Custom Online Sheet Metal Fabrication | Ponoko

Our sheet metal fabrication capabilities

While maximum part size and thickness can vary depending on the sheet metal being used, our precision capabilities are the same for all parts. All sheet metal fabricated parts have a maximum dimensional accuracy of ±0.13mm, a minimum complex feature size of 1x1mm, and a minimum laser kerf of 0mm. The largest sheet size is x mm, and the maximum thickness for any part is 25.4mm. The minimum lead time for those in the San Francisco Bay Area is same-day delivery (orders placed before 11 AM), and delivered next day for those within the US mainland.

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What is sheet metal fabrication?

The term 'sheet metal fabrication' refers to the numerous manufacturing methods used with sheet metals, including laser cutting, bending, welding, and forming.

Metal is an extremely versatile material thanks to its ability to be melted down, reformed, manipulated, high strength, high-temperature conductivity, electrical conductivity, and its alloying capabilities. Once extracted from ore, metal can be directly formed into different shapes at a foundry, including ingots, cylinders, and sheets. Of these, sheet metal is one of the more versatile forms as it is easy to transport, can be directly machined by tools, is suitable for numerous different manufacturing techniques, and is easier to handle.

Examples of manufacturing techniques that sheet metal can undergo include stamping, molding, laser cutting, plasma cutting, milling, drilling, cutting, shearing, and bending. Furthermore, constructive techniques, such as welding, can then be used to turn flat sheets of metal into complex 3D shapes, and this sees sheet metals used for all kinds of industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical, and consumer electronics.

Ponoko is a laser cutting company that can work with sheet metals to fabricate custom 2D parts. While we do not offer welding or other forming services, we do offer metal bending, burnishing, and polishing to provide market-ready sheet metal parts. Furthermore, we can manufacture and deliver these parts same-day for customers in the Oakland Bay Area, and next day for customers in the Mainland US.

Sheet metal fabrication materials

We offer many different sheet metal options, including stainless steel, aluminum, brass, and copper, all of which are available in various grades. Stainless steel is ideal for creating structural components and enclosures that need to resist corrosion and oxidation. Aluminum is suitable for use in portable applications where weight is a concern, as well as applications that need to resist oxidation. Brass is an excellent material for low-friction contact applications such as motor contacts and gears, and also for artistic applications such as decals and trimming. Copper is suitable for electrical applications that need high electrical and thermal conductivity, such as copper bus bars, heat sinks, and connectors.

We also accept custom sheet metal stock which is useful for engineers where material selection is critical. So long as the sheet metal is laser-safe (i.e., suitable for laser cutting), simply let us know what material you specifically require, and our engineers will help find suitable stock for your sheet metal fabricated parts.

The future of sheet metal fabrication - software-driven manufacturing

Under traditional manufacturing processes, getting a custom sheet metal part fabricated can be an extremely challenging task. Not only do designs need to be checked routinely for manufacturing viability, but suitable manufacturing files for parts need to be generated, and these files can vary between different machining stations.

In addition to this, trying to move designs from a prototype to a full-scale production part can introduce numerous difficulties, including material sourcing and changes in tolerance. This is also problematic when trying to get accurate pricing, as most manufacturers will generate unique quotes for every order that vary depending on which direction the wind blows.

Our cloud manufacturing services not only simplify the design phase of sheet metal fabricated parts, but also standardise the pricing so that instant quotes can be delivered to you. In just a few minutes, sheet fabricated designs, prototypes or full-scale production runs, can be uploaded to our cloud-based software for an instant quotation which will provide you with numerous options for material, thickness, complexity, and quantity. Once paid, designs are immediately sent to our production facilities, whereby designs are matched to specific cutting stations to maximize manufacturing efficiency.

Our software-based tools also allow engineers to move their prototypes to full-scale production designs in just a few clicks without the need to make any adjustments whatsoever. The only change that you need to make is to enter the quantity which you need, and the instant quote tool will provide you with the final price, not an estimate, that can be paid immediately to get our manufacturing sites fired up.

How much does sheet metal fabrication cost?

The cost of custom sheet metal fabrication depends on the material chosen, the size of the part being fabricated, the complexity of that part, and any additional features and/or services needed for that part. For example, cold roll carbon steel is almost half the price of aluminum, meaning that parts, meaning that choosing steel over aluminum can see a price saving of 50%. Smaller parts are cheaper to produce compared to bigger parts due to the less material used, but complex features that take time to cut will result in more machine time, and thereby increasing the cost of manufacture.

Engraving allows for parts to have graphics and text etched into their surface, but this is a slow process (especially for bitmap graphics), and so the more engraving area a part has, the more expensive that part will be. Additional services such as burnishing, polishing, and bending require numerous manufacturing steps, which incurs extra manufacturing costs. Simply put, doing less to a part will result in a part being cheaper.

Another major factor in the cost of parts is the order quantity. Ordering larger volumes of a part results in a significant decrease in cost per unit thanks to economies-of-scale, and Ponoko offers discounts of up to 93% for order quantities exceeding 10,000.

