Bracket are connecting devices used to connect two objects. Common types are L-brackets, U-brackets, and Z-brackets.
In architecture, they may be made of wood or stone and used to connect walls with features such as railings or eaves. However, in engineering, they are often made of sheet metal and used to support objects such as shelves, countertops, flooring, furniture sections, and mounted televisions.
While there are many types of brackets, they are most commonly L-shaped, with the vertical portion of the bracket attached to the wall (or another large upright structure) and the horizontal portion attached to a smaller object mounted on the wall, such as a shelf.
Brackets often have holes in them, either threaded or unthreaded, so that screws or other fasteners can pass through them, but this is not a defining feature of a bracket.
Most brackets are functional, their purpose is to connect and support objects. However, brackets can also be decorative: since brackets are often visible (such as on shelves mounted above eye level), they may be decorative and ornate, ranging from intricate machined decorative features to gold plating.
How are brackets made?
Brackets can be manufactured in a variety of ways, such as casting or CNC machining. However, the best way to make a simple bracket is sheet metal fabrication.
One of the most common sheet metal processes is bending, where a machine called a brake is used to bend the sheet metal to an angle of up to 120°. This is probably the most important process when making sheet metal brackets, as almost all brackets contain at least one bend.
Other sheet metal processes must also be used. Before any bending is done, the sheet metal must be cut to size using a machine such as a laser cutter or plasma cutter. A punch may be used to punch holes in the bracket (for screws), and welding may be required to add gussets or other features.
In addition to the sheet metal processes mentioned above, CNC machining can be used to add more complex features to the bracket, especially for custom designs of non-standard parts.
Common Bracket Types
There are several bracket types that can be made using sheet metal fabrication and other processes. The type of bracket varies depending on the application and the object they are designed to support.
L-Bracket
The L-bracket is one of the most common types of brackets. As the name implies, it has an L-shaped profile after being bent along a single axis, usually forming a 90° angle.
L-brackets are used in many applications where a horizontal object (such as a shelf) needs to be mounted to a vertical object (such as a wall).
U-brackets
A U-bracket is another type of bracket. Unlike an L-bracket, a U-bracket is bent along two axes, creating a U-shaped profile.
A U-bracket can be used to clamp an object between its two flanges, or to mount two parallel horizontal objects one on top of another.
Z-brackets
A Z-bracket is another type of bracket that contains two bends. However, unlike a U-bracket, where both bends are made on the same side of the sheet metal, a Z-bracket bends one flange inward and the other flange outward, creating a Z-shaped profile.
Z-brackets can be used to mount parallel surfaces that are offset from each other.
Gusset Brackets
A gusset bracket is a bracket that is braced with additional material to increase its strength and load-bearing capacity. It is like an L-bracket, but with an additional triangular section of material between the vertical and horizontal sections.
The gussets can be welded to the bracket or included in a single piece: in the latter case, the horizontal and vertical faces of the bracket are bent from the edges of the triangle.
Of course, an important feature of a metal bracket is the holes for the fasteners. While wooden or plastic brackets may simply be drilled through at the mounting point, metal brackets should have dedicated holes. Determine the size of the fasteners to be used when designing the bracket, and adjust the diameter of the holes accordingly. If nuts cannot be used, threaded (threaded) holes may be required. Finally, if you need to customize metal brackets in large quantities, you can choose Mulan Group to cooperate. Whether it is industrial, architectural or electronic communications industry, Mulan Group can meet the sheet metal manufacturing of various metal brackets. Because Mulan Group is a professional sheet metal company in China, it has 12 years of experience in sheet metal processing and trade services, exported to more than 30 countries and regions in the world, and has complete qualification certificates.
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