The end product of the complex sheet metal fabrication task described in this blog article, a control cabinet, will be used in the renewable energy sector.
A number of important customer critera had to be taken into consideration during manufacturing the sheet metal part made of galvanised steel (DX51DZ275 MAC), e.g. reducing the weight of the part as well as the increased corrosion resistance due to the outdoor usage of the part. Thus in the consultation phase together with the Customer we modified the requested 2mm thickness to be 1,5mm and also we suggested the galvanised material to be powder painted/surface treated after manufacturing the part. During manufacturing a few other elements with the same surface treatment will be connected to the control cabinet. Because of the outdoor usage the part must meet further overall aesthetic requirements.
Series production, which means 2000-3000 pcs/year, could be started right after the fisrt sample production and customer qualitfication. The complexity of the task partly lies in the several sheet metal fabrication technologies applied:laser cutting of galvanised steel, bending, PEM, stud welding and riveting. Finally the last operational step is powder coating and the component is already ready-made, it requires no further manufacturing. Partly we can speak about complexitiy as it is a unit consisting of many other similar parts.
In order to be able to deliver the sheet metal parts to the customer intact and sratch-free the proper packaging of the sheet metal parts after manufacturing is essential. In our case because of the powder paint a more strict packaging method had to be followed (foil packaging and space-filling packaging) so as to avoid the possible scratchings, surface damage during transport.
