How to Reduce Sheet

Metal Design Risks and

Production Costs
LaShawn LeBaron, Estimating Team Lead, Protolabs
Agenda
1. Materials
2. Laser Cutting and Punching
3. Forming
4. Hardware
5. Finishes
6. Tolerances
 Sheet Metal Fabrication
Protolabs now offers sheet metal fabrication through Rapid, following
the 2017 acquisition.
 Sheet Metal Fabrication Process
•A manufacturing method using forming
• Starts with flat material and bend could be added if needed.
• Review process steps to reduce risks in part design:
• Materials
• Laser cutting
• Forming
• Hardware
• Finishes
 Technical Information
CUSTOM PROTOTYPING: COMMON APPLICATIONS: FINISHING OPTIONS:
• 1-10+ parts • Large geometries • Powder coating
• Shipped in as fast as 3 days • Prototype box builds and (stock colors)
end-use components • Chromate
LOW-VOLUME PRODUCTION: • Assemblies and • Anodizing
custom finishes • Silk screening
• 10-1,000+ parts
• MIG/TIG
• Shipped is as fast as 7 work
days • Hardware insertion
MAX. PART SIZE: • Riveting *Up to 4
components*
• 39” x 47”
Procedural Overview
 Material Options
Gauge Steel non-RoHS coated steel Stainless steel Aluminum Copper Brass
• Material options
include steel, CRS Galvanneal Galvanized 304 316 5052 6061- C101 C110 CDA260
T6
aluminum, copper,
24 0.024 0.024 0.024 0.024 0.024 0.020 0.020 0.020 0.020
and brass 22 0.029 0.029 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.025 0.025
• Standard material 20 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.036 0.030 0.030 0.032 0.032
19 0.042 0.040 0.040 0.040
thicknesses 18 0.047 0.048 0.048 0.047 0.047 0.040 0.040 0.050 0.050 0.050
between 0.024” 16 0.059 0.060 0.060 0.059 0.059 0.050 0.050 0.062 0.062 0.062
and 0.134” 14 0.074 0.075 0.075 0.074 0.074 0.062 0.062 0.080 0.080 0.080
13 0.089 0.089 0.089 0.089 0.089 0.090 0.090 0.090
12 0.104 0.104 0.104 0.104 0.104 0.080 0.080
11 0.119 0.119 0.119 0.119 0.119 0.090 0.090 0.125 0.125 0.125
10 0.100 0.100
8 0.125 0.125

Note: Material thickness is listed in inches

 Design Tip: Uniform Wall Thickness
• Manufactured from a single sheet
• Must maintain uniform material thickness
 Cutting Operations
Laser
• Focused light shielded by a gas
is directed through the sheet
Punching
• Punch features are achieved by
using a die tool and removing/
stretching the material to achieve
the specified feature.
• We can use multiple punch tools on
the same part if the direction is the
same or the tools specify opposite
directions.
Cutting
Equipment
• Laser:IPG Laser Cube
• Punching: Murata
 Cutting: Best Fits and Implications
Laser
• Standard sheet metal flat patterns
• Thru holes/cut features
• Longer/larger parts
• Curved features

Punch
• Formed geometries (louvers,
bridge lances)
• Countersinks
• Standard tooling sizes
• Square corners
 Design Tip: Dealing with Sharp Edges

• Standard process is to
deburr customer parts
post laser operations
• We deburr to a standard edge
break.
• Save time and cost by
following standard procedure
 Forming

• We use press break

machined to form our parts
• A press brake uses hydraulic
pressure to force material
between two dies.
 Press Brake Forming
Bump Forming
• Forms multiple smaller radius bends that accumulate to a
non-standard radius
• Can be time consuming
• This will leave die marks roughly every .010” of the bend.
Air Bending
• The part will hit the press break tooling in three places.
• Inside bend radius is largely controlled by the size of the
V opening of the bottom die
Press Brake
Forming Equipment

