While working in a metal manufacturing company, you must know there is a lot of machinery in use and steel metal shear is one of them. Shearing is one of the first processes while sizing any material into easy to handle and workable pieces.
Searing machines have been around for many years, and you will not believe that they have not changed significantly throughout time. However, the type of shearing machine you want to use in your metal manufacturing company will all depend on what you need to use it for.
You can rate any shear cutter depending on its ability to cut a certain steel thickness to a certain length. However, you will find different designs and options in shear cutters for varying production requirements.
Below, we will cover almost everything about this steel cutting machine and discuss five factors you should consider before purchasing a steel metal shear machine, helping you to make the right decision.
What is metal shearing?
Metal shearing is the metal fabrication process used to trim unwanted material or trim sheet metal. It can cut a steel metal in a straight line. Moreover, you can also use this process to prepare blanks for later metal processing, like CNC punching or sizing a workpiece.
How does a steel metal shear machine work?
In the metal shearing process, you always need a machine or a tool to cut through sheet metal. However, this process does not require any heat or produce any waste in the form of chips, making it the famous choice for all manufacturers as complete material utilization.
The tool used in the process is designed to cut with extreme precision. Firstly, the shearing metal holds the sheet metal with a series of pressurized clamps known as hold-downs. Then the cutter present at the top of the machine moves down across a lower blade to cut.
The upper and the lower blades present on the machine will not be present in the same position so that there will be no collision between both blades. They are slightly apart to provide the cleanest possible sheared edges.
However, the lower blade stays in one position on the machine while the upper blade is forcefully pushed down. The upper blade is present slightly at an angle on the lower side, allowing you to cut from one end to another instead of once.
Thus, reducing the force to cut a metal sheet. If we talk about the quality of the blades, they come up in different grades depending on hardness, resistance, or absorption.
Factors you should consider before purchasing a sheet metal shear
A metal shearing cutter has different abilities for different materials. These machines also come in technological advances that work faster and are more productive. Here are some factors to consider before making any decision.
1. Choosing the drive system: Hydraulic or mechanical shears
The first choice is between mechanical or hydraulic shear cutters. The hydraulic shears use pressurized liquids present in the moving cylinders.
These moving cylinders force the cutting blade downward through the sheet metal. On the other hand, mechanical shears combine a crankshaft with a motorized flywheel operating the ram.
It creates an upward and downward motion to give the desired cut. If we talk about which one will be best for you, the ease of maintenance and the full cycle speed of a mechanical shear is enough to convince you that this is the right direction to cut.
On the other hand, hydraulic shears have the flexibility of variable stroke length and improved safety features.
2. Type of metal is being sheared
The type of metal thickness you want to cut will also affect your purchase choice. An air or electrically operated shear machine will be ideal if you want to shear thin gauge metal or light aluminum.
Or, if you want to cut a ¾ plate with plasma cut holes, you need an excellent mechanical shear machine with shock absorption abilities. Not only do you have to consider the type of material, but you also have to consider the structure of the material.
3. Selecting new or used shear options
Whether you are focusing on the new market or checking out the secondhand units, purchasing a high-quality steel metal shear machine is possible. New machines may offer additional features, while secondhand models do not provide any extra features yet are affordable at the same time.
You only have to ensure the brand of the machine you are purchasing and the specifications. From a reliability and quality perspective, you have to select a well-known and trusted brand to make sense.
4. Consider the shear-type: Guillotine or Swing beam
The type of shear is related to the way the blade moves. The swing beam shear comes with a cantilevered ram forcing down the blade by using the power of leverage, while Guillotine shears will allow it to drive upside down.
Guillotine shears are more robust than Swing beam shears but they are also expensive at the same time.
However, the type of mechanism present in any machine will determine its design. That is why Guillotine shears are larger and heavier than swing beam shears.
5. Accessing control capabilities
The price and performance of the steel metal shear will all depend on how it will be controlled. Manually performing the desired tasks will be the most basic and affordable example for human operators.
On the other hand, automated shearing operations will be the more advanced and costly option. However, the computerized shearing operation will keep the operator at a safe distance and improve efficiency.
Your choice will all depend on the budget and on your needs.
Wrapping up
We hope the factors shown in the article will help you choose the right steel metal shear machine. You have to take your time and carry out thorough calculations to ensure you strike the right product that works effectively on the most critical parameters for your business.