The Selection of an Appropriate Method to Manufacture Thin Sheet Metal Parts Based on Technical and Financial Considerations

Thin sheet metal parts have been manufactured traditionally by the technique of stamping. However in recent years various non­conventional machining processes have been developed to fabricate such parts. These processes include:

• wire electro-discharge machining (WEDM)
• laser beam machining (LBM) or laser cutting
• photochemical machining (PCM)
• photoforming ( electroforming through photoresist stencils)
• CNC nibbling/punching
• CNC routing
• plasma arc cutting and
• flame cutting