Industry Solutions · Home Appliances

Sheet Metal Machines for Home Appliance Manufacturing

Cabinets, housings, drums and doors — high-volume forming for washers, refrigerators, ovens and air conditioners.

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Stainless steel washing machines
  1. Step 1Cutting & Blanking
  2. Step 2Bending & Forming
  3. Step 3Welding & Finishing
  4. Step 4Automation & Tooling

Home Appliance Manufacturing Basics

How Home Appliances Are Made

Home appliances are built from thin pre-painted or galvanized steel (0.5–0.8 mm) and stainless steel. Blanks are punched or laser cut, cabinets and doors are folded on panel benders and press brakes, drums and liners are deep drawn or rolled, and parts are joined by laser welding, clinching or riveting.

Appliance makers run high volumes of thin, coated parts, so the priority is speed, automation and forming that never damages the painted surface.

Recommended machinesPanel bender solutions

Typical Parts & Materials

  • Washer & dryer cabinetsFour-sided boxes with hemsPre-painted steel 0.5–0.8 mm
  • Refrigerator side panels & doorsLong panels with return flangesPre-painted steel / stainless 0.5–0.8 mm
  • Oven & microwave housingsBox parts with louversGalvanized / stainless 0.5–1.0 mm
  • Drums & linersRolled or deep-drawn shellsStainless steel 0.4–0.8 mm
  • Air conditioner outdoor unitsCasings with grillesGalvanized steel 0.8–1.2 mm

Manufacturing Process

From Flat Sheet to Finished Part

Select a stage to see what happens and which HARSLE machines do the work.

Step 1Home Appliances

Cutting & Blanking

Punching machines produce holes, louvers and grilles at high speed; shears and lasers cut blanks.

Punching Machine

92 models in the HARSLE range.

Shearing Machine

43 models in the HARSLE range.

Laser Cutting Machine

60 models in the HARSLE range.

Notching Machine

15 models in the HARSLE range.

Recommended Machines

Machines for Home Appliances

Live from the HARSLE product range — models suited to home appliance manufacturing are listed first.

Challenges & Solutions

What Matters in Home Appliance Manufacturing

  • Coated surfaces

    Panel benders keep pre-painted sheet supported and avoid tool marks on visible faces.

  • High volume, low cost

    Automated punching and bending reduce labor per part.

  • Thin sheet accuracy

    Precise clamping holds tolerances on 0.5 mm sheet without waviness.

  • Deep-drawn parts

    Hydraulic presses with blank holding draw liners and basins without wrinkles.

HARSLE AutoBend panel bender

Automate Bending

Panel Bender for Home Appliance Manufacturing

A HARSLE panel bender clamps the sheet flat and forms all four sides in one cycle with universal tooling — ideal for the repeat panels, doors and boxes found in home appliances.

  • Bending length 1400–3000 mm (AutoBend)
  • 0–180° bending angle, 0.2 s per bend
  • Minimal operator skill, fast changeovers
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Global Footprint

Shipments & Customer Stories

Every shipment and customer story HARSLE publishes appears here automatically. Filter by machine or country.

  • 1,209Shipments published
  • 118Destination countries
  • 118Customer stories
  • LiveUpdated as we ship
All 1,209 shipments

Knowledge Center

Home Appliance Manufacturing Guides

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about machines and processes for home appliances.

Ask our engineers

Which machines are used to make appliance cabinets?

High-speed punching or laser cutting for blanks, a panel bender or press brake for folding, and laser welding, clinching or riveting for assembly.

Can a panel bender process pre-painted steel?

Yes. A panel bender keeps the sheet flat and supported and uses universal blades, which minimizes marking on pre-painted and coated sheet.

How are washing machine drums made?

Drum shells are cut from stainless sheet, perforated, rolled into a cylinder and welded; ends are deep drawn or spun and joined to the shell.

What thickness is used for appliance housings?

Most outer cabinets and doors use 0.5–0.8 mm pre-painted or galvanized steel; structural parts are thicker.

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Request a Quote

Tell us about your home appliances — our engineers will recommend the machines and layout.

  • Machine SelectionModel, series and options matched to your parts
  • Technical SupportBend feasibility checked on your drawings
  • Detailed QuotationPrice, lead time, shipping and installation
  • 24-Hour ResponseA real engineer replies within one business day

Tip: mention your material, thickness, largest part size and yearly volume for the most accurate quote.