You don’t have to use a lathe or any other heavy-duty manufacturing machine to cut sheet metal. There are handheld tools available for this purpose. Known as industrial shears, they offer a quick and easy way to cut sheet metal. Industrial shears feature a scissor-like design consisting of two blades. Using them, you can easily cut sheet metal. Below are five important things to consider when choosing industrial shears.
#1) Supported Materials
When choosing industrial shears, you should consider the type of materials they support. Some industrial shears are able to cut more materials than others. You’ll typically find that most industrial shears can cut through sheet metal. With that said, some of them are able to cut through stainless steel, aluminum, carbon steel and other common manufacturing materials.
#2) Safety Guard
It’s a good idea to choose industrial shears with a safety guard. There’s always a risk of injury when cutting materials. Cutting sheet metal, for instance, could result in a small piece of metal being projected towards your face, which can lead to eye injury. A safety guard will protect you from common injuries such as this. Industrial shears with a safety guard have a shield that blocks debris projectiles and, therefore, protects you from injury when cutting materials.
#3) Replaceable Blade
Something else to consider when choosing industrial shears is whether they have a fixed blade or a replaceable blade. You’ll typically get more use, as well as value, out of the latter type. With a replaceable blade, you won’t have to discard the industrial shears once the blade has worn down and become dull. Rather, you can remove the old blade while replacing it with a new blade.
#4) Cutting Angle
What type of cutting angle do the industrial shears offer? You’ll need to choose industrial shears that are capable of performing cuts in your desired angle. Some of them are only capable of performing straight cuts. While straight cuts are fine for many applications, other applications call for angled or curved cuts. Fortunately, there are industrial shears that offer both straight and curved cuts.
#5) Locking Mechanism
Look for a locking mechanism when choosing industrial shears. A locking mechanism is a feature that, as the name suggests, is designed to lock the blades from opening. If you aren’t using the industrial blades, you can engage the lock. The locking mechanism will prevent the blades from opening so that they don’t accidentally cut you or anyone else in your workplace.