Two primary pieces

of equipment:
• Cincinnati
• Toyokoki
• Bystronic
 Press Brake: Best Fit and Implications
Best fit geometries:
• Enclosures, chassis, brackets
Challenging geometries:
• Wrap-arounds, non-standard or large bend radii.
• Tear drop hems and barrel hinges.
Implications:
• Clearance for tooling.
• Dissecting components into assemblies.
• Tolerances can add layer of complexity
Design Tips: Formed Geometries
 Bends
• Manufactured using
sheet metal press breaks.
• Preferred bend radius is
0.030”.
• Other inside bend radii
available—some will drive
economic tradeoffs to part
• Please keep the same bend radii
across all bends when possible.
 Hems
• Fold outs at the end of a part that
create a round edge
• Can be used for stiffening
• Can form both open and
closed hems
• Tolerance depends on radius,
material thickness, and features
in proximity to the hem
• Recommended minimum inside
diameter equals material
thickness and return length
is 4x the thickness
 Offsets

• Used to create a Z shape profile

• Height tolerance is
+/- 0.012” top of sheet/form
• Preferred offset is 0.030”
• Other options are available, but
add economic tradeoff in part.
 The 4x Rule
• 4x material thickness needed between most
sheet metal features and the bend.
• This rule will change as material thickness
and bend radii increase.
• Flanges must be 4x material thickness to
achieve a full 90 degree bend.
• Hem length must be 4x thickness in length
• Hole features must be 4x thickness away
from bend line to prevent deformation
There are exceptions to every rule, but the rule saves money and reduces risk
 Bend Reliefs
• Implemented where bend extends on an edge
• Bend notch added to prevent tearing
• No deeper than material thickness plus bend radius
• Must be a minimum of .030” wide
 Holes and Slots
• Minimum of material thickness
in diameter
• If material is 0.036 in. or thinner,
the hole should be 0.062 in.
from the material edge
• Remember the 4x rule for
placement near bends.
• Keep spacing to manufacturer's
specs if hardware inserts are
required
 Counter Sinks

• Both machined and formed

countersinks available
• We use drill press tooling and
could punch the feature if the
countersink is standard.
Hardware
 Clinch Fasteners
Clinch fasteners are permanently installed using a press. The hardware is pressed
into a hole and the material that flows in response to this force creates
a permanent mechanical bond between the sheet and fastener.
Types
• Nuts
• (CLS/S/SP)
Clinch hardware must be harder material and not
• Studs have galvanic reaction with sheet material
(external threaded)
•
Al Steel 300 SS 400 SS
• (FHS/FH/FH4)
• Stand-off Al & Softer O X O O
• (internal thread)
(BSOS/BSO/BSO4)
•
Steel X O O O
• Pins
• (unthreaded studs) Stainless X X X O
• (TPS/TP4)
Finishing
 Powder Coating and Silk Screening
• Available in compliance with government regulations
• 30 standard powder coat options readily available
• Silk screen can be color-matched to any pantone number
 Plating
• Effective way to prevent Type Aluminum Steel Stainless
corrosion and improve Steel
aesthetics Anodize MIL-A-8625 - -
Chromate MIL-DTL- - -
• Lowest risk plating options 5541
are Anodize (Black and Zinc - ASTM-B-633

Clear), Chromate (Yellow Passivation - - ASTM-A967

and clear), Zinc (Clear and

Yellow), and Passivate
(cleaning wash)

*Plating is not a cosmetic

finish*
Tolerances
 Tolerances
• Machining tolerances
can be summed up quickly,
directly relative to the Unless otherwise specified,
number of significant figures dimensions are in inches
in the dimension Angles .X .XX .XXX

• Sheet metal tolerances, +/- 5° +/- 0.02 +/- 0.01 +/- 0.005
however, can take numerous
pages to cover all aspects

*Do not design sheet metal parts to machining tolerances, especially if designing
mating components*
 Have a Model Ready to be Quoted?
A myRAPID account allows you to get quotes and/or submit parts for
manual quoting with most 3D CAD files, have on-going access to your
quotes, and more.
rapidmanufacturing.com/quote

eRapid
• Instant part cost for sheet metal
• Design feedback
• Budgetary or order now
• Free add-in download for SolidWorks
THANK
YOU
PRESENTER: LASHAWN LEBARON
[email protected]