Precision sheet metal fabrication manufacturing, at speed

When it comes to manufacturing, it is essential that the process is as economical as possible, and this is usually realised through high-speed manufacturing at scale. But as important as production speed is, it is also equally important to ensure that quality and precision is never sacrificed. This is why finding the right balance between speed, precision, and price is by far the most important role of a manufacturer.

As a manufacturer, we have developed and refined our sheet metal fabrication capabilities over the years to provide engineers with high-quality sheet metal fabrication, regardless of the order size or part complexity. Sheet metal prototypes can be ordered, manufactured, and delivered on the very same day for customers in the Oakland Bay Area, and the precision and quality of prototype parts is identical to those of market-ready production parts.

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Our ability to maintain precision across all parts manufactured is demonstrated in our 99.7% precision part quality record, over 2 million parts for 33,000+ customers. Therefore, it doesn’t matter whether a part is ordered today, tomorrow, or next year; our level of precision will ensure that each and every part is indistinguishable from each other, including material quality, tensile strength, weight, and size.

What can sheet metal fabrication be used for?

One of the best features of sheet metal fabrication is that it can be used for making just about any 2D part you can think of. As our sheet metal fabrication service uses high-powered lasers, parts do not require breakout tabs, meaning that perfect 2D shapes can be made that include cut-outs.

Brackets and fixtures are commonly made using sheet metal fabrication processes as these can be quickly cut out from strong materials such as steel and brass, bent to shape, and made at scale. The lack of tooling and molds makes this particularly useful for custom brackets in applications needing low order volumes. This also applies to fittings and washers which are also able to take advantage of sheet metal fabrication processes.

Faceplates and enclosures are other examples of a part that commonly uses sheet metal fabrication processes. The ability to make internal cutouts enables faceplates to accommodate hardware such as displays and buttons, and the engraving capabilities of our sheet metal fabrication also allow for graphical elements to be integrated into designs. This is useful for situations where instructions and other important text is needed on a faceplate.

For applications in electronics, sheet metal fabrication is also ideal for manufacturing RF shields that are used to control EMI. As most commercial and industrial electronics need to adhere to very strict emission regulations, a quick solution for engineers can be to cage their devices in Faraday cages, but while off-the-shelf solutions exist, they can often be basic in design. A custom EMI shield using our fabrication services can create custom shields to fit any PCB shape.

Metals such as copper can be used with our sheet metal fabrication services, and this is ideal for manufacturing high-current bus bars. Thanks to the high electrical and thermal conductivity of copper, such bus bars are able to minimize power loss while simultaneously maintaining a low temperature.

Why you can trust Ponoko with your sheet metal fabricated parts

No matter if a single prototype or ten thousand market-ready parts are being ordered, having trust in your manufacturer is absolutely essential. Parts that are going through the prototyping stage will likely involve intellectual property and trade secrets that need to be kept away from the public eye, and production parts will need to have a great deal of precision so that they are consistent.

Having over ten years of experience in the field of sheet metal fabrication and with over 2 million parts manufactured, our 33,000+ customers continue to use our fabrication services because they know that every part they order will conform to our strict set of capabilities. At the same time, we provide 365-day guarantees on all parts, no matter the order size, meaning that engineers can remain confident in the longevity of their parts.

SolidWorks sheet metal modeling remains the top choice for design engineers and fabricators for its features and functionalities. Here are the top five tips you can use to efficiently model sheet metal parts in SolidWorks.

Sheet metal fabrication needs a constant check to ensure that the manufacturing is as per the actual design briefs shared. Fabrication processes like bending, welding, and punching, if carried out without proper design intent understanding, increases scrap and rework.

To enhance overall fabrication efficiency, designers and fabricators have adopted 3D sheet metal modeling as a primary platform for design communication. 3D CAD tools address design complexity by breaking down the assembly into part drawings and sub-assemblies. Modern 3D parametric CAD platforms further optimize the design concepts and create production-ready designs.

Why use SolidWorks for sheet metal modeling?

SolidWorks offers an array of specialized features to develop complex sheet metal assemblies. For example, the sheet metal module in SolidWorks offers tricks, shortcuts, and automatic commands to create specific sheet metal features.

Major benefits of using SolidWorks for sheet metal modeling include:

• Flexibility and speed in designing sheet metal components and part assemblies
• Standardized and structured 3D CAD part modeling and assembly approach
• Guided and intuitive sheet metal modeling approach, providing high accuracy
• Consideration of multiple aspects of design development using DFMA approach
• Workflow-based collaborative environment to share designs, and decision making
• Addition of automation to speed up product design development and quality

Because of these benefits and many others, SolidWorks has become the most popular CAD design and drafting platform across the industry. Hence, we bring you some tips to model sheet metal parts in SolidWorks.

Top 5 Tips for Efficient SolidWorks Sheet Metal Modeling

Conclusion

Use of 3D CAD tools helps metal fabricators to be more competitive and efficient. But SolidWorks parametric modeling takes it to a whole new level. With the right approach in sheet metal modeling and use of dedicated SolidWorks modules, fabricators, designers and modelers can improve overall efficiencies.

We hope the tips mentioned here will help you save time and costs and make your sheet metal designing more organized and productive.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Custom Sheet Metal Fabrication Services(fr,ko,nl). Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.