Sheet Metal Fabrication

Design for manufacturability (DFM) is the process of designing products so they are easy to manufacture, and design for excellence (DFX) is the process of designing products to match high-quality, low-cost standards. Our sheet metal engineering experts are well-versed in DFM and DFX, and they consider these processes when designing a prototype. Sheet metal prototyping happens before manufacturing begins. Every product is evaluated and tested during the prototype phase to ensure a smooth and speedy production process.

Sheet metal fabrication is the process of transforming a thin sheet of metal into a final product, and common methods include cutting, punching, and bending. Cutting is the use of blades, torches, or lasers to remove pieces of sheet metal. Laser cutting metal offers geometrical flexibility because the cut options aren’t limited to a standard tool. Punching is a metal forming process that uses a machine called a punch press to pierce or punch holes into the metal. Metal bending involves applying pressure to specific areas of the sheet metal and bending it to predefined specifications.

Sheet metal stamping is the process of turning sheet metal into specific shapes. During the manufacturing process, sheet metal is fed into a press brake where it is shaped by a tool and die. The tonnage, or amount of pressure applied by the press, needed is determined by the type of metal and the desired shape. Metal stamping, also called hard tooling, is great for producing multiple, uniform metal parts at scale.

At Cadrex, we believe integrating automation and robotics into the manufacturing process equates to high-quality, efficient solutions. Our state-of-the-art equipment includes fully automated panel bender lines, stamping press lines, and CNC sheet metal machining centers. Robotic operators perform with uniform precision on repeat and can be quickly reprogrammed to accommodate last-minute engineering changes.

Our automatic tool changing and material loading and unloading systems make setup easier and faster, and they make production continue seamlessly. When more than one tool is used, an automated tool changer (ATC) adds speed and accuracy to the manufacturing process. Once it receives its command, an ATC will remove an old tool from a CNC sheet metal machine and replace it with a new one. Many of our presses are also equipped with automated sheet loading and unloading systems, offering increased productivity by negating the need to manually load sheet metal onto the press.