Shears & guillotines

Shears and guillotines are machines that cut metal sheets and sheet materials through the mechanical action of two sharp blades: one fixed and one moving, driven hydraulically, pneumatically or mechanically. Unlike thermal processes (laser, plasma), the cut is cold and without a heat-affected zone (HAZ), preserving the metallurgical properties of the sheet and leaving the material adjacent to the edge unaltered.

Guillotine shears cut in a straight line across the full width of the work table (from 1 m to over 3 m), with workable thicknesses from fractions of a millimetre up to about 12–16 mm for industrial models. Punching machines use shaped dies to cut complex shapes — holes, slots, profiles — in a single press stroke. In the maker and small-workshop context, manual or foot-operated bench shears cover cuts up to 1.5–2 mm on aluminium and mild steel with no electrical supply required.