A vast array of metal fabrication techniques is available to the engineers and technicians tasked with metal manufacturing.
Three popular techniques for metal fabrication are cutting, forming, and welding.
These fabrication techniques can be further divided into sub-categories like laser cutting and shearing, forming methods like bending and stretching, and welding techniques like MIG and TIG welding.
How do these metal fabrication methods differ from one another, and which is best for your specific manufacturing needs and budget? Read on to learn more.
Cutting
One of the simplest methods of metal fabrication is cutting. The two main types of cutting are mechanical and thermal cutting.
Laser cutting is a popular and effective thermal cutting technique. In this process, a concentrated beam of light is used to quickly melt through metal and cut it into the desired shape. The small point of a laser beam means it can perform delicate and small cuts, down to a tenth or even hundredth of a millimeter depending on the machine.
Thermal cutting techniques like laser cutting are usually done by a CNC machine. CNC machines direct the cutting beam based on a pre-determined plan uploaded to the machine. Therefore, no human operator is required to make the physical cuts.
This provides a high degree of precision in the patterns and shapes laser cutters can fabricate from metal. However, one downside of laser cutting is that although it is fast and precise, it can only cut metal in two dimensions. Laser cutting is also more expensive than conventional cutting methods.
Mechanical cutting includes methods like shearing, punching and sawing. In these processes, the metal is severed by an edge, or pressed into a die to punch out a shape. Mechanical cutting methods are less accurate than CNC-guided thermal cutting, which has higher tolerances and can cut smaller and more complex patterns.
Forming
Forming is a broad category of metal fabrication that covers many processes for bending or reshaping metal into new dimensions. Bending, stretching, spinning and stamping metal are just some of the subsets of forming.
Bending uses hydraulic presses to apply pressure to a flat sheet of metal, pushing it into new angles without breaking the material. Bending can produce a wide variety of angles and shapes like corners, grooves and curves. Metal can also be bent multiple times to form a complex finished part.
Stretching, another forming technique, pulls metal sheets across a long distance to form new contours. Stretching can create large shapes effectively, but also risks damaging the integrity of the material.
Working with a thicker gauge sheet metal and small or irregular patterns can make forming techniques more difficult. However, forming is still a valuable tool for metal fabrication since it is inexpensive and relatively simple to perform.
Welding
This method of metal fabrication involves joining metal components together with electrical energy. Arc welding uses an arc of electrical current to melt a filler material along the seam between two pieces of metal, forming a solid bond. Rather than subtractive fabrication techniques like cutting, welding is an additive or assembly technique that combines metal pieces.
The main categories of arc welding are MIG (metal inert gas) and TIG (tungsten inert gas). The categories are defined by the different substances they use as filler material in the joining process. Although both are capable of joining metals like aluminum or steel, TIG is usually preferred for welding thin materials like sheet metal.
Joining parts with welding is usually the last stage in a multi-step metal fabrication process. Depending on the complexity of the weld, the task might be performed by an automated welding machine or a human welder. Welding produces sturdy bonds but is more labor and resource-intensive than some other types of fabrication.
In Sum
Each metal fabrication process has its own benefits and drawbacks. Laser cutting is precise, but also expensive. Bending and pressing metal is cost-efficient but struggles with granular detail and rapidly shifting design plans. Ultimately, almost any technique can play a critical role in metal fabrication if it is applied properly.
If you are interested in our laser cutting services, our full-service metal fabrication facility in Chesterfield has the experience, capacity and capability to fulfill your manufacturing needs. Our manufacturing processes provide state of the art laser cutting, metal forming, welding and assembly and more. Call for a Free Estimate and speak with a specialist about our metal fabrication services.
