sheetformed

Sheetformed is an adjective used to describe parts, products, or materials that have been produced by sheet forming, a family of manufacturing processes in which a flat sheet is plastically deformed into a three-dimensional shape. In sheet forming, the sheet is typically constrained by tooling and dies, allowing thickness to remain approximately constant with thinning in bends and draws. The term is common in metalworking, plastics processing, and composites fabrication.

Common sheet forming methods include stamping, punching, bending, deep drawing, roll forming, hydroforming, and thermoforming. These processes enable the rapid production of complex geometries with relatively good surface finish and repeatable tolerances. Material formability, tool design, and process parameters largely determine feasibility and quality, influencing issues such as springback, wrinkling, tearing, and thickness variation.

Materials used in sheet forming span metals (such as aluminum, steel, copper), thermoplastics and other polymers, composite laminates, and ceramic sheets. Each material class presents distinct formability limits, springback behavior, and surface characteristics requiring specific tooling and process optimization.

Applications of sheetformed components include automotive body panels, appliance enclosures, packaging trays, consumer electronics housings, and architectural cladding. The approach offers efficient material use and high production rates but can involve high initial tooling costs and geometric constraints related to sheet thickness and formability.