What is Metal Fabrication?
Metal fabrication is the creation of products or structures through cutting, bending, and assembling metal materials. It is typically a process that consists of putting things together using raw materials, like metal, expanded metal, welding wires and rods, cast metal, and more.
Metal Fabrication Process
The process usually consists of three main stages:
- Design — this is where a metal fab shop works with you to develop detailed drawings and plans, outlining the exact measurements and specifications of your project.
- Fabrication — this is the step that involves machines that are able to cut, bend, shape, and assemble the metal product.
- Installation — during this stage, all of the various components of the metal project are put together, in partial or full.
Below are some common custom metal fabrication processes:
- Casting
- Forging
- Milling
- Drilling
- Turning
- Bending
- Drawing
- Punching
- Welding
The Different Kinds of Metal Fabrication
INDUSTRIAL METAL FABRICATION
Industrial metal fabrication is the process of integrating parts or assemblies into industrial products. Often this involves sheets or plates of metal. Fabrication is used in a wide variety of industries including aerospace, energy, material handling, automotive, and much more. As you may have already guessed, the products created for industrial purposes are typically created in larger quantities and size — e.g. large tanks, silos, and heavy machine parts.
STRUCTURAL METAL FABRICATION
As the name implies, structural metal fabrication involves creating structural metal parts that are used in construction and other commercial, industrial, and residential projects. I-beams are a great example of a common structural part. Steel is the most popular type of metal used in structural projects because of its remarkable strength-to-weight ratio. Other metal parts that are often fabricated for structural purposes include stairs, walkways, towers, platforms, trusses, girders, and beams.
COMMERCIAL METAL FABRICATION
Take a look around any commercial facility — restaurant, retail store, public space — and you will likely see a part that has been fabricated for commercial purposes. The two most popular categories of commercial metal fabrication are decorative and ornamental. Awnings, shelves, guardrails, sinks, appliances, and conveyors are all examples of commercial metal products. Compared to industrial and structural, commercial fabricated products tend to be smaller and more precise in their purpose.
CUSTOM METAL FABRICATION
As you can see, the possibilities of metal fabrication are endless, and oftentimes projects need to be custom made to meet the unique needs of the user. These are the instances when you need a metal fabrication shop that specializes in custom work. These type of fab shops will often offer custom design services, which use CAD tools to conceptualize and specify design plans. After the product has been completely designed, the manufacturing process begins. The fabrication methods used will depend upon the individual project, specific function, materials, and other factors.
Learn more about our Fabrication solutions
Metal Fabrication Glossary
ARC Welding – Joining metal to metal by using electricity to melt metal that creates a strong bond once cooled.
Assembling – The process of binding, bending, and welding materials into their desired form.
Base Metal – The original metal that is to be welded, cut, or manipulated.
Bending – The process of using hammering or press brakes to coin or air-bend metal sheets into their desired shape.
Blanking – The process whereby a part of sheet metal is cut out and the excess material around the part is discarded.
Brinell Test – A test performed to determine the hardness of steel. The test involves pressing a hard steel ball into the material being tested and measuring the diameter of the mark left.
CNC Cutter – Serving as a more reliable and precise alternative to manual machines, computer numerical cutters (CNC) are automated machine tools that can be programmed to deliver precise commands.
Cutting Torches – Tools used to cut a large section of sheet metal and other materials with little effort.
Fab Shops – A shortened term for a metal fabrication shop.
Hydroforming – A fabricating process that uses highly pressurized fluid to shape metals like steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, and more.
Laser Cutting – The process of using highly-concentrated beams of light to pierce and cut through materials via extreme heat. Laser machines provide waves of light that are consistent in phase, frequency, and direction. Though original laser cutting was done with carbon dioxide, in recent years fiber-optic lasers have become increasingly more utilized.
Need laser cutting? TYMETAL uses state-of-the-art laser technology to complete jobs of any size and virtually any material. Contact us to learn more.
Metal Fabrication – The building of metal structures through the process of cutting, bending, and assembling metal.
Metal Punching – When metal fabrication equipment punches holes, louvers, or other shapes into metal.
Milling – The process of using rotary cutters to shave or remove material from metal.
