Generally, we think that sheet metal materials with uniform thickness are collectively referred to as sheet metal.
Commonly used sheet metal materials are stainless steel, galvanized steel, copper, aluminum, iron, etc.
Let’s take a look at the basic design principles of sheet metal products.
Table of Contents
Principle 1: select appropriate sheet metal thickness
The thickness of sheet metal parts ranges from 0.03 mm to 4.00 mm.
But the problem is that the greater the thickness, the more difficult the processing, and the defect rate also increases.
Thickness should be selected according to the actual functional requirements of the product.
On the premise of meeting the sheet metal strength and stiffness, the thinner the sheet metal is, the better.
For most products, the thickness of sheet metal parts is controlled below 1.00mm, and the thickness of industrial sheet metal products is generally between 1.0 and 2.0mm.
Principle 2: the design of sheet metal parts should be oriented to sheet metal technology
The design of any part is oriented to the processing technology, and the products that do not conform to the processing technology cannot be manufactured.
Sheet metal processability refers to the difficulty of blanking and bending in various processes.
Principle 3: the shape of blanking parts should be as simple as possible to avoid slender cantilever and slot
In general, the depth and width of the convex or concave part of the blanking part should be greater than 1.5/t (t is the thickness of the plate), and narrow and long cuts and narrow grooves should be avoided, so as to increase the edge strength of the corresponding part of the die, as shown in the figure below.
Principle 4: the shape and inner hole design of blanking parts should avoid sharp corners
The sharp corner on the sheet metal blanking part will directly affect the service life of the die. During the product design, attention should be paid to the transition at the corner connection. The radius R ≥ 0.5T (t is the plate thickness), as shown in the figure below.
When the material is bent, the outer layer is stretched and the inner layer is compressed in the fillet area.
When the thickness of the material is constant, the smaller the inner fillet, the more serious the tensile and compression of the material;
When the tensile stress of the outer fillet exceeds the ultimate strength of the material, cracks and fractures will occur;
If the bending radius is too large, it will be affected by the rebound of the material, and the accuracy and shape of the product can not be guaranteed.
The bending radius values of common materials can be referred to the following table:
Hi, I'm Shane—founder of MachineMfg. I have worked in the metalworking industry for more than 10 years. I do a lot of thinking, reading, and writing around sheet metal fabrication, machining, mechanical engineering, and machine tools for metals.
