Metal Fabrication

Metal fabrication is a pretty important process in the automotive, aerospace, construction, and manufacturing industries. Its principle involves cutting, bending, and assembling of the metal to form structures. Knowing the whole concept of metal fabrication will definitely make you look at it more clearly and understand its importance in this technological world of today. For anyone wanting to enter into this field, one needs to know the fundaments, techniques, and tools in this area.

Metal fabrication is generally described as the process of processing metal materials whereby raw metals are transformed into various shapes, dimensions, and designs. These could range from simple sheets to sophisticated structures, for example, frames, to parts of machinery. Of significance is that metal fabrication is more than just a means of cutting through the metals. It is basically design, assembling, and reforming of parts to meet final production requirements.

Metal Fabrication Process

In general, metal fabrication follows these main procedures:

Designing the metal parts: There is a prior design of the final product created before any of the metal cutting. This normally involves CAD.
Cutting and Shaping: Once the design is ready, the material will be cut or shaped using several tools such as lasers, plasma cutters, and saws.
Forming and Bending the Metal: Forming and Bending the Metal into shapes is done to make the exact form as is desired after it is cut.
Welding: Welding is the other major aspect involved in the whole process of fabricating metal wherein two or more metal pieces joined by melting their edges together for fusion.
Finishing: After assembling the parts, the finishing processes, which include polishing, painting, and coating, are applied to make the final product smooth and protected.

Key Techniques in Metal Fabrication

There are several techniques that are normally used in metal fabrication to get various results. Some of these techniques include;

Welding:
Welding is the joining of two pieces of metal by application of heat and pressure. Three major kinds of welding include MIG, TIG, and stick welding. This is because each process has its particular application depending on the material and strength required in the final product.

Cutting:
Among the fabrication processes, some of them need to be performed, such as metal cutting. The most common among these are

Laser Cutting:
It is a precise and time-saving process where it uses a focused laser beam for cutting metals.

Plasma Cutting:
It uses a high-temperature plasma torch that cuts metal very fast and accurately.

Water Jet Cutting:
high-pressure water stream with added abrasives that cut metals, is what constitutes water jet cutting.

Oxy-Fuel Cutting:
It’s one of the older techniques involving a flame being used to slice through steel among other metals.

Bending and Forming:
Metal bending is the process of shaping the metal in a particular angle or form. It can be performed either manually or through specific machines like press brakes that use force on the material to bend it into shape.

Stamping:
Stamping is a process where a die is used to shape metal in specific patterns or designs. It is heavily utilized in the automobile industries for car panels.

Machining:
Machining is the method of removing material from the work piece to give it the intended shape. Some of the most common operations include turning, milling, and drilling.

Materials Used in Metal Fabrication

Materials used in metal fabrication are determined by the project requirement. Some common materials used in this process are:

Steel:
One of the most frequently used metals in fabrication is steel, due to its strength, durability, and versatility. Steel can be alloyed with a variety of different elements to create specific properties.

Mild Steel:
This type of steel is used for general-purpose fabrication because it is relatively easy to work with and cheap.

Stainless Steel:
Its resistance to corrosion makes stainless steel one of the most commonly used types of steel in food processing and healthcare.

Tool Steel:
Used for tool making and dies, tool steel offers hardness and wears resistance.

Aluminum:
The metal is of light weight with corrosion resistance; it is not difficult to work on. Thus, it can be widely utilized in the aviation and automotive sector.

Copper and Brass:
These metals find most applications in electrical purposes owing to their superb conductivity. This metal is most used in pipelines.

Titanium:
This is a high strength metal with low weight that has been used for aerospace and medical applications because of its resistance against corrosion and high temperatures.

Tooling and Equipment Used in Metal Fabrication

Tools and tools in this training are project-by-project, the complexity of some being quite more complex than the others, may involve a multitude of sophisticated machining and device technologies to achieve both precision and high quality. Most of the bigger tools and devices include:

Cutting Tools;

• Band Saws
• CNC Machines
• Laser
• Plasma Cutters
• Water Jet Cutters.

Welding Equipment;

• MIG Welder
• TIG Welder
• Stick Welders
• Spot welders

Bending Machines ;

• Press Brakes
• Rolling machines
• Hydraulic bender

Finishing Equipment;

• Sandpaper
• Grinders
• Polishers.

Applications of Metal Fabrication

Metal fabrication falls under many industries, including:

Construction:
Steel and aluminum parts are fabricated during the construction of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure projects.

Automotive:
The car frame, body parts, exhaust systems, and other components require metal fabrication by the automotive industry.

Aerospace:
Lightweight, yet strong parts of airplanes, rockets, and satellites are manufactured in the aerospace industry.

Energy:
For example, in the oil and gas industry, metals and various equipment are used in pipelines, refineries, and plants. Hence, the process of fabrication of metal is quite significant.

Manufacturing:
Most manufactured products, such as appliances, machinery, and tools, require fabricated metal components.

Safety in Metal Fabrication:
Metal fabrication is like any other industrial process. It is dangerous if safety measures are not followed. Here are some of the common safety guidelines:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
Various types of safety equipment like protective gloves, helmets, goggles, and ear protection clothing are used for the proper safety of workers in the fabrication process.

Proper Training:
Workers should be trained in operating the fabrication equipment and the use of metals without sustaining injuries.

Maintenance and Inspection
Regular checking and maintenance of the machine avoid break down and accidents at the shop floor.

Conclusion: TRG Technical Services

In a nutshell, metal fabrication is a very valuable activity that involves the making of structures and parts important in many industries. Be you a would-be metal fabricator or would require these services for your business, the basic knowledge could do you a lot of good in appreciating the importance and applications.
TRG Technical Services is one of the very best metal fabrication services and specializes in producing highly accurate, precise, and safe solutions to fulfill your demands. Being expert and experienced in this field, TRG Technical Services assures you of the expertise when it comes to working on metal fabrication.

Call TRG Technical Services today and get to know how they could help you solve your next project.