>> Yeh it's pressed metal, so you start with a blank sheet and then it goes 
>> through a series of tools that bend and cut certain bits until the final 
>> shape is produced (IIRC there's about 7 or 8 stages usually)
>
> Damn. That process must take some designing!

Yes, that's why the tools have ridiculous prices, usually with 6 or even 
sometimes 7 figures!  And then you realise why the guy gets annoyed when you 
ask for +/-0.1mm tolerance between two specific points :-)

>> no drilling - the tools have sharp bits that cut the holes and other 
>> shapes, just like a big hole-punch!
>
> Heh. How thick is the metal??

Usually 0.3 - 0.6 mm depending on how big it is.  The tools are quite beefy 
though, see attached (that is just stage 4 out of 7), all the intricate 
detail in the middle is what actually makes the cuts and folds, the inner 
working of each stage can be quite complex with spring loaded plates and 
levers etc to do the bending correctly as the two halfs come together.

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