Materials, Processes and Equipment of Sheet Metal Parts for Kitchen Utensils

Shanghai Yixing makes many sheet metal parts, stamping parts, deep drawing parts and welding parts for many kitchen utensils like water machines, ice machines, water boilers, coffee machines, sinks, refrigerator, freezer, wine cabinets etc.  As a leading sheet metal fabrication factory, we have deep understanding of the material, manufacturing processes and equipment that need to be used for kitchen utensils.

1. Materials for kitchenware sheet metal parts

The sheet metal materials of kitchen utensils must be selected according to the design rules of kitchen utensils and the needs of use on the premise of complying with fire protection and sanitation.

0.6 to 1.0mm Q235 cold plates (powder sprayed after forming) are often used for Freezers, refrigerators, wine cabinets, and beverage cabinets. 0.6 to 0.8mm galvanized plates are often used for the back plate and bottom plate. 0.5mm pressed Flower aluminum skin or ABC are often used for inner tank.

0.8 to 1.0mm Q235 cold plates (sprayed with powder after forming) is mostly used for pure water machines, ice machines and water boilers. Electro-galvanized plates (sprayed with powder after forming) or Galvanized sheet or 201 stainless steel are often used for parts that with a lot of water vapor and large temperature differences. The easy-to-reach part of the front is made of stainless steel fingerprint-free plate. Relatively speaking, ice machines are used more often. The water boiler table is made of 202 stainless steel, the decoration is made of 6063-T5 aluminum alloy strips, and the water tank and pipelines are made of 304 food-grade stainless steel.

In 2013, galvanized aluminum magnesium (XLM for short),a novel anti-rust plate, was put on sale. An appropriate proportion of zinc, aluminum, and magnesium was added to the plate to produce a composite effect and high strength and corrosion resistance. This new type steel plate is with high corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistance is between that of galvanized sheet and stainless steel. It will also be widely used in the home appliance and kitchenware industries in the future.

2. Processing technology of kitchenware sheet metal parts

In terms of processing technology, shearing, mold punching, CNC punching or laser cutting will always have varying degrees of burrs. Domestic and foreign customers may scratch their hands during operation and maintenance, so we particularly emphasize the use of safety edges. The purpose of this : First, the parts that are frequently disassembled must have smooth edges. Second, some frames have burrs and lack strength because they are too thin. The use of safety edges not only achieves safety, improves strength, but also saves materials. For example, ice machines require frequent removal of baffles, and water boilers are prone to malfunctions and require repairs.

The same goes for kitchen utensils such as steaming utensils, shelves, and carts. If the safety side has strength requirements, it can be folded to leave a certain gap between the two sides. Knife marks are easy to appear when bending, especially stainless steel fingerprint plates, brushed plates, galvanized plates, etc., which can be reduced or removed by covering the custom sheet metal and molds with plastic. Cold plates do not have this requirement and can be welded at will because they must be powder sprayed or galvanized. For most kitchen utensils (except for a few parts such as refrigerators and freezers), it is ideal to electro-galvanize the sheets and then undergo sheet metal processing and then be powder-coated and plastic-coated, with a service life of more than ten years.

The advantage of stainless steel kitchen utensils is that the stainless steel kitchen utensils and countertops are integrated, will never crack, are fireproof and not afraid of heat, have good anti-permeability, are clean and bright, unlike marble that changes color when it touches soy sauce. Absolutely environmentally friendly, without the pollution of composite boards and the radiation of natural granite; the basin, baffle and countertop can be welded into a whole, and there are no gaps, no bacteria will breed, and it is easy to clean.

3. Kitchenware sheet metal processing equipment

Shanghai Yixing has plane laser cutting machines and 3D laser cutting machines for blanking. We have bending machines, stamping machines, and stretching machines for forming. As a reliable custom metal stamping company, we are capable of stainless steel stamping as well as deep draw manufacturing. There is also manual welding and robot welding for assembly. We are also equipped with CNC punch machines for new product development, suitable for small batch production and reducing customers' initial mold investment.

In terms of welding assembly, resistance welding is still used. The advantage of spot welding machine is that the thermal deformation zone is small and the welding is beautiful and smooth. Seam welders are rarely used for welds that require sealing. Because first, it is difficult to adjust the appropriate current; second, there are more water leaks. Manual arc welding is only used for welding thicker support plates. In Shanghai Yixing, CO2 gas shielded welding is still used. The advantages are that it is easy to learn and the welding is firm. The disadvantage is that there is a lot of spatter. Our manual argon arc welding is widely used in the welding of thin cold plates and stainless steel plates, but long welds cause large deformations, especially for thin stainless steel parts.

Now there are CNC circumferential arc welding machines (welding water pipes, etc.) and automatic argon arc welding machines (requiring fixtures and programming). After adjusting the parameters, the welds will be beautiful and the deformation will be small. Stainless steel cold welding machines (not easy to deform) and laser welding machines are also suitable for thin plate welding. Aluminum welding also often appears in various kitchenware factories. In assembly, Shanghai Yixing's rivet-less technology is also widely used, with the advantages of being flat, strong and beautiful. Rivet studs and rivet nuts are also very popular. For those with high sealing requirements, rivet weld studs and rivet weld nuts are used.

Shanghai Yixing keeps pace with the times and is equipped with complete equipment to do sheet metal processing and welding assembly for various kitchen utensils.