Understanding the Industrial Manufacturing Sector

As you may know, most building structures and machines are made of metal alloys through a process called metal fabrication. In this process, metal alloys are cut, burnt, welded, machined, formed and then assembled to make the final product. Metal fabrication is mostly used in the manufacture of architectural and structural metals, nuts, screws, springs, and hardware products.

There are different types of metal fabrication, but the most common type is steel fabrication. Steel fabrication is different from other types of fabrication because different pieces of the metal are mixed together to make designs and structures of varying shapes and sizes.

It is not easy to fabricate structural steel; it takes the skills and experience of an expert to use the raw materials and convert them to finished products. Massive industrial projects depend on fabrication.  That's not all; you may require services from steel fabricators if you want to make something made of steel in your house.

Precisely, steel fabricators use heavy machines to weld, straighten or bend steel into different shapes and patterns. The fabrication process usually comprises of the following stages.

Cutting

This is the first stage of steel fabrication. Top quality steel is cut into thinner pieces through chiselling, sawing, or shearing. Tools used in this stage include water jets, plasma torches, and laser-cutters.

Bending

Once the metal alloys are cut, they are then bent using machines or with the help of a hammer. The type of project in question will determine whether to bend the steel with a machine or to do it manually.

Assembling

In this phase, molten metal pieces are assembled to form a complete structure. Steel assembling can be done in two ways: through binding, where the steel pieces are attached together by an adhesive, and through welding, where the steel parts are slowly heated and joined together.

After this phase, the fabricators determine the shape of the metal. There are several ways to shape metals. Fabricators can choose to use equipment available in their workshop or use software packages. Unlike in the past, today fabricators can use cutting edge technology to monitor and control the fabrication process to ensure efficiency. Sandblasting and painting are commonly used during steel fabrication. Computerised machines such as laser-cutting gadgets are used to smooth metal edges.

Steel is used in bridge construction, buildings, home appliances, and vehicle parts. Using fabricated steel in homes and commercial buildings is a good option because it is strong and durable. If you still have more questions about steel fabrication, you can always seek professional guidance from steel fabricators in Australia.