Cool Facts About Industrial Sheet Metal

Leonardo da Vinci is best known as an Italian painter whose paintings are known worldwide even centuries after his death. Perhaps you’ve seen his Mona Lisa or Last Supper? Millions have, and marveled at his artistic creations. Now here’s where it gets interesting. Besides painting, da Vinci was a draftsman, sculptor, architect and engineer. He was one of the first people to use roller, cutter and press technology! So, if you use sheet metal today, you have a connection to one of the greatest legends of art there ever was or ever will be.

Sheet Metal Has Been Used for Centuries

Sheet metal has been used for centuries. Think of all the soldiers whose plate armor was created using sheet metal forming processes. Metal has been used to make offensive weapons as well as armor. On the other hand, sheet metal has also been used for peaceful things, like jewelry to adorn people throughout the ages and make them look more attractive.

In Fact, It’s Been In Use

If you had a time travel machine, you could go back in time to 4,000 B.C. and find that sheet metal was even being used back then. Workers would use stones to work the metal into desired shapes. Thankfully, today machines make metal forming more easy and efficient than in times past.

Sheet Metal Helps Improve Global Economics

Without sheet metal, the world wouldn’t be the same. For instance, thanks to sheet metal we got the invention of press brakes as well as the invention of the assembly line. It also led to the development of the initial hydraulic press, way back in the 1700s.

Now most people have heard of sheet metal, but did you know there are other categories of metal, denoted by thickness? Foil/leaf metals are thinnest, usually under .20mm, while plate metals are thickest, larger than 6mm. Sheet metal falls in the middle, ranging in thickness from .20mm to 6mm. In the U.S. people specify industrial sheet metal thickness by “gauge,” with ranges between 7 and 30 gauge. A bigger gauge number equals a thinner metal.

Sheet metal is used as a catalyst. Did you know sheets can be made from a variety of metals, including steel, aluminum, brass and copper? And for decorative purposes, sheet metals may be made with silver, gold or platinum.

Look around you– chances are you’ll see evidence of sheet metal. It’s used in automobile bodies, airplane wings and roofs.

For more information about industrial sheet metal supplies, call Eagle Alloys at 800-237-9012.https://www.eaglealloys.com/services/custom-parts/