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What Is the Metal Fabrication Process?
Types of Metal Fabrication
The Sequence of Steps in Metal Fabrication
Tips to Optimize Your Design Metal Fabrication Project
Choose Superior Manufacturing as Your Precision Metal Manufacturer
Virtually every piece of metal used in products and structures has undergone the metal fabrication process. This involves transforming plain metal into items like cutlery, electronics casings, fuel tanks, and construction equipment parts. The process varies widely based on material and complexity. Let&#;s explore the steps in metal fabrication engineering, from initial design to finished goods.
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Metal fabrication is the process of producing metal elements from raw materials through actions like cutting, bending, welding, machining, and assembling. Many tasks are now automated, with precision machinery achieving greater accuracy than human labor. Fabrication covers making items from small springs to large architectural components, integral to the metal fabrication process.
In many cases, metal fabrication is done in a specialty fabrication shop. Hiring a team of experienced fabricators with top-tier equipment is usually more cost-effective than a manufacturer fabricating metal goods in-house or on-site. The staff in these shops may comprise welders, machinists, assemblers, cutters, boilermakers, solderers, and machine setters and operators.
The metal itself typically starts as sheet metal, but you&#;ll also see thicker plate metals as well as hardware, sectional and welding wire versions of raw materials.
Going from sheet metal to component &#; or even full-fledged product &#; can require various combinations of the following methods and steps involved in metal fabrication engineering:
A few steps must occur before and after the main task of shaping the metal.
The first step in sheet metal engineering is to choose the material wisely. Metals vary widely in properties like material thickness, yield strength, tensile strength, conductivity, corrosion resistance and ductility, each of which will impact the final product and determine how well the metal can be fabricated. These elements must be considered during the initial product design phase to ensure successful metal fabrication engineering.
After the workpiece undergoes turning, welding or any other processes involved in giving it form, the metal often receives a finish. Some mechanical finishes include brushing, blasting or polishing the surface, while other finishes involve treating it with chemicals or covering it with paints, glazes, powder coats or decals. These additions can grant protective properties or simply provide aesthetic changes. Our generator housing units, for instance, call for finishes that protect against rust and water damage and support everyday operational demands from the equipment.
Once finished, the fabricated piece can be installed in its final application.
Get a running start on your next project with these design considerations and tips for sheet metal engineering.
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Knowing what your design and fabrication project needs is an important part of an efficient process. Before submitting your request for quote (RFQs) to a fabricator, collect all of the necessary information and ensure it&#;s accurate. You can save a lot of time by minimizing back-and-forth and avoiding reworks. Plus, you limit the chances that you&#;ll go over budget due to inaccurate designs.
Some things to include in your RFQ are:
Similarly, by being prepared and speaking with your fabricator early on, you have more room for adjustments along the way. These changes might be necessary, such as ensuring design feasibility, or simply beneficial, as the fabricator can make suggestions or tweaks to improve performance or lower costs. Involving the fabricator early ensures you have enough time to make these changes without missing deadlines.
Try to parse down your design to the necessities. Excessive design elements can make it harder for the fabrication team to understand the project and simply slow things down. If you&#;re unsure of what&#;s necessary, talk with your engineer.
Never go into full-scale production without testing the product first. Get prototypes or models from your fabricator before the sheet metal manufacturing process begins to save yourself from costly reworks and wasted materials.
Remember, the choice of metal will affect the entire fabrication process and the overall success of the component. Consider what types of fabrication are required and how the techniques can accommodate the metal. Some materials will melt at lower temperatures or fail under the pressure of certain tools, so choosing the right one is necessary to avoid failure during fabrication. Again, if you aren&#;t sure which material is best, consult your fabricator, who should have a strong knowledge of metal properties and the demands of the processes.
Your relationship with the fabricator is an important one that sets the tone for the entire project. This partner should be able to see your vision and offer services that align with your goals. Ideally, your fabricator can leverage industry expertise to provide useful suggestions that may save time or money. A trusted fabricator should also be up to date on industry trends and technology, with the right equipment in their facility. Of course, meeting industry regulations and quality standards is also a must.
Superior Manufacturing is your go-to source for metal fabrication engineering. We specialize in components for construction equipment, metal cabinets, generator enclosures, and fuel and hydraulic tanks. Operating since , our team uses modern equipment to provide high-quality, custom solutions for building cost-effective, high-performing products.
To learn more about our full-service sheet metal fabrication products and services, please reach out to us today!
Metal fabrication is an important industry in the United States that employs an estimated 1.42 million American workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It involves cutting, manipulating and assembling metal materials to produce metal structures. Among other things, metal fabrication is used to make automotive frames, building panels, roofs, fuselage panels for planes and more. And while different metal fabrication companies use different techniques, most rely on three basic processes: cutting, bending and assembling.
The first process of metal fabrication is cutting. During this process, the metal fabrication company cuts one or more pieces of raw metal for use in the creation of a new metal structure or product. Whether it&#;s steel, aluminum, iron or any other common type of metal, though, cutting metal requires special tools. Some metal fabrication companies use torches to cut metal, whereas others numerical control (CNC) machines involving lasers or water jets. When finished, the company will have clean, appropriate-sized sheets or sections of metal with which to work.
After cutting raw metal, metal fabrication companies must bend it. Again, there are different ways to bend metal after cutting it. Some metal fabrication companies hammer the metal sheets or sections into the desired shape. Hammering can be done by hand, or it can be done using a machine (power hammering). Recently, though, many metal fabrication companies have begun using press brakes to bend their metal. This heavy industrial machine automatically presses metal sheets and sections into a specific shape when engaged. It essentially clamps the metal between a punch die, forcing the metal into the desired shape.
The third and final process of metal fabrication is assembling. As the name suggests, this process involves assembling the metal sheet or sections into the desired finished product. Assembling is typically performed via welding, though other steps may be included in the process as well. In addition to welding, for example, metal fabrication companies may crimp seams, apply screws or other fasteners, and apply glue. After assembling the metal, the company will finalize the product before shipping and selling it to its customers.
Metal fabrication is a driving force behind the country&#;s ever-growing manufacturing sector. Although there are countless machines and techniques used by metal fabrication companies, must rely on a three-step process that consists of cutting, bending and assembling. These three processes allow metal fabrication companies to transform raw metal materials into new products.
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