Shaping techniques

• Shaping techniques


  • Milling machines
  • Lathes
  • 3D printing
  • Press forming
  • Casting
  • Die casting
  • Sheet metal folding
  • Laminating
  • Line bending
  • Heating and bending metals
• Milling machines


  1. Remove thin layers of material

  2. Can be set to a particular cutting speed and depth

  3. Can produce a very accurate finish
• Lathes


  Machines used for turning, shaping a material while it rotates
• Lathes


  • Come in two types - wood lathes and engineers lathes (also known as a centre lathe, for working metal)
  • Used to 'turn' materials, to make objects
  • Material is held and rotated by the lathe, while a tool or bit is pressed onto the material to cut it
  • Material needs to be held tightly and straight, especially for long pieces
• Milling machines and lathes in CAM

  Subtractive CAM processes - material is removed from a larger piece of material to make the product
• 3D printing


  • Additive CAM process - involves adding material to build up the product rather than by removing it
  • Works by printing layers of molten plastic, powder or wax until the full 3D shape has been formed
• Press forming


  1. Pressing metal sheets between two moulds with a large amount of force

  2. Metal sheets are often annealed to make them more malleable
• Casting


  1. Molten material is poured into a hollow mould

  2. A pattern (exact replica) is used to create a cavity in moulding sand

  3. Moulds are often made in two halves so they can be split open to release the cast material
• Die casting


  1. Molten material is poured into a die (mould) which is in the shape of the product

  2. Plastic resins can be cold-casted into moulds
• Sheet metal folding


  1. Use a sheet metal folder to shape sheet metals

  2. Outline of the product is marked out and cut from a flat sheet of metal, then corners can be joined
• Laminating


  Thin strips of wood are glued together and held in a jig which keeps them bent into the right shape
• Line bending


  1. Ideal for use with acrylic sheets

  2. Can be done manually or with a line bender or strip heater

  3. Sheet is rested on two bars and the element between them heats the plastic
• Heating and bending metals

  1. Thicker or harder metals have to be heated or annealed first to make them soft enough to bend easily

  2. Bending can cause work hardening, requiring the annealing process to be repeated
• There are several different shaping techniques to know about
• If asked to outline how to do something, make sure to include the particular process you'd use and describe the different steps