What Is Metal Shearing and Its Advantages Over Other Cutting Methods?

Metal cutting requires precision, clarity, and minimum possible waste. Several methods are used for cutting, but which one is best? Metal shearing is one of the cutting methods that is the most common and is used extensively by metal suppliers and manufacturing giants. So, what is the shearing process and why is it so popular?

What Is Metal Shearing Method?

Shearing is a process that uses shear force on metal to cut it. Metal is placed down on a bench or a hold down. A square arm positions the cut. The blade is attached to a tool or a machine. There are two blades, a lower blade and an upper blade. When the metal is put into place, the blade cuts it down with force, giving clear edges and cuts. The lower blade usually remains stationary.

Why Metal Shearing Is Better Than Other Cutting Methods?

Several other metal cutting methods are available, but the shearing process is the cutting method most widely used. The shearing process is not a panacea for all metal cutting needs, but its advantages make it one of the best metal cutting methods.

Why? Here are the answers:

It Provides Clear Cuts

One of the greatest benefits of metal shearing is straight and clean cuts which are not offered by any other cutting method. Be it laser cutting or plasma cutting, the edges aren’t as smooth as shearing. The blades in the shearing process slide along the metal sheet with great force, leaving a clean cut.

Straighter Lines

The shearing process is best for cutting metals and provides straighter cuts than any other method. The hold downs keep the metal in place, allowing the blades to make straighter cuts. The method will leave you in awe with its perfect, straight lines.

Minimum Waste

Unlike sawing, or grinding, which results in metal wastage, shearing is an efficient process. The material is cut with much precision, and there is a bare minimum or even zero wastage of metal, which makes it the best metal cutting process.

It Is Best Suited for Soft Metal

Soft metals like bronze, aluminum, brass, or thin steel sheets need gentle cutting. Sawing, grinding, welding, flaming, etc., damage these metals. Shearing involves a blade that doesn’t saw, melt, or grind the metal, making it a perfect cutting method for softer metals.

Best For High-Output Industries

Shearing takes less time than welding, flaming, plasma cutting, and grinding. High volume applications that cut thousands of metal sheets every day require a process that is fast, efficient, and low cost. The shearing metal cutting method fits this requirement.

Is Shearing the Perfect Metal Cutting Method?

No method is perfect. Every method has its pros and cons. The shearing method is no different.

Some of the cons of the shearing process are:

• It is not suitable for harder metals like tungsten.
• It is not ideal for lengths less than 0.25”.
• The straight and clean cuts depend mainly on the metal being cut. It can leave the metal deformed if the blades don’t hit right.
• It is not suitable for thick plates.
• It is less expensive.
• It is much faster than other cutting methods.

Despite the disadvantages, the shearing process offers cleaner, straighter, and less deformed cut metals, which makes it stand out from other metal cutting methods.

Shearing At NM Metals

NM Metals is one of the best metal suppliers in New Mexico. Apart from offering high-quality metals and thousands of metal products, we offer the best services in town and nearby areas. We boast of our quality and our well-trained staff.

Shearing is one of the services we offer. We have three different shearing machines. The Cincinnati mechanical squaring shear can cut metal ultrathin. Its shear tolerance is +/- 1/16^th, which makes it one of the best shear machines. It can cut steel, stainless steel, mild steel, aluminum, bronze, copper, alloy sheet, Nickel sheet, #8 mirror, and many more.

We have another shear that is a Pexto Model mechanical squaring shear which can shear 12-gauge x 52” capacity. Its shear tolerance is +/- 1/16^th and is one of our best shearing machines.

The third shearing machine is out GEKA Ironworker which will shear plate and bar up to .375” thick and 14” wide.  It will also shear Steel Angles up to 4” X 4” X 0.375”, Low Carbon Square Bar, and Round Bar up to 1.5”.

At NM Metals, we believe in precision and maintaining quality throughout our processes, thus providing you with the cleanest and most perfectly sheared metals.

You can drop by anytime and contact us at your convenience. Quality awaits you at NM Metals.