Folding Sheet Metal Edge To Eliminate Sharpness

Secure the sheet metal to prevent slipping.

Folding sheet metal edge to eliminate sharpness.

Step 1 secure the sheet metal to prevent slipping. The edges may appear flat but shearing dies leave burrs. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards. The edges may appear flat but shearing dies leave burrs.

Use a die grinder with the mounted point and simply run the point over the edge of the sheet metal. A blanked edge condition can be improved by adjusting the punch and die clearance tolerance shaving the area of the defective blanked edge designing an appropriate contact profile of the tool and die and understanding the mechanical properties of the sheet metal used. Run the point over the other sides to break those sharp edges. As the groove in the point wears just move down the point to create a new groove and so on.

Step 2 use your die grinder with a mounted point we like shape w222 and simply run the point over the edge of the sheet metal. This process will round the edge of the metal and create a groove in the point. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet.

Step 3 repeat. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal. Run the mounted point over the other sides to break those sharp edges. Many products use sheared sheet metal yet only one standard ul 1439 addresses the issue of sheet metal sharpness directly.

Figure 3 a sheared sheet metal edge has several attributes that make it sharp. Edge bending operations are commonly used in industrial sheet metal processing and involve bending a section of the metal that is small relative to the part.