Metal Fabrication - Types Of Fabrication

Posted by ashmontironworks on May 19th, 2021

Structural steel south shore fabrication is a broad term referring to any process that cuts, shapes, or molds metal material into a final product. Instead of a product being assembled from ready-made components, fabrication creates a product from raw or semi-finished materials. There are many different fabrication manufacturing process processes and the process used depends on both the beginning metal material and the desired product. Fabrication is used for both custom and stock products.

Most custom metal fabricated products are crafted from a range of commonly used metals and their alloys. Some of the most popular metal types available for custom metal fabrication include aluminium, brass, copper, gold, iron, nickel, silver, magnesium, tin, titanium, and various grades of steel. Fabricators often start with stock metal components, such as sheet metal, metal rods, metal billets, and metal bars to create a new product. For example, an aluminium billet may be fabricated into a curved aluminium tube by using the extrusion process and then folding the tube.

This article gives an overview of some of the more common fabrication methods and considerations when choosing the right fabricator for a project.Common custom metal fabrication processes are as follows:

• Casting

Casting is when molten metal is poured into a mold or die and allowed to cool and harden into the desired shape. The process is ideal for mass-production of parts with the reuse of the same mold to create identical products. There are several different types of casting. Die-casting is when liquid metal is forced into a die instead of a mold, and there the applied pressure keeps it in place until it hardens. This process is known for the high-speed applications it supports. Permanent mold casting involves pouring the molten metal into a mold.

• Cutting

This very common type of fabrication is the cutting of a metal workpiece to split it into smaller sections. While sawing is the oldest method of cutting, modern methods include laser cutting, waterjet cutting, power scissors, and plasma arc cutting. There are many different methods of cutting, from manual and power tools to computer numerical computer (CNC) cutters. Cutting may be the first stage in a longer fabrication process or the only process used.Die-cutting is another cutting process that uses a die to slice metal. Rotary die cutting uses a spinning cylindrical die to cut the material fed that is fed through a press. Flatbed die-cutting is used on thicker metal materials and uses a die on a press to cut out shapes when the die stamps down on the metal.

• Drawing

Drawing uses tensile force to pull metal into and through a tapered die. The die stretches the metal into a thinner shape. Usually, drawing is performed at room temperature and is called cold drawing, but the metal workpiece can be heated to reduce the required force.This process is considered deep drawing when the product has a depth that is equal to or greater than its radius. It is usually used with sheet metal fabrication to turn sheets of metal into hollow cylindrical or box-shaped vessels.

This article provides a basic understanding of metal fabrication, the different methods, and considerations for choosing a fabricator.