Customers ask us dozens of questions each day about custom steel fabrication, some of which are more in depth than others. One of the more high-level questions we hear is a simple definition of steel fabrication. The answer is pretty straightforward. Steel fabrication is the process of transforming raw steel into a product used for construction or assembly.
This post will cover everything you’ve been wondering about steel fabrication.
What are the basic methods of steel fabrication?
The definition we gave above is pretty broad, and here’s where we’ll get into the nitty-gritty. These are the different types of fabrication a steel fabrication service can perform:
- Machining: Machining involves using specialized equipment to shave away parts of a metal piece to make it into the desired shape. Some of the most common machining tools include lathes, mills and drills. Nowadays, many of the machines we use are controlled by computers, known as computer numerical control (CNC) machines.
- Cutting: As you can probably tell by the name, cutting involves cutting large pieces down into smaller sections for a variety of different uses. Water jets are common these days, which cut metal using high-pressure water jets to make clean and accurate cuts.
- Welding: Welding is the process of bending or combining two metal pieces to create one larger piece. There are a few different types of welding, including metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding, and the best fabrication teams can perform them all to meet their customers’ needs.
Basic raw materials involved with steel fabrication
A steel fabrication service must have a variety of different raw materials on hand to complete their daily tasks. These are a few of the things you’ll find at every reputable fabrication shop:
- Plate metal: We use plate metal to shape the pieces we’re working with. Plate metal encompasses an array of different metals for all sorts of fabrication jobs.
- Formed and expanded metal: These pieces are grate-like types of metal that are often used for outdoor furniture or pieces that need water to run off the metal rather than stay on top of it.
- Sectional metal: Sectional pieces include L beams, bar metal and rod metal and are used in tons of different fabrication processes.
- Flat metal: Flat metal includes sheet metal and plate metal, and we use it to create texture and visual interest in the fabrication process. We can also use flat metal to make shapes when needed.
- Welding wire: Finally, we always have plenty of welding wire on hand to combine our metal pieces together. Welding wire comes in a variety of thicknesses to use for all different types of metal.
Work with our team at Metal Pro, Inc.
The next time you need a partner for custom steel fabrication, look no further than Metal Pro, Inc. We offer a wide variety of fabrication services to meet your needs, and our experts ensure the job is done right the first time. Contact us today to get a quote for your next project.