Sheet metal working encompasses machinery for cutting, forming, joining and finishing sheet metal. The choice of machinery depends on the sheet thickness, material and quantity required.
The main machines are guillotine shears (mechanical or hydraulic, for straight cuts), press brakes (for bending with 30–1000 tonnes of pressing force), laser cutting systems (fibre or CO₂ lasers, high-precision and fast), waterjet cutters (for delicate materials), punching machines / CNC punching machines, plasma cutters, as well as profile bending machines and tube bending machines.
Common manufacturers include TRUMPF (market leader for lasers and punching), Bystronic, Amada, Salvagnini, LVD, Mazak Optonics, Prima Power, Haco, Durma and Ermaksan.
Sheet metal working machines are used in the sheet metal fabrication industry, in steel and metal construction, in ventilation technology (duct manufacturing), in bodywork construction, in control cabinet production, in the furniture industry (metal furniture) and in the automotive supply industry.