Sheet Metal

	Robotic, CNC & semi-manual plant for a wide demand variety
	Full range of primary and auxiliary in-house operations
	Laser profiling & laser inspection station
	Skilled and experience workforce

Reputation

Occupying the majority of the 2230 sq. metres of ground-level floor space in our main site building, the Ripley sheet metal service continues to be the cornerstone upon which our hard-earned reputation is built.

Investment

As a forward thinking company, we continuously invest in the best of current technology (such as laser profiling and robotic manufacturing cells), whilst retaining the most effective traditional methodology for optimum flexibility.

You are welcome to peruse our Sheet Metal Capacity Sheet for validation!

Primary Operations

The primary operations within our sheet metal service are:

	Laser and punch profiling - using CNC laser profilers or CNC punch presses.
	Bending and folding - using automated robotic bending cells or CNC brake presses.
	Welding, riveting and inserting - using robotic spotwelding cell, or skilled manual spotwelding, MIG/TIG welding, manual riveting, CNC or manual inserting.

Design Communication

Fortunately, the days when the only way to communicate your design to a manufacturer was by hard copy sent through the post are long gone. We happily accept hard copy drawings, but also are able to accept them electronically, usually resulting in faster turnaround. To see a table of file formats we can accept directly into our software systems, please click here.

Scope & Flexibility

The range of scale and automation of the plant we employ is always such that we are able to offer an effective service covering batch sizes from 1 to hundreds, or even greater. We have accumulated experience with a variety of materials and grades; from commercial to food industry grades of ferrous and non-ferrous steels, aluminium, plus other materials both metallic and non-metallic. We have extensive in-house auxiliary services including TIG welding, spot welding, inserting, graining, abrasive and detergent cleaning.

Spotlight On... Laser Profiling
A laser is a high-energy, tightly focussed, photon beam of specific wavelength and phase.

It can deliver controlled high intensity heat to a small precise area. There are various types, but CO₂ lasers are usually used for cutting hard materials.
Unlike traditional presses that move an entire sheet beneath a heavy punching turret loaded with a limited number of tools, the much lighter laser head moves above a stationary sheet very quickly and precisely, burning a clean channel of unlimited complexity through the material.
Key advantages of laser profiling over mechanical pressing are:
Cleaner edges, better geometry, unlimited profile complexity, better accuracy & repeatability, higher throughput, less material wastage.

Sheet Metal

Reputation

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