Sheet Metal Workers assemble, install and service an extensive range of heating, air conditioning, roofing, restaurant, and hospital equipment. This includes such things as: ducts, pipes, gutters, cabinets, flashings and supporting devices. Sheet Metal Worker is a nationally designated trade under the Inter-provincial Red Seal program. (Find out about Red Seal in the Trades Lingo section.)



What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)

Read blueprints. To order materials and prepare a plan for cutting and shaping, you must be able to read blueprints.

Prepare materials lists. Sheet metal workers use their knowledge about the suitability of materials for specific jobs to order the raw sheet metal required for each job.

Cut and shape metals. Sheet metal is either cut on site or in fabrication shops, using hand-held cutting shears, hydraulic shears, benders and saws. Cuts must be precise and, to provide strength, bends must be done correctly.

Operate CNC machines. These machines, controlled by a computer program, can repeat delicate and precise cutting sequences as many times as required. CNC cutters can produce intricate parts much more quickly than a sheet metal worker could cut them by hand. Custom work is still more quickly done by hand.

Use cutting machines. In the shop and in the field, cutting machines shape the large sheets of metal into the required shape. Learning to use the power tools takes experience and training.

Check for accuracy. Accuracy in the finished product is important for a precise fit and an aesthetically pleasing look. Micrometers and digital calipers can produce tolerances of close to hundredths of a millimetre.

Test and adjust systems. Sheet metal workers have a prominent role in the installation of heating and cooling systems that use forced air. They build the ducts and machinery housing, test systems and modify the ducts as required. For more information, see the Technical Terms section of this profile.

Troubleshoot and solve problems. Sometimes heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems don't work as planned. Your job is to find the problem and come up with a solution.

Do on-site design. In some cases there will be no blueprint and it will be up to you to design a plan. With time and training you will be able to tackle any job with confidence and success.

Read the full Sheet Metal Worker profile (60Kb pdf)

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