What does cut to size mean in metal?
Related Terms
Metal Service Center
A metal service center is a distributor that buys metal in large quantities from mills and resells it in smaller quantities with value-added processing such as cutting, sawing, and slitting.
Metal Blank
A metal blank is a flat piece of metal cut to a specific size or shape, ready to be formed, stamped, machined, or processed further. It's the starting material before a part is finished.
Shearing
Shearing is a cutting process that uses two blades — like giant scissors — to make straight cuts in sheet metal. It's the fastest way to cut rectangular blanks from flat stock.
Sawing Metal
Sawing uses a toothed blade (band saw or cold saw) to cut bar stock, plate, and structural shapes to length. It is the most common method for cutting raw stock at a service center.
Laser Cutting
Laser cutting uses a focused, high-powered laser beam to cut metal with extreme precision. Fiber lasers are the current standard for cutting steel, aluminum, and stainless with tight tolerances and clean edges.