Metal fabrication encompasses the entire process of building machine parts and structural components from raw metal materials, ranging from small component casting to large-scale industrial machinery. The workflow typically includes eight core phases: cutting, forming, welding, machining, punching, shearing, stamping, and casting.
The term “metal fabrication” encompasses the entire process of building machine parts and structural components from raw metal materials. This means that everything from cutting and shaping to final assembly falls under the umbrella of metal fabrication. The various forms of custom metal fabrication are responsible for projects as small as part casting and can scale up to include entire pieces of equipment and machinery.
Other industries, such as automotive, energy, and aerospace, heavily influence research and advances in metal fabrication.
8 Steps in the Custom Metal Fabrication Process
Typical metal fabrication encompasses some or all of the following eight steps:
- Cutting: Most metal fabrication processes begin with cutting sheets of metal into smaller sections, depending on product design and machine limitations.
- Forming: Metal surfaces are bent into various shapes using press brakes and folding machines.
- Welding: Bonds two separate metal parts by melting them together to create a larger component or final design from sheets, panels, and bars.
- Machining: A process of removing pieces of metal by rotating the material against specialized tools until it reaches the desired shape or size.
- Punching: Creates holes in a piece of metal and cuts sheets into smaller pieces using specific tools.
- Shearing: Involves making long cuts in sheets of metal to trim edges.
- Stamping: Uses compressive force against a die to shape a metal sheet without puncturing the base material, often used for branding, lettering, or complex incremental designs.
- Casting: Solidifies molten metal inside a mold to create complex shapes.
4 Common Categories of Metals Used in Fabrication
- Pipe & Tube: Hollow materials available in Carbon Steel, Stainless Steel, Aluminium, and other grades. Pipes are round and used for fluid or gas transfer; tubes can be square, rectangular, or round and are used in structural applications.
- Structural Metals: A key facet of construction and engineering; common examples include bars, beams, angles, and channels.
- Plate and Sheet Metals: Prefabricated flat raw materials in a range of thicknesses, utilized across construction, home appliances, and defense.
- Bar Stock: Solid round, square, or rectangular shapes available in various grades of carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminium for diverse applications.
Whether you are managing a commercial facility or an industrial project requiring custom fabrication work, ensuring precision is essential.
Contact TSCA Electrical Group today for expert assistance, or explore our complete catalog of industrial electrical products and services.