Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting · Lesson 2 of 4

Shearing, slitting, notching and cutting: materials, standards and design constraints

How the metal changes the cut, what happens at a cut edge, how coated sheet is cut and cleaned, and the regulations and PPE that apply.

You will be able to: Take thickness from the register, read published clearance ranges by metal, protect stainless, copper, galvanized and painted edges, and name the rules that govern shear safety.

11 min · 11 slides · 9 questions

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Slide 1 of 11

Thickness comes from the register

A gauge number is not a thickness, and it differs by metal. In AFS's material register:

24 ga galvanized: 0.0276 in
26 ga galvanized: 0.0217 in
16 ga galvanized: 0.0635 in
24 ga stainless: 0.025 in
16 oz copper: 0.0216 in
Aluminum: 0.018 to 0.08 in

Sources

AFS material register (alloys, thicknesses, weights and expansion coefficients) - Architectural Flashing Supply
AFS fabrication limits - materials, thicknesses, bend rules and sizes the shop can make - Architectural Flashing Supply

Glossary

Swarf: The fine metal debris left by cutting and drilling.
Cathodic protection: Zinc corroding in place of the steel next to it, so steel exposed at a galvanized cut edge is protected for a short distance.
Shearing action: Cutting by two blades passing each other, as snips and shears do, rather than by abrading or sawing.
Point of operation: In OSHA's words, the area on a machine where work is actually performed upon the material.