What are shims used for?
Similar to a washer, a shim is a slim piece of metallic or non-metallic material that acts as a spacer between objects for wear compensation or tolerance accumulation. They can help to create an improved fit between two parts, provide support or create a level surface. The process of adding or removing shims to improve alignment is known as “shimming”.

Different types of shims
Shims can be made from a range of materials depending on their use. In many scenarios, shims can be made from any material that is to hand and convenient to use. For example, technically, a wedge used to hold a door open or folded piece of paper used to level a table are shims. In more formal engineering contexts, shims are made of materials chosen for their properties over convenience.

Metal shims
Shims can be made from a range of base materials, depending on their use. At Attewell, we work with an array of metals, producing titanium, stainless steel, beryllium copper, aluminium or brass shims, all precision crafted to your precise specifications.

Non-Metal Shims
In addition to our limitless choice in metal shims, we produce non-metal products utilising fibreglass, carbon, phenolic, nylon, PTFE, composite and polyimide.

Laminate shims
Laminate shims are made up of many layers of thin, foil-like or film-like material which can be precision adjusted by peeling layers away to improve the fit. This allows our customers to hold volumes of stock without holding a large array of metal or non-metal shims of different thicknesses.

Precision manufacturing of metal and non-metal shims
We utilise cutting edge technology overseen by industry leaders to get the best results. From water jet to router, turret press or punch press, CNC mills and photochemical machining, our range of manufacturing methods enables us to deliver on quality and value.

When it comes to aerospace engineering, there can be no compromise on quality and precision. All our products and processes benefit from our technical expertise, which allows us to guarantee that every piece we produce is of unrivalled quality and value. Whether you are looking for standard, repeatable metal or non-metal shims precision made to your specifications, or one-off custom products sent direct to your assembly line, send us your drawings or data sets to find out how we can help.