Sheet metal is one of the most ideal materials for constructing durable parts like an Edmonton truck canopy. It has lots of functional applications and what is even better, it is cost effective. But, given the fact that sheet metal parts are constructed from flat and single sheets, there are several other techniques that should be considered other than this process. If you are looking to save some cash in the process, below are some tips that will help you do so on your current or
upcoming project.
Choose the right material
The cost of material is one of the most important considerations one has to make when it comes to sheet metal fabrication. The materials used affect the overall costs greatly. You should
always ensure that you choose a material with great caution and only use the stock sizes. In the event you are prototyping, you should prefer Aluminum 5052 instead of 304 stainless steel.
Common gauge
When you are constructing your design, you should always remember to use the standard gauges. Creating metal parts with thicknesses of 6.35mm is best, as anything thicker might cause
restrictions on the types of bends you can create on the part you are designing.
Simplify the folds
Generally, in sheet metal fabrication, the more complex a part is, the higher the cost. To cut the cost, you should intend to design simple bends with radii that are equal to or even greater than
the sheet thickness. Why is this important? Why not use small bends on large parts? Well, when working on thick and large parts, small bends tend to cause inaccurate measurements. You should, therefore, avoid them at all costs.
Limit tight tolerance use
In truth, there are only a few surfaces of any part that are imperative to this function. The more features containing tolerance callout in the part design, the more cash you should expect to spend
on it. Do yourself a favour and assign tolerances only to the imperative surfaces and features. This will help you in terms of cutting costs and saving more.
Uniform Bend Orientation
Bends are common in metal sheet fabrications. They add some flare in some designs and in others, they are an intricate part of the design. For bends in your design that share a plane, you
should always ensure that they are in the same direction. This will help you to avoid what professionals in this industry refer to as part reorientation. This will help you to save both time and money.
When you maintain a consistent radius on the bends, you will also make the parts slightly more cost-effective.
If you cannot possibly handle the sheet metal fabrication for the Edmonton truck canopy yourself, consider hiring a professional to handle the process for you. While this relieves you of most of the workload, the above tips still apply if you want the costs to be lower. Give the company you will be working with the above instructions and you will see the costs
lower.
