3 Sheet Metal Defects You Should Investigate
Some manufacturers encounter difficulties when they are using sheet metal during their manufacturing processes. Several of these difficulties, such as deformities during forming operations, may be due to defects that can be traced to the processes at the mill where the sheet metal was made. Below are some of the defects resulting from the production process of sheet metal:
Inclusions
Have you noticed cracks in your sheet metal products? Those cracks may have been caused by non-metallic inclusions, such as ceramic particles, which got into the molten metal during the production process at the mill. Some of those inclusions result from the abrasion that takes place while the molten metal is being stirred as it is fed into the casting machine. Such particles affect the uniformity of the microstructure of the sheet metal. Cracks, therefore, start developing from the locations of those inclusions. Contact the sheet metal mill in case you suspect that the defects you see are due to inclusions. They will review their processes and advise you on the next steps that you should take.
Roll Marks
Roll marks, such as lines through several products made from a coil of sheet metal, may also be due to defects during the sheet metal production processes at the sheet mill. How does this happen? A particle may detach from the reduction roller as a slab of metal is being reduced to the specifications of the buyer. The particle will make a mark as the sheet is rolled multiple times to make it thinner. Such marks can affect the visual appeal of your products. You should avail the coil number of the sheet that exhibited that defect so that the mill from which you obtained that material can fix the problem or replace that coil with a sheet that meets your specifications.
Crowns
Have you been seeing metal sheets wrinkling as you form them during your manufacturing processes? Such defects may be due to the differences in the thickness of the edges and the middle sections of a sheet of metal. That defect is called a crown. Forming machines that are set to strict parameters exhibit the largest number of defects due to crowns. One way around this problem is to cut off the edges of each sheet of metal before you form products from that metal. Alternatively, you can ask the sheet mill to test each coil that they deliver to you. In this way, you will be sure that the sheet metal meets your specific production requirements.
The easiest way to avoid the defects above is by identifying a sheet mill that has rigorous quality standards for all its processes.
