Sheet Metal Shearing & Blanking Services - Hydraulic, Manual & Light-Gauge Cutting Vasai - Mumbai - Palghar

Shearing in sheet metal is a cutting process where a straight-line cut is made through sheet material by applying opposing blade forces above and below the sheet. The upper blade is angled so the cut progresses from one end to the other, reducing the force required. Shearing produces straight-edge blanks from sheet stock without material removal — the cut edge is formed by fracture propagation between the upper and lower blade, not by chip formation as in sawing or grinding. At Aero Enterprises Unit I, shearing is performed on CNC, hydraulic, and mechanical shearing machines depending on material grade, thickness, and blank dimension accuracy requirement.

The shearing process in sheet metal fabrication involves four steps: (1) blade gap setting — the clearance between upper and lower blades is calibrated to 5–10% of material thickness for clean edge condition; (2) sheet positioning — the sheet is placed on the shearing table and positioned against the back gauge stop which controls blank length; (3) shearing stroke — the upper blade descends and shears the material, with the cut progressing from one end to the other; (4) blank verification — first-off blanks are checked for squareness, dimension, and edge condition before batch shearing is approved. At Aero Enterprises Unit I, blade gap calibration per material grade is performed before every production run.

Blanking is a sheet metal cutting process where a punch and die are used to cut a net-shape blank from sheet material in a single press stroke. The punched-out blank is the product — the surrounding sheet is scrap skeleton. Blanking differs from shearing in that it produces complex shaped blanks (round, oval, irregular profiles) rather than straight-line cuts. Blanking is used to produce net-shape blanks feeding deep draw operations, progressive die stamping, and precision component production where the blank profile must be consistent to maintain the downstream forming process.

Shearing produces straight-line cuts through sheet metal using two opposing blades — the output is a rectangular or strip blank. Blanking uses a punch and die in a press to cut a net-shape profile blank from sheet — the output can be any closed profile geometry. Shearing is faster and lower cost for rectangular blanks. Blanking is correct for round, oval, and complex-profile blanks where straight-line shearing cannot produce the required blank geometry. At Aero Enterprises Unit I, shearing is performed on the dedicated shearing machines and blanking is performed on the power press floor using blanking dies.

Burr on sheared sheet metal edges is caused primarily by incorrect blade gap setting for the material grade and thickness being sheared. A blade gap that is too large produces excessive rollover on the entry face and a large burr on the exit face. A blade gap that is too small increases required shearing force and produces a rough fracture zone. Secondary causes include worn or chipped blade edges. At Aero Enterprises Unit I, blade gap is calibrated per material grade and thickness before every production run. First-off edge condition is inspected before batch shearing is approved.

Grain direction in sheet metal refers to the directionality of the steel microstructure produced during rolling — steel grains are elongated in the rolling direction. For components undergoing tight-radius bending or deep drawing after shearing, the blank must be oriented so the primary bend line runs perpendicular to the rolling direction (across grain). Bending with the grain — bend line parallel to the rolling direction — risks cracking on the outer bend face on ductile grades like CR IS 513 DDQ. At Aero Enterprises Unit I, grain direction is maintained and documented for all blanks destined for DDQ deep draw and tight-radius bending operations.

Maximum shearing thickness at Aero Enterprises Unit I is 6.0mm for mild steel (MS HR IS 2062) on the manual hydraulic shearing machine with 2500mm maximum blade length. Maximum stainless steel shearing thickness is 4.0mm. Thin gauge below 1.5mm is handled on two dedicated kachi light-gauge cutting machines for clean edge condition. All thicknesses up to 6mm MS are processed across CR IS 513, HR IS 2062, GI IS 277, SS 304, SS 316, aluminium, brass, and copper.

CNC shearing uses an NC-controlled back gauge that positions the sheet automatically before each cut stroke — producing consistent blank dimensions across the full batch without manual measurement between cuts. It is correct for precision blanks in high-volume batches where ±0.2mm blank dimension consistency matters. Manual hydraulic shearing uses a manually set back gauge — the operator measures and sets the stop position for each cut. Hydraulic drive provides the force for thick and heavy-gauge material. It is correct for structural plate cutting, large-format blanks, and non-precision work where CNC back gauge control is not required.

Aero Enterprises Unit I at Survey No. 109, Richard Compound, Manchipada Road, Vasai Phata, Vasai East, Palghar 401208, Maharashtra provides CNC shearing, hydraulic shearing, mechanical shearing, kachi light-gauge cutting, drill tapping, and surface grinding services in Vasai, Palghar, Virar, Nalasopara, Bhayandar, Mira Road, and the Mumbai metro region. Sheared and blanked components proceed directly to CNC press brake bending, stamping, welding, and powder coating on the same floor.