20 ChatGPT Prompts for Sheet Metal Fabricators (2026)

Act as an experienced sheet metal fabricator. I'll attach (or describe) a part drawing: [DESCRIBE PART / PASTE DIMENSIONS, MATERIAL, THICKNESS, NOTES]. Turn it into a fabrication checklist: every cut feature, every bend with its angle and direction, all hardware and weld requirements, the finish, and the tightest-tolerance features I must not miss. Flag anything ambiguous I should query before I book material.

Explain these sheet metal callouts and symbols in plain fabricator terms, and tell me what each one means for how I cut, form or finish the part: [LIST, e.g. 16 GA, 1.5 THK, R1.5 INSIDE, HEM, EMBOSS, X4 PEM CLS-632-2, the weld symbol 6 fillet 50-100, Ra 1.6, ISO 2768-m]. Note any that mean something different under ISO vs ASME, and any that change my material buy.

Review this part for anything a fab shop would have to clarify before cutting: missing material or gauge, no inside bend radius specified, bend direction not shown, no grain direction where it matters, hardware with no part number, untoleranced critical dimensions, no finish spec. List each gap as a specific question I would send back to the customer. Details: [PASTE notes/dimensions or attach the drawing].

I have a formed part in [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm with an inside bend radius of [RADIUS] mm. The formed dimensions are: [LIST EACH LEG / FLANGE LENGTH AND EACH BEND ANGLE]. Using a K-factor of [K, or say "assume 0.44 and tell me how sensitive the result is"], work out the bend allowance for each bend and the total developed flat length. Show each step so I can check it against my CAD flat.

Act as an estimator in a sheet metal shop. For this part, list every operation in order (laser or punch, deburr, form, tap or insert hardware, weld, dress, finish, assemble, pack), and give a realistic setup time and run time per piece for a batch of [QTY]. Part: [MATERIAL, THICKNESS, SIZE, NUMBER OF BENDS, HARDWARE, WELDS, FINISH]. State the assumptions behind each time so I can correct them with my own rates.

Here is my quote breakdown for a sheet metal job: [PASTE OPERATIONS, TIMES, RATES, MATERIAL COST, QTY, MARGIN]. Act as a sceptical shop owner and challenge it. Which operations have I underestimated, what have I forgotten to charge for (setup, programming, tooling changes, secondary ops, freight, packaging, scrap allowance), and where is the biggest risk if the batch runs badly?

I am nesting [QTY] of a part with a bounding box of [X] x [Y] mm on [SHEET SIZE] sheets of [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm. Suggest ways to improve utilisation: part rotation and mirroring, common line cutting where it is safe, sensible part to part and part to edge gaps for this thickness, and where to nest small parts inside larger cut-outs. Tell me what utilisation percentage is realistic here and what would be optimistic.

Convert and cross-check this material spec for me: [e.g. 14 GA mild steel, or 1.5 mm 304 2B, or 5052-H32 0.080 in]. Give the thickness in both mm and inches, the nearest common gauge, the closest equivalent grades in EN and ASTM, and note anything about this grade that changes how it forms or welds compared with the obvious substitute. Flag if the tolerance on sheet thickness could affect my bend results.

I bent a test coupon to check my K-factor. Material [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm, inside radius [RADIUS] mm, bend angle [ANGLE] degrees. Flat blank length before bending: [FLAT] mm. Measured leg lengths after bending: [LEG A] and [LEG B] mm. Work backwards to the actual bend allowance and the K-factor for this combination, show the working, and tell me how much my flat length changes if the K-factor is out by 0.05.

Check this part against standard sheet metal forming rules and tell me what will not form cleanly: [MATERIAL, THICKNESS, INSIDE RADIUS, LIST FLANGE LENGTHS, DISTANCES FROM HOLES AND SLOTS TO THE NEAREST BEND, ANY BENDS THAT MEET AT A CORNER]. For each problem give the rule of thumb, the minimum value it should be for my thickness, and the cheapest fix (lengthen the flange, add bend relief, move the hole, or pierce it after forming).

For an air bend in [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm, bend length [LENGTH] mm, target inside radius [RADIUS] mm: recommend a sensible V-die opening, the inside radius that die will actually produce, the minimum flange length that die allows, and the approximate tonnage per metre and total. Show the formula and the tensile strength value you assumed. Tell me what changes if I use the next die size up or down.

Work out a bend sequence for this part so nothing collides with the tooling or the back gauge and every bend still has a usable reference edge: [DESCRIBE THE PART AND EACH BEND: position, angle, direction (up or down), flange length]. Give the order, say which edge to gauge from at each step, and flag any bend that will be hard or impossible to reach once an earlier bend is formed.

I am welding this sheet metal assembly: [MATERIAL, THICKNESS, JOINT TYPES, WELD LENGTHS, OVERALL SIZE, FLATNESS REQUIREMENT]. Recommend a process and a welding sequence that minimises distortion: where to tack and in what order, whether to stitch or run continuous, how to balance welds about the neutral axis, and what fixturing or clamping to use. Tell me what distortion I should still expect and how to correct it.

Explain exactly what this weld symbol specifies, in plain terms, including which side of the joint the weld goes on: [DESCRIBE THE SYMBOL, e.g. fillet, 6 mm leg, 50 mm long at 100 mm pitch, arrow side, field weld flag, weld all round]. Then write the correct AWS symbol for what I actually want, which is: [DESCRIBE IN WORDS]. Note anything that would change under ISO 2553.

I need to install self-clinching [nuts / studs / standoffs] in [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm for an [M] thread. Recommend a suitable fastener type, the required hole diameter, the minimum distance from the hole centre to a sheet edge and to a bend, which side of the sheet to install from, and the sheet hardness limit for this fastener. Tell me what goes wrong if I install after forming instead of before.

Write a clear finishing specification for this part: [MATERIAL, THICKNESS, END USE, ENVIRONMENT, COSMETIC OR NOT]. Cover deburring, edge condition, any graining direction, pre-treatment, the coating system and colour reference, thickness of coating, which surfaces and threads must be masked, and how it should be inspected and packed. Keep it to a block I can put on the drawing.

Act as a sheet metal DFM reviewer. Go through this part and list everything that will make it more expensive or less repeatable to fabricate, with a cheaper alternative for each: [MATERIAL, THICKNESS, DESCRIBE FEATURES, TOLERANCES, HARDWARE, FINISH, QTY]. Cover unnecessarily tight tolerances, mixed bend radii, features too close to bends, small holes relative to thickness, hand-work the design forces, and anything that stops the part nesting well.

My formed part is coming out [X] mm too [long / short] across [WHICH DIMENSION]. Material [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm, inside radius [RADIUS], [NUMBER] bends at [ANGLES], K-factor assumed [K], V-die [SIZE]. Work through the likely causes in order of probability, tell me how to confirm each one, and give me the corrected flat length. Include how much of the error each cause would typically account for.

I am getting [cracking on the outside of the bend / die marks on the surface / an inconsistent angle along the bend] in [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm, inside radius [RADIUS], V-die [SIZE], grain running [along / across] the bend line. Diagnose the likely cause, tell me which of grain direction, bend radius, die opening, tooling condition or material temper is most likely responsible here, and give the fixes in order of how cheap they are to try.

Write a concise, shop-ready general notes block for a formed sheet metal part in [MATERIAL] at [THICKNESS] mm. Cover: default general tolerance and the standard it refers to, inside bend radius unless stated, break all sharp edges and deburr, grain direction if it matters, hardware installation before or after finish, coating and masking, and the inspection requirement. Keep it under eight numbered lines.