Many people still think of the Sheet Metal Worker as an old-time “tin knocker,” working primarily with tin snips and a hammer to install gutters and downspouts. However, this image has long been outdated. In spite of our Nation's enormous growth and the technological changes that have taken place, the Sheet Metal Worker remains the only building tradesman who starts with raw materials, custom-makes complex systems, and installs them. They can transform flat sheets of metal into any required size or shape by working from a blueprint or verbal instructions.
The Sheet Metal Worker is involved from the original design stage through fabrication, erection, and final balancing, adjusting, and testing of the installed air-handling system. Hardly any other tradesman gets involved in so many tasks. The Sheet Metal Worker has technical and exacting work to do; their varied duties create never-ending challenges. Most people consider the term “air conditioning” to merely imply cooling the air, but air conditioning is much more comprehensive when the phrase “conditioning the air” is used. Sheet Metal Workers help provide these types of systems that heat, cool, and ventilate—providing a completely controlled indoor environment.
Such systems are becoming necessities rather than luxuries, largely due to the improved efficiency, morale, and better health of the people occupying the buildings, including homes and places of work or leisure.
The rapidly expanding use of new materials and processes in manufacturing plants throughout the nation today is presenting new health hazards at an alarming rate.
The Sheet Metal Worker helps provide systems that safely remove fumes, dust, smoke, heat, odors, carbon dioxide, and other dangerous contaminants to combat this situation. Many Sheet Metal Workers also play an important role due to the large amount of sheet metal work that goes into sign making, hospital and restaurant equipment, aircraft, and shipbuilding.
In addition, the knowledge and skill of the Sheet Metal Worker are needed by other industries for products requiring sheet metal work. Sheet Metal Workers, like most tradesmen, acquire their knowledge and skill through years of training and practical experience.
.png)
