Sheet Metal products are fundamental items in the metal working field. Sheet metal is versatile and can be molded, cut, and bent in a large variety of shapes and sizes. Sheet metal products can be thick or extremely thin, like a foil. They can be used in a large array of projects, from basic arts and crafts to siding on buildings and beyond. There are many items in our everyday lives that are made of sheet metal, even if we don’t see them, and there are some very surprising things made of sheet metal, some you wouldn’t think possible.
Sheet metal products are present in our lives, even if we don’t think about it or see them. Your mailbox is likely made of sheet metal. Your oven in probably surrounded in sheet metal, and if you have a stainless steel refrigerator that is also sheet metal. If you have a metal medicine cabinet in your bathroom that is also part of the sheet metal products family. Behind your walls hides your HVAC system, which is fabricated sheet metal. If you have a metal roof, that is sheet metal, as are your gutters. However, sheet metal products can be used for more than just practical things around the home. You can easily use sheet metal products to add industrial as well as vintage flare to your home. Using copper sheet metal products will give your home a classic look, especially if you are using hammered copper. Using stainless steel sheet metal will give more of a modern industrial feel. These two very different styles are often epitomized in kitchens, with sheet metal bringing the design focal point, generally embodied in a stunning oven vent hood, counters, and backsplashes.
Sheet metal products are also used in some very creative ways. Artists have been using metals in their works for eons, even in some ancient cultures. Because of the wide range of things sheet metal products can do artists can really embrace them as their muse. Sheet metals allow the artists to create depth and structure while embracing the textures sheet metals can come in. Sheet metal is also very durable so it makes an ideal medium for art pieces being displayed outdoors. A shining example of outdoor sheet metal artwork is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. This is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the nation and is home to some iconic pieces. Both inside and outside the museum you will see sheet metal products used in unusual and ingenious ways.
Sheet metal products are right at home in your home, in your workplace, and in your art. They can be used aesthetically or functionally, or even both simultaneously! Even the aluminum foil you use almost every day can be considered one of the many sheet metal products you use without realizing it. So, take a trip to your local art museum and try to identify the different ways sheet metal has been used in art and then go home and cook a delicious meal in your oven made of sheet metal and then thank a local fabricator.