Approved Sheet Metal

09/03/2026

If you mix chocolate chips into the pancake batter, you’ve made a decision. A delicious one, but a decision. Because if someone wanders in five minutes later asking for blueberries instead, that’s not a quick tweak anymore. That’s a whole new batch.

Sheet metal parts run into the same problem when the design is built too tightly around version one. If there’s no room for future hardware, larger components, cable routing, access panels, or revised mounting locations, one small product change can snowball into a much bigger redesign.

It’s not about overbuilding. It’s about knowing where change is most likely and leaving a little room there.

More in our latest blog: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/blog/designing-sheet-metal-parts-that-can-adapt-to-future-product-changes

Learn how to design sheet metal parts that can adapt to future product changes without overbuilding, adding cost, or creating unnecessary redesign work.

09/02/2026

Some reviews make us want to frame them.

Or at least give them a nice spot on the fridge.

Kyle's review hits on the things we work hard to get right: accurate parts, reliable delivery, and customer service that makes the process easier instead of more complicated. We're grateful for the trust and always happy to hear when that effort shows up on the customer side.

Thanks, Kyle.

Request a quote: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/request-for-quote

09/01/2026

September 1 marks the beginning of meteorological fall.

Sheet metal, naturally, would rather spring back. ↩️

After metal is bent, its elasticity causes it to move slightly back toward its original shape. That movement can become more pronounced in deep bends, particularly with materials like stainless steel and 6061-T6 aluminum.

Without compensation, the angle you designed isn't the angle you get.

At Approved Sheet Metal, we compensate for springback by applying overbend angles, selecting tooling and bend radii for the material and thickness, and verifying the result during first article inspection.

Here's a deeper look at how we form complex parts accurately: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/blog/deep-forming-considerations-for-sheet-metal-fabrication



Related: Fabricators & Manufacturers Association

08/27/2026

When you look at a piece of raw metal, what do you see?

A. A piece of raw metal (obviously)

B. A future bracket, housing, or another precision component

If you picked B, we may have your next job opportunity.

Approved Sheet Metal is hiring a CNC Machinist at our Hudson, NH facility. You’ll operate CNC mills, program at Hurco controllers or with Mastercam, work from engineering drawings, and inspect finished components using micrometers, bore gauges, and a CMM.

Our ideal candidate loves making things, enjoys solving problems, and notices the tiny details that determine whether a part is headed for the loading dock or the scrap bin.

You’ll join a supportive, growth-oriented team that appreciates good work, good ideas, good people—and a little fun along the way.

Ready to make something great?

Apply here: https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Approved-Sheet-Metal/jobs

08/26/2026

We don't cut corners.

At Approved Sheet Metal, our team welds them all the way around.

In this 2.5-minute video, a flat piece of cold-rolled steel becomes a fully formed, fully welded box. It starts with laser cutting and forming, then moves into tack welding to hold everything in position before every seam is fully welded.

Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPaqAdZPOH0



Related: American Welding Society

The Approved Sheet Metal team provides precision sheet metal parts ...

08/25/2026

Sheet metal hardware part numbers read like something you'd need to whisper to get into a speakeasy.

But SP-632-1-ZI is not a password. It's a hardware designation that tells you the hardware type, thread size code, shank code, and finish in one compact little string.

Useful? Definitely.

Fun to decode by hand every time? Less definitely.

That's why our free Hardware Reference Sheet exists. It pulls together hardware/material compatibility, finishing order, shank numbers, thread codes, hardware lengths, and the special cases that can trip people up, including stainless and locking hardware.

You'll find it in our Engineers Toolbox, along with our DFM ebook, CAD tooling library, sheet metal bend gains chart, and other free resources.

Download it here:https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ASMHardwareReferenceSheet-FinalV3.pdf



Related: Fabricators & Manufacturers Association

08/20/2026

Before a custom sheet metal job reaches the floor, two important questions need answers:

✔️ What will the job require?
✔️ What’s the best way to build it?

At Approved Sheet Metal in Hudson, NH, we’re hiring one person to answer each.

Our Sheet Metal Fabrication Estimator reviews drawings and RFQs, calculates material, labor, machine time, and finishing costs, and quickly provides customers with accurate quotes.

Our Precision Sheet Metal Programmer turns engineered designs into optimized programs, nests, routings, setup instructions, and production plans that help the production team get the job right.

Both are full-time hybrid positions with competitive pay, benefits, growth opportunities, and a company culture that gives good people plenty of reasons to stay.

Estimator: https://www.indeed.com/job/sheet-metal-fabrication-estimator-hybrid-ecb3bb6ef5f87df6

Programmer: https://www.indeed.com/job/precision-sheet-metal-programmer-hybrid-bf694f448619ffcf

08/19/2026

Every formed feature on a sheet metal part has the same diva requirement: give it a little space or it won’t perform.

When you crowd a rib, hole, or bead too close to a bend, you may not get the stronger, cleaner part you were aiming for. Instead, you can end up with distortion, tooling problems, or a feature that doesn’t form consistently from part to part.

How much space? Here are some rough starting points:

→ Holes, ribs, and beads: 2 to 3 times material thickness from a bend
→ PEM hardware and embosses: closer to 3x
→ Features from each other: about 2x

Here’s how smart feature placement can help strengthen a sheet metal part without turning it into a shop problem: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/blog/designing-stronger-sheet-metal-parts-with-flanges-ribs-and-gussets

08/18/2026

These frames are tubular in both senses of the word.

Literally, because they're built from stainless tubing.

And also in the 1985 sense, because cleanroom-grade stainless steel does something most people don't realize: it provides a strong, smooth, corrosion-resistant surface without requiring a coating that can chip, flake, or contaminate a controlled environment over time.

Which, for the record, we think is totally tubular.

For medical carts, trays, chassis, baskets, and equipment frames, strength is only part of the requirement. Cleanability has to be designed into the frame, from joint geometry that can be welded and polished properly to fewer little corners where debris can collect.

That's where Approved Sheet Metal brings the right mix of digital planning, experienced stainless welders, careful fixturing, and polishing skill.

Here's what goes into building cleanroom-grade stainless steel tubular frames: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/blog/new-capability-stainless-steel-tubular-frames-for-the-medical-industry



Related: MassMEDIC

08/13/2026

Your favorite old sweats may be perfect for the couch.

But they're probably (hopefully) not what you're wearing to a job interview.

Sheet metal parts work the same way. Some parts are meant to be seen, so the finish has to match the job. Other parts are hidden inside the assembly, where the same level of cosmetic finishing may not matter nearly as much as fit, function, safety, and durability.

On one internal-parts project, getting this information up front allowed us to use a simpler finishing approach, saving 20 minutes per part and cutting lead time by 30%.

Learn why this one detail affects finishing, inspection, cost, and lead time: https://www.approvedsheetmetal.com/blog/fabricating-a-show-part-or-internal-component-tell-your-manufacturer