cuts.
- Slitting: It uses circular blades and is quite a commonly employed technique to cut sheet metal into strips of desired length and width.
- Trimming: It’s used to cut away excess metal, usually from the edges.
Punching & Blanking
Technically, both punching and blanking are different ways of cutting sheet metal, but there are some distinctions. Punching (also called piercing) is basically removing part of a metal sheet (usually in a specific shape) by using sheer force to punch through the metal sheets. It’s most commonly used to punch holes in sheet metal. The goal is to have the holes of the desired shape in sheet metal.
Blanking is essentially the same process – Cutting a specific shape out of the sheet metal. The difference is that in blanking, the piece that’s cut out is used for the fabrication and the remaining sheet metal is scraped or used for something else.
Bending
Bending is another important part of the sheet metal fabrication process. The machine that’s used to bend the sheet metal is usually called a brake. It allows you to bend the sheet at various angles by applying pressure manually or using hydraulics. You can create U-bends, V-bends, or channels of various angles. Bending is considered part of the deforming process, i.e., changing the shape of the original sheet by applying force.
Stamping
Stamping is similar to bending and may involve cutting elements like punching and blanking. The idea is to convert a metal sheet into the desired shape by pressing it against a die (that represents the desired shape). It may or may not involve separate punching and bending steps.
Assembling
Assembling is about putting various individual sheet metal pieces (which have been fabricated to the desired shape) to complete the final product. It can be done by using rivets, fasteners, adhesives, or even welding the pieces together.
Welding
Welding can be considered part of the assembling process. Metal sheets can be welded using any of the six common methods: Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Stick, Plasma Arc, Laser, and Gas welding. The choice of welding method is influenced by a number of factors, including the metal.
Finishing
The finishing is more than just about the aesthetics of the final product. It can also help prevent the metal from elements and extreme conditions, based on where it will be deployed/installed. Two common finishing techniques are:
- Metal Plating: The process adds a layer of a different metal on top of the final product achieved from sheet metal fabrication. Its benefits include better durability, reduced corrosion, an enhancement in conductivity, and a polished appearance.
- Powder Coating: Colored powder is applied to the metal using electrostatics. The additional layer adds to the durability of the product and, in some cases, reduces the impact of friction.
Buffing and sand-blasting are also commonly used, but they lean more towards aesthetics than functionality.
The Metals We Work With
At Schillco, We Work With the Following Most Commonly Used Sheet Metals:
- Black Iron: These sheets are made up of untreated iron. It’s significantly cheaper and relatively softer than stainless steel but requires proper finishing, preventing it from corrosion.
- Galvanized Steel: Steel, a mixture of iron and carbon, is quite prone to rust, thanks to its primary raw material. Galvanization, which adds a layer of zinc to steel to establish a barrier between the steel and the elements that can trigger rusting (oxygen in the atmosphere, water, etc.), can prevent it.
- Aluminum: Aluminum is one of the most versatile metals, thanks to its lightweight, non-corrosive, conductive, and other useful properties, making it a popular sheet metal.
- Stainless Steel: Stainless steel offers an ideal mix of durability and strength and has numerous uses in a number of industries.
Why Choose Schillco For Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Needs
Schillico is your trusted sheet metal fabrication partner in Suffolk County, Nassau County, and all five boroughs of New York for a number of reasons.
Top-Of-The-Line Facility
Our sheet metal fabrication workshop is equipped with some of the best-in-class tools. We have advanced tools, decent production capacity, and employ the highest standards of fabrication and safety.
Quick Turn-Around Time
Our facility runs six out of seven days a week, and we manage our time and resources quite effectively. This allows us to offer a quicker turnaround time to our customers.
Experienced Fabricators
Our amazing tools are matched by an even more impressive team of experienced fabricators, both able and driven to bring your designs to life.
Fabrication Range
We cater to a wide range of industries and can fabricate complex sheet metal designs. We also remain up-to-date on industry practices and needs, allowing us to tackle cutting-edge designs with ease.
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