An Overview of Metal Fabrication

**What is Metal Fabrication?** Metal fabrication refers to the process of creating products or structures by cutting, bending, and assembling various types of metal materials. It's a comprehensive process that involves working with raw materials such as metal sheets, expanded metal, welding wires and rods, cast metal, and more. Metal fabrication plays a critical role in numerous industries, offering customized solutions to meet diverse needs. **The Metal Fabrication Process** This process generally includes three main stages: 1. **Design** – During this phase, a metal fabrication shop collaborates with clients to create detailed drawings and plans that outline the exact measurements and specifications of the project. 2. **Fabrication** – This stage involves using specialized machinery to cut, bend, shape, and assemble the metal product. Advanced technologies such as CNC cutters, laser cutters, and plasma torches are often employed to ensure precision and efficiency. 3. **Installation** – In this final step, all the various components of the metal project are assembled either partially or fully, depending on the requirements. Some common custom metal fabrication processes include casting, forging, milling, drilling, turning, bending, drawing, punching, and welding. **Types of Metal Fabrication** There are several distinct types of metal fabrication, each serving different purposes across various industries: - **Industrial Metal Fabrication**: This involves integrating parts or assemblies into industrial products, often requiring large sheets or plates of metal. Industries such as aerospace, energy, material handling, and automotive heavily rely on this type of fabrication for creating large-scale components like tanks, silos, and heavy machine parts. - **Structural Metal Fabrication**: As the name suggests, this type focuses on creating structural metal parts used in construction and other commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Steel is the most commonly used material due to its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Examples include I-beams, stairs, walkways, towers, platforms, trusses, girders, and beams. - **Commercial Metal Fabrication**: Walk into any commercial facility, and you’ll likely encounter products made through commercial metal fabrication. These products are categorized into decorative and ornamental types, such as awnings, shelves, guardrails, sinks, appliances, and conveyors. Compared to industrial and structural fabrication, these items tend to be smaller and more precise in their application. - **Custom Metal Fabrication**: With the limitless possibilities of metal fabrication, many projects require custom-made solutions tailored to unique client needs. Custom fabrication shops often offer design services using CAD tools to conceptualize and specify design plans. After the product is designed, the manufacturing process begins, utilizing fabrication methods suited to the specific project requirements, materials, and functions. **Metal Fabrication Glossary** Here are some key terms related to metal fabrication: - **ARC Welding**: A method of joining metals by melting them with an electric current, forming a strong bond upon cooling. - **Assembling**: The process of combining, bending, and welding materials into their desired forms. - **Base Metal**: The original metal that is to be welded, cut, or otherwise manipulated. - **Bending**: The act of shaping metal sheets using hammers or press brakes to form coins or air bends. - **Blanking**: Cutting out a part of sheet metal and discarding the surrounding excess material. - **Brinell Test**: A test used to measure the hardness of steel by pressing a hard steel ball into the material and measuring the diameter of the resulting mark. - **CNC Cutter**: An automated machine tool programmed to execute precise commands, providing greater reliability and accuracy than manual machines. - **Cutting Torches**: Tools used to cut large sections of sheet metal and other materials with minimal effort. - **Fab Shops**: Short for metal fabrication shops. - **Hydroforming**: A technique that uses high-pressure fluid to shape metals such as steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass. - **Laser Cutting**: The process of using concentrated beams of light to pierce and cut through materials using extreme heat. While early laser cutting used carbon dioxide, fiber-optic lasers are now more commonly used. - **Metal Fabrication**: The creation of metal structures through cutting, bending, and assembly. - **Metal Punching**: The process of creating holes, louvers, or other shapes in metal using fabrication equipment. - **Milling**: The process of shaving or removing material from metal using rotary cutters. - **Plasma Cutting**: A method of cutting materials, especially sheet metal, using hot plasma. - **Press Brakes**: Machines used to bend sheet metal, employing different die designs to achieve various forms. - **Robotic Welding**: Welding performed by programmable technology and sophisticated equipment, ideal for volume welding and ensuring consistency and precision. - **Roll Forming**: The process of bending metals into new shapes by passing sheet metal, coils, bars, or strips through rolls. - **Sand Blasting**: The process of removing unwanted coatings and coverings such as rust, oxidization, and paint from surfaces, often used for paint preparation and material restoration. - **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. **Fascinating Facts About Metal Fabrication** Did you know that welding is influenced by Earth’s atmosphere? Without our atmosphere, two uncoated pieces of metal would naturally fuse together upon contact, eliminating the need for welding. This phenomenon is due to a layer of oxidized material that naturally forms between metals, preventing them from bonding on Earth. Welding is ubiquitous in our daily lives. It’s estimated that over 50% of U.S. products require some form of welding before entering the market. From bridges and ships to computers and cars, welding is essential. Interestingly, the first industrial robot was used for spot welding in 1961, and the welding industry continues to grow at a rate of 15 to 22 percent annually. Underwater welding holds its own fascination, with records showing the deepest dry weld at 1,075 feet and the deepest wet weld at an astonishing 2,000 feet below sea level. Additionally, the largest welding lesson ever recorded consisted of 275 participants. Welding is not a new practice; historical evidence suggests it dates back to 3,500 B.C. Despite the evolution of techniques and technology, the essence of welding remains unchanged. **For High-Quality Welding Solutions, Visit TYMETAL** At TYMETAL, we pride ourselves on being the go-to metal fabrication shop for the Saratoga Springs area. Our team of highly skilled and experienced welders offers both traditional and robotic welding services. Robotic welding enables us to efficiently produce high volumes of varied-sized materials with precision and speed. **Contact Us Today** TYMETAL is your one-stop-shop for all your metal fabrication needs, including plasma cutting, CNC machining, bending, laser cutting, and more. We leverage our expertise, experience, and technology to provide the most cost-effective and suitable solutions for your projects. Ready to learn more or schedule a consultation? Contact us today! We look forward to assisting you with your metal fabrication needs.

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