Sheet Metal Fabrication Techniques and Products
Metal working is considered to be a combination of science and art as it involves precision as well as imagination to meet desired objectives. Commonly used metals in this regard are aluminum, bronze, copper, steel (used in steel fabrication) etc. Sheet metal fabrication involves bending (using heat inducted bending services) or cutting metal to meet design requirements – and it is an integral part of the manufacturing industry. There are multiple procedures which require large-scale equipment and necessitates talent and expertise to be maintained at each step. This blog will discuss details of some commonly used sheet metal fabrication operations and resultant household products developed.
Types of fabrication processes
- Cutting: Cutting metal sheets into halves, thirds, or smaller parts is one of the most popular metal manufacturing operations. Because it hasn’t been formed into anything yet, the metal used in many applications is brand new when it’s cut. It is also possible to use pre-formed metals such as bars and measured panels, which are then sent to be cut. Lasers and plasma torches, as well as more complex, high-tech apparatus, are used to make the cuts.
- Folding: Folding is one of the most difficult metal manufacturing methods, in which a metal surface is manipulated to form at a certain angle. To get a more or less blunt folding effect, the metal surface must fold at a 90-degree angle in certain cases. For this reason, only facilities with specialized high-tech equipment are permitted to undertake the folding procedure.
- Welding: Welding is a common metal manufacturing procedure, alongside cutting. Welding is the joining of two metal pieces together. In a welding application, it doesn’t matter whether the components are formed of metal sheets, panels, bars, or forms. Welding may be done using a variety of techniques and tools. The most common way to create a weld is to apply heat to both the joining places of the two materials.
- Machining: Machining is the process of using a machine to remove material from a piece of metal. On a lathe, the metal is rotated against cutting tools that shave corners and edges to get the required shape or dimension. In some machining applications, however, a hole or series of holes will be produced right through the metal surface. As a result, the metal drill might be categorized as a machining tool.
Items Manufactured Using Sheet Fabrication
- Chairs: It is common for a desk chair’s legs and the supporting framework to be built of cast metal. Folding chairs, which have bars and panels constructed of cut and folded metals, show off the metal manufacturing processes more clearly.
- Hinges: Doors and cabinets’ hinges are made of sheet metal that’s been cut to size and pierced with holes for fastening. The barrel is where the folding process takes place, resulting in the hinge’s fixed axis of rotation
- Silverware: At metal fabricating plants, the majority of utensils for eating are made from sterling or nickel silver, which is cast or pressed into form. Kitchen implements like whips, graters and openers are also subjected to the same technique.
- Sinks: Cast iron and steel sinks, unlike the vitreous china ones seen in bathrooms, go through a casting and folding process before being inserted into the countertop.
Concluding Comments
Engineers that specialize in metal fabrication may build anything from a bicycle all the way up to a full-fledged airplane. Specially tailored fabrications may be performed by heavy steel fabrication companies, depending on the application’s requirements. Fabrication is leveraged for many related industries, e.g., building of pipelines using pipe fabrication for oil transportation. Thus, sheet fabrication is the heartbeat of manufacturing and this heartbeat is expected to rise steadily in industries like mining and oil and gas in the post COVID-19 world!