How To Form Aluminum Sheet Metal

Aluminum sheet is any aluminum sheet metal thicker than foil but thinner than 6mm.

How to form aluminum sheet metal.

Gather all material needed including a hydraulic press. Next place the wood parallel and slightly behind the bending line. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Make sure the edge of the material to be cut is approximately 1 2 to 1 away from the edges of the design.

The design chosen for die forming should only be an outline of a form nothing intricate. The only true distinction is in their respective thickness. This tech tip is related to their sportster project but can be used on anything you might be working with that requires something built out of aluminum sheet. Many different tools cut sheet metal and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Finally bend the sheet up by hand to the angle desired. Clamp the wood on top of the metal to the workbench. If you want a sharp 90 bend tap along the crease with a mallet. Welcome to the latest how to installment from jay roche at special 79 barnstorm cycles.

It comes in many forms including diamond plate expanded perforated and painted aluminum sheet. Next put your wooden or metal form blocks in the vice and clamp your sheet of metal between the forms. Just like all sheet metal aluminum work hardens during the forming process. Sheet metal is any metal that has a thickness in between 0 5 6 millimetres.

With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. When you are forming aluminum if the radius is sharp small in relation to the material thickness you will overwork the material making it harder more brittle and much more likely to fail. Millimetres mils gauge.

Foils sheets and plates are pretty much the same with the only difference being in thickness. Sheet aluminum sheet and aluminum plate are essentially the same. There are other measurement units used to categorise metals by thickness though. Sheet metal is one of the shapes and forms metal can be bought in.

If your sheet metal is long ask a friend to stabilize the part hanging out from the form blocks so it doesn t affect the bend.