Sheet Metal Fabrication
Fuming is fully equipped to handle your sheet metal fabrication needs, whether your company requires mass-produced components or custom, single-piece parts.
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication Services – Fuming
Founded in 2002, Fuming has served numerous industries requiring metalworking expertise, including fabrication, metal forming, stamping, welding, and more. Our high-quality metal fabrication and engineering capabilities provide businesses with the tools and resources needed to excel in their respective fields. With extensive experience, we are equipped to complete any sheet metal project, delivering high-value custom components across a diverse range of sectors. These include transportation, waste management, food service and sanitation, mechanical equipment, architecture and construction, institutional and recreational facilities, pharmaceuticals, general industry, agriculture, startup ventures, and beyond.
- Lead time from 5 days
- From 1 to 10,000+ parts
- Wide range of processes available
- ISO and IATF certified
What is Sheet Metal Fabrication
Sheet metal fabrication is a subtractive manufacturing process that forms parts from thin metal sheets. Engineers frequently opt for sheet metal components due to their high precision and durability, particularly for end-use applications such as chassis, enclosures, and brackets.
Fuming’s online sheet metal fabrication services offer a fast and cost-effective solution for producing parts from 3D CAD files or engineering drawings. We provide a wide selection of sheet metal materials, including aluminum, copper, steel, and stainless steel, as well as assembly options such as PEM insert installation, welding, and finishing services. With a network of domestic and overseas fabrication partners, Fuming can supply any quantity of sheet metal parts—from low-volume, high-mix prototypes to high-volume production runs. We offer competitive, custom fabrication pricing for low-volume prototypes and cost savings for larger production volumes.
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a high-power laser to cut through sheet metal, delivering precision, fast processing times, and the ability to create complex designs with smooth finishes and tight tolerances.
Bending is a versatile sheet metal fabrication process used to form V-shapes, U-shapes, and channel profiles in materials. It offers high precision and repeatability with minimal setup costs, making it ideal for producing complex geometries.
Sheet metal stamping services encompass a range of forming processes, including punching, stamping, blanking, embossing, bending, and flanging. These operations transform metal strips into the desired part shapes efficiently.
Plasma cutting is a process that uses an accelerated jet of hot plasma to cut through electrically conductive materials. Well-suited for thick materials, it provides high speed, low cost, and efficiency for large-scale industrial metal fabrication.
Sheet Metal Prototyping and Production Services
Fuming can help you fabricate enclosures, brackets, assemblies, weldments, housings, and other sheet metal parts and prototypes with speed and precision. Our rapid sheet metal prototyping and production services utilize a range of tools, hand-manufacturing techniques, and processes that enable us to produce even highly complex components.
Sheet Metal Design Guidelines and Tolerances
| Minimum Bend: | 1 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Minimum Hole to Edge Distance: | 2 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Minimum Hole to Hole Distance: | 6 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Minimum Bend Edge to Hole Distance: | 6 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Minimum Feature to Countersink Distance: | 8 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Minimum Countersink Depth: | 1 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Relief Cuts: | 1 Times Sheet Metal Thickness |
| Cutting Feature: | ± .00787’’ (0.2 mm) |
| Bend Angle: | ± 1.0° |
| Bend to Edge: | +/- 0.010” (0.254mm) |
Common Sheet Metal Materials
| Material | Ductility | Machinability | Weldability | Corrosion Resistance | Tensile strength | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminium-5052 | 7% ~ 27% | Poor | Moderate | Good | 195 ~ 290 MPa | $ |
| Aluminium-5754 | 10% ~ 15% | Moderate | Good | Good | 160 ~ 200 MPa | $ |
| Stainless Steel-304 | 45% ~ 60% | Good | Good | Moderate | 480 ~ 620 MPa | $ |
| Stainless Steel-316L | 30% ~ 50 % | Moderate | Good | Good | 480 ~ 620 MPa | $ |
| Mild Steel-1018 | 17% ~ 27% | Moderate | Good | Poor | 190 ~ 440 MPa | $ |
| Copper-110 | 15% ~ 50% | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | 220 ~ 230 MPa | $ |
Typical Sheet Metal Finishes
| Applicable Materials | Colour | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bead Blasting | All metals | Uniform matte of raw material colour | Bead blasting is primarily used for visual enhancement and is available in various grit sizes, which indicate the coarseness of the blasting media. |
| Powder Coating | All metals | Black, white | Powder coating is often preferred for its durable, long-lasting finish that surpasses traditional painting in toughness and resistance. |
| Anodizing | All metals | Clear, black, grey, red, blue, gold | Anodizing is applied to increase surface hardness, improve wear resistance, and enhance the durability of metals such as aluminum. |
What is Sheet Metal Forming?
Sheet stock is procured in a flat state, then cut and progressively formed into its final shape through a series of steps. In a typical sheet metal project, the first step involves cutting the sheet using equipment such as a shear, laser, waterjet, plasma cutter, or punch press to create internal holes and edge features—a process known as blanking.
Once the blank is produced, the next stage is forming, most commonly performed using some type of brake press. Brake presses can be manual or automated and utilize die inserts to create precise angular bends, transforming the two-dimensional sheet into a three-dimensional object. Sheet metal forming can bend parts in multiple directions, producing everything from simple brackets to highly complex geometries that may require custom die tooling. Once tooling is established, producing subsequent parts becomes highly cost-effective, making sheet metal fabrication and forming ideal for both low- and high-volume production runs.
Rapid Sheet Metal Prototyping
We understand the needs of engineers and industrial designers. With comprehensive in-house capabilities—including bending, laser cutting, welding, as well as CNC folding, tapping, countersinking, counterboring, and other processes—we offer unmatched turnaround times for one-off metal prototypes.
Bespoke Production Parts
We have the experience to produce both simple and complex sheet metal parts for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, and many other industries. With no minimum order quantity (MOQ), we offer the flexibility and scalable capacity your project requires.
Sheet Metal Fabrication for Diverse Applications
From metallic automotive components to electronic device parts, Fuming’s sheet metal fabrication has supported businesses across various industries.