Metal shearing is a type of fabrication process designed to remove unwanted material from pieces of sheet metal. The process involves using a tool like a bench shear to cut sheet metal.
Unlike other types of metal fabrication, there is no application of heat involved in shearing. It’s typically performed while the metal is at room temperature or while cold. It also does not create as much waste in the form of chips or slag as other types of metal fabrication, which is one of the reasons why it’s such an attractive and beneficial fabrication technique for manufacturers.
The benefits of shearing include:
- Crisp, clean cuts that deliver precise, smooth edges
- Outstanding speed and efficiency, as shearing cuts through metal in mere seconds
- A lack of waste generated from the process
- Highly cost-effective for manufacturing applications that need high-volume work
- Ability to perform the process on sheet metal that is cold or at room temperature, which eliminates the need to have to significantly heat the metal
- Supported by numerous types of metals, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, iron and bronze
There are also relatively few drawbacks associated with the use of shearing. It’s not particularly ideal for low-volume applications, and can occasionally cause some deformities in sheet metal. There are some exceptionally hard types of materials (such as tungsten) that simply cannot be sheared.
But when the process fits the project, metal shearing is highly beneficial and efficient.
How does it work?
Shearing is a process that involves slicing through sheets of metal with a machine or tool that has a blade attached. The metal is secured between the blades of the tool, with most shearing machines having a squaring arm that controls the location. After the sheet metal is placed in the correct position, the top blade drops down and slices through the sheet metal. When the top blade comes down, the bottom of the sheet metal gets pressed against a blade beneath it.
Shearing tools come in a variety of forms and configurations. The bench shear is perhaps the most common example of these. This tool gets mounted to a workbench or other type of working surface. Its light weight and small size make it easy to use, so long as it is kept stable on a proper working surface.
Another type of shear is a guillotine machine. This shearing machine is more complex than the bench shear, and is powered with hydraulics or mechanical elements. The powered blade slides through sheet metal much more efficiently than you would be able to accomplish with a bench shear, allowing you to complete jobs in larger quantities within shorter times.
For more information about the process of metal shearing and the various benefits associated with this form of metal cutting, we encourage you to contact our team at Metal Pro Inc. to discuss our capabilities and how they can meet the needs of your operation. We look forward to answering your questions and working with you on your upcoming fabrication project.