Facts you wanted to know about metal fabrication
Steel metal fabrication refers to the process of building a steel structure through a series of processes which included, cutting, bending and assembling. It’s a process which is sued to build machines, structures and equipment made from different materials. All this work is carried out in a fabrication shop. So how does a metal fabrication shop get a contract for building the complete structure? The owners at the hop make a bid for any equipment which needs to be built and is awarded the contract based on the bid that they made.
The following are a few interesting facts about metal fabrication.
- The first process in a metal fabrication procedure is the designing of precise structures on the basis of scaled drawings.
- Once the drawings are completed the fabrication procedure starts.
- The last part of the complete procedure is installation.
The first step to assembling includes
- Cutting of the metal sheets into different shapes and designs. The machinery used to carry out cutting is either operated manually or automatically based on the precise kind of cutting taking place. Sawing can take place with the help of hand held torches which emit laser rays which leads to precise cuts. On the other hand cutters such as shears, lasers or mill bits can be used during the cutting process as well.
- The cut out shapes are then bent into different structures. It is normally done with the help of press brakes or tube handles. The press brakes can be operated with the help of a built in software which make for precise structuring.
- The final process includes assembling. This is done with the help of machines such as welders which act like adhesives and threaders which thread or sew the different pieces of metal together to create giant structures.
- In a fabrication shop the material is cut and then bent into shape. Once that is done the assembling may not necessarily take place in the steel fabrication shop and the structure are sent to machine shops here they are assembled with the help of different tools.
- The raw materials used in a fabrication shop include plate metal sheets, formed or expanded metal and welding rods.
- Once the raw material is gathered it has to be cut into specific shapes and figures. The usual form of cutting is done with the help of metal shearers. It’s the most common tool used for the cutting of the metal sheets.
- Forming is also an operation carried out in the fabrication shop. It is the process wherein a metal sheet is converted into a 3 D shape. A force is applied to the raw material. There is no cutting or sheathing just a force is applied in such a way that the sheet take in the shape of a 3 D structure.
- Later on machining removes all the unwanted metal from the structure. Once that is done welding takes place to complete the entire structure.