Sheet metal preparation
Sheet Metal Cutting, Bending and Forming Machines
Plasma and laser cutters, sheet shears, slitting machines, folding machines, riveting machines and auxiliary forming equipment.
Overview
Before a coil becomes a duct it has to be cut, bent and formed. This category covers the shop-floor machines that prepare sheet metal for the forming line: plasma and laser cutters for profile cutting, electrical-driven and mechanical shears for straight cuts, slitting machines for narrow strips, hydraulic and pneumatic folders for bending, roll bending machines for curved sections, and riveting machines for corner assembly. SBKJ designs these machines to integrate with the SBAL auto duct line and the SBTF spiral tubeformer so you can standardise on a single supplier across your whole shop — but every machine is independent and can also be dropped into an existing workflow. Buyer profile: HVAC duct shops building out from zero, fabricators replacing aging manual equipment, and factories that want plasma or laser cutting capability without committing to a specialist laser supplier. Every machine ships with ISO 9001:2015 and CE documentation and 12-month warranty.
Machines in this category
Click any machine to view full specifications, video and datasheet.
Plasma Cutter
CNC plasma for sheet and profile cutting
Laser Cutting Machine
Fiber-laser sheet cutting
Electrical-Driven Shearing Machine
Guillotine shear for straight cuts
Slitting Machine
Narrow-strip slitting
Composite Board Cutting Machine
Pre-insulated panel cutter
Hydraulic Folding Machine
Heavy-gauge folding / brake press
Pneumatic Folding Machine
Lighter-gauge pneumatic folder
Hydraulic Rolling Machine SBJY-1500B
Plate rolling machine
Electrical-Driven Bending Machine
Light-duty roll bending
Stainless Duct Forming Machine
Dedicated stainless-grade forming
Hydraulic Riveting Machine
High-force rivet setting
Nail-free Riveting Machine F350
No-rivet tox-joint forming
Power Slitting & Beading Machine SBLQ-15
Combined slit & bead
Hydraulic Corner Binding Machine SBCC
TDF corner closing
Auto Corner Making Machine
Automatic TDF corner fabricator
Specifications at a glance
Compare the flagship models in this category. Full specifications are on each individual product page.
| Machine | Plasma Cutter | Laser Cutter | Shearing | Hydraulic Folder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work area / length | 1500x3000 mm | 1500x3000 mm | 1,500-2,500 mm | 1,500-2,500 mm |
| Max thickness | 20 mm MS | 8 mm MS / 4 mm SS | 4 mm | 3 mm |
| Drive | CNC | Fiber laser | Servo/hydraulic | Hydraulic |
| Power | 40-120 A | 1-3 kW | 4-7.5 kW | 5.5-11 kW |
| Precision | ±0.5 mm | ±0.1 mm | ±0.2 mm | ±0.1° |
How to choose
Start from the thickness and volume of cutting you do. If you cut mostly 0.5-1.5 mm galvanised HVAC sheet in straight runs, an electrical shear is the cheapest and most productive answer — plasma and laser are overkill for straight cuts. Go to plasma when you need profile cutting (circles, holes, brackets) and can accept a ±0.5 mm cut tolerance on thicker plate. Go to laser when you need high-precision profile cutting, clean edges for visible finish, or will cut stainless steel regularly — fiber laser is dramatically faster than plasma on thin stainless. For bending, hydraulic folders handle thicker gauges and give precise angles; pneumatic folders are lighter, faster and cheaper for the 0.5-1.0 mm range. Riveting: choose hydraulic riveting for any corner seeing vibration or structural load, and the F350 nail-free machine for fast corner assembly on light-gauge duct where a mechanical tox joint is acceptable.
Standards and compliance
CE Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, ISO 9001:2015 quality management, and applicable safety standards for laser (IEC 60825 Class 1 enclosures) and plasma (IEC 60974). Sheet metal forming machines comply with EN 1090 where structural use is intended.
Frequently asked questions
Plasma or fiber laser for HVAC duct shop cutting?
For pure HVAC duct work in 0.5-1.5 mm galvanised steel, a fiber laser pays off quickly: it cuts faster, needs less consumable maintenance than plasma, produces clean edges that do not need secondary deburring, and handles stainless steel without issue. Plasma is the better choice if you also cut thicker plate (4+ mm) for brackets and structural work, or if your budget prioritises lower upfront cost.
How much power does a fiber laser cutter need?
SBKJ fiber laser cutters are typically specified at 1 kW, 1.5 kW, 2 kW or 3 kW. A 1.5 kW laser handles up to ~6 mm mild steel and ~3 mm stainless at production speed, which covers most HVAC applications. 3 kW is the choice for shops that also cut structural brackets regularly.
Do you supply the compressor and chiller?
For plasma and laser we supply the cutting machine itself. Air compressors, water chillers and exhaust extraction are locally sourced — we provide the exact specs (flow, pressure, cooling capacity) during engineering so local suppliers can match.
What's the difference between hydraulic and pneumatic folding?
Hydraulic folders use hydraulic pressure to drive the bending beam — they handle heavier gauges (up to 3 mm at 2.5 m width), give very precise angles, and are the standard for commercial HVAC duct shops. Pneumatic folders use compressed air, are lighter, faster on short cycles, and cost less, but are limited to around 1 mm at full width.
Workshop integration patterns
Cutting, bending, and forming machines are the upstream stations of any duct workshop. Coil is decoiled and levelled, sheared to length, plasma- or laser-cut into the duct blank, scored on a folder, and then handed off to the seam closer or the TDF former for final assembly. On an SBAL-V auto duct line all of these operations are integrated into a single coil-to-duct line. On a manual or semi-auto workshop they are stand-alone stations operated by 2–4 staff, and the workflow is more flexible at the cost of lower throughput per labour hour. SBKJ supplies both configurations.
Buyer playbook
Cutting, bending, and forming machines are the most diverse category in the SBKJ catalogue and the buyer profile varies by sub-segment. Coil-line buyers are typically new rectangular-duct shops setting up their first line; plasma and laser cutter buyers are upgrading from mechanical shears for higher accuracy and lower swarf; folder and rollformer buyers are usually adding capacity to an existing shop. SBKJ engineers will ask which sub-segment you are in before recommending machines — the right answer depends on the upstream and downstream stations you already own.
Related categories
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