Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin-snips which tend to deform the metal.
With the aid of a straight-edge and a sharp knife "score" BOTH sides of the aluminium sheet. This weakens the aluminium and creates a "fracture line".
Place the "fracture-line" over the edge of a table and bend the overhang SLIGHTLY downwards. Flip the sheet over and repeat. After a few "wiggles" the sheet will fracture along the cut-line leaving a clean break as shown in the above photos.
With care and patience full-size sheets of aluminium can be cut using this method. Create a long fracture-line then progressively bend the sheet from one end to to the other.
Aluminium sheets, also known as aluminium plates, are the result of basic raw-form aluminium being pressed and rolled into panel form under high pressure
Aluminium sheeting is characteristically manufactured to be very thin and lightweight, yet sturdy enough to offer extreme versatility alongside inherent ease of installation and maintenance. It also boasts numerous other unique and useful properties that make it very widely deployed today across an enormous variety of industrial, agricultural, home DIY and manufacturing/production applications.
A range of additional coatings applied to aluminium sheets can help create a long-lasting material for use in outdoor settings or other challenging environments, such as for exterior cladding. The extremely lightweight nature of very thin sheet aluminium makes it ideal for use in drinks cans, food containers and other everyday products suitable for high-volume storage, transport and retail.
Surface dimensions and thickness are the primary factors to consider when looking at options to buy aluminium sheeting in the UK. While overall surface area is the first key aspect you’ll want to consider in planning a job using this sort of sheet metal, the various material finishes available will also play a significant part in helping you select the ideal sort of aluminium sheet for your needs and intended applications.
Anodised aluminium sheeting, for example, can provide both robust protection against corrosion and a more aesthetically pleasing outer face, while raw or unfinished sheets can be coated or protected in a variety of other ways once initial forming and fabrication is complete. Suitable for use with rivet and plate fixings as well as for welding purposes, aluminium plate is viewed as an especially user-friendly sheet metal, featuring high formability and being easy to cut to size for a diverse range of applications.
It’s commonly cut to 1mm-2mm thick, and at this weight it can be formed easily by hand or with smaller handheld tools. Thicker plates may require either manually operated forming machines, or more industrial-type pneumatic presses or brakes to work into the desired shape.