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Design for manufacturing: bending, laser cutting, threads, files

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Monthly market price index for aluminium, copper and brass

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25 articles

Design furniture with Claude Code and have it made in our digital factory

With AI, an idea becomes a finished construction plan with a bill of materials. We make the sheet metal parts for it from a single piece, with an instant price.

Upload a CAD file, get a price in seconds: no more waiting three days

Drawing by email, three days waiting for the quotation, chasing it up: this is still how many people buy sheet metal parts. Why we have done away with it, and what the route from file to part looks like today.

About MVG

AI agents in purchasing: why we run an MCP server for sheet metal parts

Interfaces alone are not enough for AI agents. They need context: what can be made, what it costs, when it will be ready. How our MCP server provides this, and why a person still places the order in the end.

Hammered aluminium sheet: production, cutting and painting

Embossed pure aluminium with a lively surface: how hammered sheet is made, what it is suited to, and what to watch out for when cutting and painting.

Steel planes: Jonathan Pielmeier folds aeroplanes from sheet metal

The sculptor Jonathan Pielmeier folds paper planes from steel and stainless steel. At MVG in Frankfurt he folded a plane from mirror-polished stainless steel sheet – on display in our foyer.

Getting laser parts fast: what determines the delivery time

Which delivery time levels there are, why bends and threads count, when the order cut-off applies and which parts qualify for Express 24 h.

Brass or gunmetal? Three copper alloys compared

Ms58 for turned parts, Ms63 for bending, gunmetal Rg7 for bearings and bushes: how to recognise the right copper alloy.

Choosing the right bend radius and minimum flange

Why a flange cannot be as short as you like, which inside radius actually forms during bending, and how to read both for each sheet thickness.

Copper in the control cabinet: E-Cu or SF-Cu?

For busbars, conductivity counts; for brazed joints, suitability for welding and brazing. Two copper grades, two tasks.

Not all stainless steel is the same: 1.4301, 1.4305, 1.4307 and 1.4571

Four stainless steel grades, four strengths: welding, turning, chlorides. Which grade suits which semi-finished product.

Aluminium: properties and alloys

What makes aluminium special, how the alloy groups 1000 to 7000 differ, and which grade suits sheet, profile or turned part.

When aluminium becomes a racing car

A look back at 2023: how MVG supported the DART Racing Team from Darmstadt with aluminium – and why practical projects belong in university studies.

Profiles

Connecting ProFix: which T-slot nuts and connectors fit?

The slot, the thread, assembly access and operating conditions decide which connection suits your profile. This is how you narrow down the choice and avoid typical mistakes before ordering.

Profiles

Ordering a mitre cut: which dimensions does the saw need?

A clear sketch helps you avoid questions about the length, angle and orientation of your profiles.

Design

Planning sheet metal trays: clarify shape, corners and use

A bent tray can cover, frame or hold. For a suitable design, the corners and the intended use must also be clear.

Material certificates: 2.1, 2.2, 3.1 and 3.2 explained

Which document do you need for your delivery? Clarify this before you order, so that the material and the certificate match.

Choosing chequer plate: pattern, base thickness and visible side

Two thickness values, one textured surface: what matters when cutting and bending chequer plate.

V2A or V4A: choosing stainless steel by application

The generic names alone are not enough for an order. The material number and the operating conditions make your enquiry unambiguous.

Surface finishes

Anodising or powder coating: which information helps you choose?

Appearance, base material and mating surfaces determine the requirements. This is how you prepare a clear surface finish enquiry.

Files

STEP or DXF: how to prepare your sheet metal part

Which file suits your part? A short guide from export to price check.

Design

From design to sheet metal part: shape first, material second

How to use the part designer when the idea is already there but the material decision is still open.

Design

Preparing bent parts: dimensions, flanges and cut-outs

The key questions before configuring an L, U or Z profile.

Profiles

Profiles cut to length: the right cut in four steps

Matching profile shape, material, dimensions and length correctly.

Where university studies and the metal trade meet

Four perspectives on a business in which material, customer questions and digital tools belong together.

A thesis needs a good question

From a broad interest to a workable research question with practical relevance.