Depending on the type of part to be manufactured, the complexity of the design and the desired finish, metal sheets may be formed in 3 simple steps namely cutting, forming, and joining. (assembly)

• Cutting
  Cutting operations in sheet metal processing may be done with/without shear.
• The shear cutting processes
  Are blanking, cutting, and shearing. Non-shear processes are more precise and tailored for high-accuracy industrial end products.
• Non-shear processes
  Include laser beam cutting, water jet cutting, plasma cutting, and machining. They are more suitable for industrial use in automotive and aerospace, robotics, and sometimes engineering.
• Laser cutting:
  Applies a laser-focused light beam to cut through metal sheets. It can also be used for engraving sheet metals.

• Water jet cutting:
  A high-velocity process that directs abrasive-concentrated streams of water at the sheet to cut into the material.
• Machining:
  Can be conventional or CNC-based. This process involves the use of a tool (drill bits or lathe blades) to systemically remove pieces of material from a part. CNC milling, spinning, and turning are some of the most popular processes.
• Plasma:
  Plasma cutting uses heat-compressed ionized gases that travel at high speed and conduct electricity to direct cuts at a metal sheet.
• Forming:
  Forming is the general umbrella for processes like stamping, stretching, roll-forming, and bending. Unlike cutting where the material is removed from sheet metal, forming simply uses fabrication tools to reshape the part to the desired geometry.
• Stamping:
  A forming technique involves the use of two dies to press the metal into the desired shape.
• Bending:
  Contours a sheet metal, and can be done by hand or brake press, while roll-forming uses a pair of rolls to process an entire length of sheet metal into a coil.
• Joining:
  Joining is usually but not necessarily the final process in sheet metal fabrication. It involves processes like riveting, adhesives, brazing, and most popularly, welding.
• Welding:
  May be Stick, MIG, or TIG. The process essentially fuses two or more metal sheets by using a flame to melt them together in the presence of a filler.
• Riveting
  Joins sheet metals together by embedding small metal parts through both sheets.
• Adhesives:
  High-end glues that are capable of holding sheet metals together on their own or when used in conjunction with any other joining process.
• Brazing:
  Brazing is similar to welding, with the only difference being that the metal sheets are not melted, only the filler.
  Once the metal part has been fabricated and assembled, a host of finishing processes (detailed below) can be used to improve its properties and appearance.