​What is Metal Fabrication?

Are you a metalworking enthusiast? Are you interested in complex artwork or logos made of metal? Then, welcome to appreciate the various applications in this industry, from metal marking, engraving, stamping and etching to grinding and milling, we will show you the unique charm of various processing techniques.

Ⅰ. What is metal fabrication?

Industrial sheet metal fabrication is a production activity in which various processes are applied to metal materials to manufacture required parts, production line components or overall large-scale structures. Many large projects, such as oil rigs, ships, bridges, small parts such as engines, and jewelry, are all manufactured through metal processing. Therefore, it is necessary to use a wide range of techniques, processes, and tools to deal with metals and ultimately achieve the desired results.

The process made by metal fabrication factory is roughly divided into three categories, namely metal forming, metal cutting and metal joining.

Cutting refers to the process of removing material by using various tools to bring the material to a specified form. The finished parts shall meet the specified requirements in terms of size, craftsmanship, design and aesthetics. There are only two products of cutting-scrap and finished product. After the metal is cut, the scrap is called metal chips.

The cutting process can be further divided into three categories.

1. The chips that produce chips are divided into one category, also called processing.

2. Divide the burning, oxidizing or evaporating materials into one category.

3. The two are mixed, or other processes are divided into one category, such as chemical cutting. Drilling holes in metal parts is the most common example of the first type (chip generation) process. Using a cutting torch to cut steel plates into small pieces is an example of the combustion category. Chemical grinding is an example of a special process that uses etching chemicals and the like to remove excess material.

Ⅱ. Cutting technology in metal fabrication factory

There are many process technologies for cutting metals as follow.

1. Manual techniques: such as sawing, chiseling and shearing.

2. Mechanical technology: such as stamping, grinding and milling.

3. Welding/combustion technology: such as laser, oxy-fuel combustion and plasma combustion.

4. Erosion technology: use water jet, electric discharge or abrasive flow processing.

5. Chemical technology: photochemical processing or etching.

As you can see, metal processing plants have many different types of metal cutting methods. Understanding and mastering these is a good starting point, enabling you to use all available technologies to gallop in this wonderful field.