Plasma Cutting – The process of cutting through materials (often sheet metal) by means of hot plasma.
Looking for professional plasma cutters? Contact TYMETAL! Plasma cutting is one of our specialties.
Press Brakes – A machine tool used for bending metal, most commonly sheet metal. To achieve different forms, different die designs are utilized. Common dies include v-dies, gooseneck, rotary bending dies, acute angle dies, radius dies, etc.
Robotic Welding – Welding performed by programmed technology and sophisticated equipment. Perfect for volume welding a variety of steels and when consistency and precision are crucial.
Roll Forming – The bending of metals to form a new shape by passing sheet metal, coils, bars, or strips of metal through rolls.
Sand Blasting – The process of blasting surfaces and removing unwanted coatings and coverings including rust, oxidization, paints, and more. This is perfect for paint preparation and material restoration.
If you are in need of professional sandblasting, contact TYMETAL. We have the experience and equipment to handle a range of blasting techniques.
Weld Pass – The single progression of a weld along a joint or substrate.
Yield Point – The point in the bending process when a metal or other material permanently deforms.
Interesting Facts About Metal Fabrication
Below are some interesting facts about welding and metal fabrication.
Welding Is Affected By Earth’s Atmosphere
Because very few of us have ever left Earth’s atmosphere, we rarely think about how our atmosphere affects certain processes, like welding. But did you know that outside of Earth’s atmosphere two pieces of uncoated metal will fuse together upon contact? No welding required. What specifically prevents this from happening here on our beloved planet is a layer of oxidized material that naturally gets between pieces of metal and prevents them from bonding. This is also to say, if we ever lose our atmosphere and have to work in a vacuum, the welding profession may become obsolete. However, if this scenario ever comes to fruition, we likely have much, much bigger problems to deal with.
Welding Is Everywhere
It is estimated that more than 50 percent of the United States’ products required some type of welding before they were welcomed into our material world. For example, bridges, ships, computers, cell phones, cars, all required welding—and often other forms of metal fabrication as well. Given the importance of welding, it may come as no surprise that it is believed that in 1961 the world’s first industrial robot was used to spot weld. Unlike today’s ultra-efficient robotic welders, this motorized arm built by General Motors weighed two tons and its commands were stored in a massive magnetic drum. Speaking of welding in the workplace, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the welding industry is growing at a rate of 15 to 22 percent.
Welding Records Are Impressive
The magic of underwater welding is fascinating in and of itself, but some of the welding world records are mind-blowing. For example, did you know that the deepest underwater dry weld was performed at 1,075 feet under the sea? What’s even more bizarre is that the world’s deepest wet weld was performed at almost double this depth—2,000 feet deep! And while we’re at it: according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest welding lesson consists of 275 participants.
Welding Is Really Old
Okay, this might not be that much of a secret, but it is still worth mentioning. Since we do not live in an atmosphere where two metals can bump into each other and naturally form a bond, we must break down their material composition and coerce a bond using the art of welding. Although the techniques and technology have advanced significantly, welding, however, is not a new practice. Based on archeological findings, historians expect the trade of welding to date back to 3,500 B.C. Although these early welders weren’t aware of how the atmosphere dictated the need to weld, they did figure out how to get metals to fuse, and for that we salute you, Egyptians and other pioneer fabricators—kudos!
For High-Quality Welding Visit TYMETAL
This is an interesting fact, right? Well, we surely think so. In part, this is because we take great pride in being the go-to metal fab shop for the Saratoga Springs area. We are proud of the reputation we have earned. Not only do we have highly skilled and experienced welders, but we also offer robotic welding services. If you are unfamiliar with robotic welding, we encourage you to check out our recent blog on the subject—in short, you could say that robotic welding allows us to weld an extremely high volume of various-sized material quickly, efficiently, and with absolute precision.
Contact Us Today
TYMETAL strives to be your one-stop fab shop. This means, in addition to robotic welding services, we also offer plasma cutting, CNC machining, bending, laser cutting, and seemingly everything else you need to turn your idea into a reality. And when you partner with us, we leverage our expertise, experience, and technology to find the most cost-effective and suitable approach for your project.
Want to learn more? Ready to schedule a consultation? Contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Us For Fabrication Solutions
