Aluminum Molded Parts Vs Sheet Metal
Metal stamping is performed when a sheet or strip of metal is delivered into a hydraulic or mechanical press which uses a die and high pressure to shape the metal fabrication into the desired parts.
Aluminum molded parts vs sheet metal. Conventional injection molding typically uses steel tooling capable of producing millions of parts however it often takes months to manufacture a mold and a capital investment of 50 000 or more. Metal stamping is a more primitive metal shaping method. In terms of initial cost factors metal most definitely has the edge. No matter how you spin it fiberglass simply weighs less than metal.
Chief among the growing uses for powder metals. Glass fiber reinforced polyester sheet molding compound and aluminum. They are similar and different. Plastic injection molded parts vs aluminum casting parts.
But what if production demands call for smaller quantities. Plastic injection molding and aluminum die casting are the most 2 popular methods for producing components. We have the equipment to make both metals work for your products including cnc mills a surface grinder an edm sinker a sand blaster and a polishing station. The equivalent thicknesses differ for each gauge size standard which were developed based on the weight of the sheet for a given material.
However innovations in both plastic materials and process capabilities coupled with changes in industry demands have closed many of the physical and cost. An aluminum hybrid that is often used for parts that need to be able to move inside the mold. Expect to see more use of powder metal parts in 1996 models says pete johnson of the metal powder industries federation princeton nj. Any features on the inner or outer surface of a sheet metal part must be cut out welded or bolted on as a secondary process.
Fusing sheet metal parts posted on march 12 2020 by steve konick if you re designing a part that requires you to fuse two pieces of sheet metal together it s time to think about welding vs. They are suitable for mass production but also for low volume manufacturing. Engine bearing caps and connecting rods. That s where aluminum tooling is ideal.
With these features molded into a rim mold you can reduce assembly add value to the overall design and ultimately lower unit costs. Plastic thermoforming 5 key comparisons metal versus plastic is an old argument and it s likely that you or your company have previously compared them for past projects. Sheet metal gauge size chart gauge or gage sizes are numbers that indicate the thickness of a piece of sheet metal with a higher number referring to a thinner sheet.