Fabricated metal products are extremely popular, but few people understand the process. Let’s explore a brief overview of the metal fabrication industry.
What Is Metal Fabrication?
Metal fabrication is simply a manufacturing process that shapes metal into different parts or end products. Many fabricators use sheet metal, which is up to .25 inches thick, and then fold, shape, or cut the sheet metal to convert it to different tools or products.
The metal fabrication process can either create large runs of fabricated metal products or mass-produce products. These different projects usually include designing and manufacturing customized metal parts to fit the businesses’ needs.
Benefits of a Metal Fabrication Shop
The primary benefit is centralizing the multiple processes that often require different vendors to perform parallel jobs. Having a one-stop shop helps contractors limit working with a handful of vendors on a single complicated project.
A Look Into the Process
Even though most metal fabrication focuses on the shaping and cutting of metal, there are other steps involved. The process begins with a design and turns into a piece of metal into a finished and functioning part. Let’s look at a breakdown of the different steps in a standard project.
Design
The very first step of any project is designing the part or product. Most businesses contact a metal fabrication company with a design in mind. Some go as far as having a prototype. Many fabricators will work with computer-aided design (CAD) or computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programs to develop a 3D prototype of their piece before the manufacturing process begins.
This process ensures a product that’ll function properly. Additionally, during this time, discussions about which type(s) of metal the project will require take place.
Manufacturing
The next step of the process is manufacturing the part or product. This requires a wide range of metal fabrication equipment. Most jobs use:
- A laser cutter
- Press brake
- Roll-forming equipment
Each job for a metal fabrication shop is unique to the client, so no two jobs are the same.
Assembly
The last and final step is the assembly of the product of part. This involves putting the pieces together and ensuring the product is ready to be used for its intended purposes.
Deburring is a finishing technique that checks for excess material and that the piece is functioning correctly.
This article simply served as a brief overview of metal fabrication industry. If you need any metal fabrication products, we at Kaka Industrial are here to help.