The Case of Structural Fabrication

Structural fabrication is the process of building metal structures by bending, cutting and assembling. It’s a process that involves the construction of structures and machines from various materials. Fabrication shops take on jobs that are based on drawings. They finish their products through the process of cutting, welding, forming and machining materials into what we get to see as final products.

Most of the times metal fabrication is what we see around us, as most of the construction is done with it. Structural fabrication can also be done with plastic, but that’s for different purposes. Structural fabrication can be made from a variety of processes which I briefly mentioned above. Let’s discuss the processes and briefly explain what happens during them.

  • Forming: This is a process which involves equipment like hydraulic brakes to press, deform and bend products at a specified angle.
  • Cutting: This process involves a number of machines and tools that remove unnecessary material from a piece of metal to meet the size and shape requirements.
  • Welding: Involves fusing two metal pieces together. This is done by applying high temperatures to weaken the metal and then pressure it to fuse with another piece and make a complete product.
  • Machining: The process of machining includes drilling, milling, honing and lathing with the use of automated or manually controlled equipment to shape the materials to their desired end product shape.

One of the most important things when fabricating metal is the quality and type of metal used. Some metals are a better fit than others in certain areas. The most commonly used metals in fabrication are steel, iron, copper and aluminium. The features and advantages that these metals provide over other metals and plastics are the following:

  • Incredible heat resistance – Obviously, metals have a higher melting point, and some metals don’t easily degrade under high temperatures.
  • Strength – The aforementioned metals have a higher durability and are stronger and harder than most metals and plastic fabrications.
  • Versatility – The multiple processes that you can go through in order to fabricate these metals make them very versatile, some of the processes include soldering, welding, chipping, forging, etc.
  • Cost-effective – Metal fabrications are a long term solutions which are very cost efficient.

The most common industries that use metal fabrication are the transportation and construction ones. Having your required products fabricated in the hands of experienced engineers is a must. So, go online and look for a reputable fabrication company that will get things done right, quickly and produce quality fabrications for all your needs.