Precision Sheet Metal and Hardware Processing
The same laser cutters, bending machines and welding cells that build our keyboard housings are available as a processing service in their own right.
What This Covers
- Fiber laser cutting with accuracy to 0.05mm and CNC bending with accuracy to 0.10mm
- Sheet metal machining to ±0.05mm per 100mm, bending to ±0.1mm per 100mm and stamping forming to ±0.2mm per 100mm
- CNC machining to ±0.1mm per 100mm with a maximum forming size of 3000 by 1200 by 850mm
- Riveting welding assembly and hydraulic press operations carried out in house
- Materials including electrolytic galvanised and cold rolled plate, stainless steel, aluminium alloy, copper, brass and zinc alloy
- Hand plate proofing, sheet metal proofing and mass production, plus incoming material processing
Who This Is For
- Medical equipment and financial instrument manufacturers needing precision structural parts
- 5G communication chassis and enclosure developers
- Automated robotics smart appliance and car audio and navigation suppliers
- Buyers of shrapnel shield covers and special-shaped precision stampings
Stage By Stage
Each stage lists the problem it exists to prevent and how we handle it.
Enquiry and Drawing Intake
A quote request with no thickness no material grade and no tolerance callout can only be answered with a guess that later turns into a dispute.
We ask for the part drawing with material, thickness, tolerance and finish stated, plus whether you are supplying material for processing or want us to source it. Incoming material processing is accepted, including laser cutting, CNC bending and welding assembly as standalone operations.
Requirement Review and Manufacturability
Drawings often carry tolerances tighter than the process can hold, or bend reliefs that cannot be formed in the specified thickness, and nobody notices until first article.
We review the drawing against real process capability before quoting. Sheet metal machining accuracy is ±0.05mm per 100mm, bending is ±0.1mm per 100mm and stamping forming is ±0.2mm per 100mm, so features demanding more than that are flagged back to you with an alternative rather than accepted and missed.
Material and Thickness Selection
Selecting a grade that the process cannot cut or form at the required thickness stops the job after the purchase order is already placed.
Commonly used materials are electrolytic plate, galvanised plate, cold rolled plate, stainless steel and aluminium alloy, with stamping covering SPCC, SHCC, SECC and SGCC sheet, copper, brass and aluminium grades including 6061, 5052, 1010, 1060 and 6063. Thickness limits are stated up front, generally up to 10mm for carbon steel plate and up to 6mm for stainless steel plate.
Proofing and Sample Parts
Committing to a production quantity on an unproven fabrication drawing is how a whole batch ends up scrapped for one wrong flange.
We accept hand plate proofing and sheet metal proofing before production. The proof part lets you check fit and function against the mating assembly while a drawing correction is still cheap.
Cutting Bending and Forming
Parts passed between separate cutting bending and welding subcontractors accumulate tolerance and lose traceability at every handover.
Fiber laser cutting, CNC bending, riveting, welding and hydraulic press operations run on our own equipment in one plant, with cutting accuracy to 0.05mm and bending accuracy to 0.10mm. CNC machined parts are held to ±0.1mm per 100mm with a maximum forming size of 3000 by 1200 by 850mm.
Welding Assembly and Finishing
Individually correct parts that do not go together as a chassis leave the assembly problem with the customer.
Welding and assembly are carried out in house, so chassis and structural assemblies are delivered as finished units rather than as a box of components for you to fit together.
Quality Control
Fabrication quality that varies between production runs forces full incoming inspection on every delivery.
Sheet metal processing runs under the ISO 9001:2015 quality management system to keep product quality stable across proofing and mass production, which is what lets development proofing and volume work be handled by the same route.
Delivery and Repeat Orders
Development schedules slip when a prototype bracket takes as long to obtain as a production tool.
Lead time for sheet metal processing work is 3-7 days, which supports iterative development as well as scheduled supply. Drawings are retained so repeat orders run against the same programme, and enquiries go to [email protected].
Sheet Metal and Hardware Processing Questions
What accuracy can you hold?
What is the lead time for sheet metal processing?
Which materials and thicknesses do you process?
Can you work with material we supply?
How large a part can you produce?
Sheet Metal and Hardware Processing Starts With A Conversation
Send what you have — a sketch, a competitor part number, or just the key count and interface.