Aluminum sheet metal are used by many different industries, and many different industries use sheet metal made of aluminum for products like ductwork, airplanes, and signage. When purchasing aluminum sheet metal, there is two main decisions that must be made: the thickness of the aluminum sheet metal and the alloy of the aluminum sheet metal. Aluminum sheet metal come in different thicknesses, which is represented by gauge numbers.
However, gauge numbers is not readily understandable as to the thickness of that particular metal. Furthermore, aluminum sheet metal gauges are not the same as steel sheet gauges. If you order aluminum sheet metal according to the gauge of steel sheet metal, it will be thinner then expected due to the fact that aluminum sheet metal is considerable lighter and only approximately one-third the weight of steel sheet metal.
Choosing and Using Aluminum Sheet Metal
For these reason, aluminum sheet metal is utilized in items that must be transported or in items that utilizes aluminum sheet metal panels for architecture projects. The alloy of the sheet metal will impact the performance of that sheet metal. For instance, 1100 series alloy contain nearly pure aluminum and are soft and resistant to corrosion.
3003 alloys contain manganese and is stronger than 1100 series aluminum but are still relatively easy to forming. 5052 alloys also contain magnesium but are more stronger than 3003 metals and are resistant to salt water. 6061 metals can be heat treated to increase their strength but has more difficulty being formed into the desired shape.
When bending aluminum sheet metal, it is important to account for the springback that may occurs in the sheet metal after bending. The sheet metal will tend to bend less then when it was first bent, so the metal must be overbent when bent sheet metal is desired. Additionally, the minimum bend radius must be considered.
The bend radius for aluminum sheet metal should be larger if the metal is a harder alloy; softer alloys has a smaller bend radius but the softer metals may not be stiff enough for the project. There are different method of cutting and joining aluminum sheet metal according to the thickness of the aluminum sheet metal. If the sheet metal is thicker, it can be plasma or water jet cut.
If it is thinner, it will be laser cut. If you weld the aluminum sheet metal, an shielding gas and the sheet metals surface must be prepared due to the tendency of aluminum sheet metal to form aluminum oxide on its surface. When joining aluminum sheet metal to other metal, caution is advised.
Aluminum sheet metal will corrode if it is in contact with steel. Such corrosion is due to the galvanic reaction between the two metals and can be prevent by using aluminum rivets for the joint or coating the stainless steel fastener. Using the correct fastener will prevent the sheet metal from corroding.
When ordering aluminum sheet metal, there is a specific order in which the order may be processed to ensure that the sheet metal that is ordered is the correct sheet metal. The order of operations include selecting the type of alloy for the sheet metal, choosing the temper of the metal, deciding on the decimal thickness of the metal, standard sheet size or coil stock sizes, and ordering mill certification for the sheet metal if it is to be used in any structural component. Following this order of operations will ensure that the sheet metal behave in the way that it is to be used.
