Steel has become one of the most commonly used metals in our world.
- Steel is one of those materials, the mere look of which gives you an impression of strength and durability along with unmatched sophistication. However, to use steel it has to go through a process called fabrication.
- The phrase steel fabrication refers to the process of manufacturing steel components that are then joined or assembled to form the complete frame. These are used in the manufacture of machinery and equipment, the parts of which are assembled in several different sizes and shapes.
- The cost of fabrication depends on the complexity of the structure. Therefore, if the costs are to be kept down as much as possible, it is important that the complexity be kept to a minimum.
- Steel fabrication is basically used for the industrial purposes and companies need to go through this fabrication process to give their desired shape of the products. Steel sheets are assembled, and fabricated through different machines, and the fabricator will design the products with these steel sheet by pressing heat and fabrication tools.
The Process of Steel Fabrication
Owing to the evolution of technology in the past few years, the process of making steel ready for industrial use has come a long way. The real thing is only tried after a digital dry run of the cutting and modelling through CNC systems. This makes it easier to visualize the result and facilitates the fabrication process.
- The practise at the core of fabrication is welding. This is used to attach fixtures and fittings and for the preparation of joints that are to be used on the construction site. Generally, the welding is done by using an electric arc that generates heat. This heat causes the parent material to melt at the joint. After this a different filler material which is an electrode and which also melts, merges with the parent material.
- Some protection needs to be offered to the material in the freezing stage from liquid to solid as it is susceptible to contamination during this time. This protection is offered by covering its pool with a slag or by using inert shield gas. Sometimes, both these protective measures are taken as an extra caution. Experienced and skilled professionals can do these processes only.
Some Common Techniques of Steel Fabrication
- Cutting: When the steel sections are cut before the fabrication process begins, it is easier to work with them. There are several different ways to do this cutting.
- Shot Blasting: Sometimes, steel sections are shot blasted before the fabrication, as a preparatory step. This provides a clean finish and the rough surfaces become easy to work with.
- Welding: As mentioned before, fabrication deals with a lot of welding. This is done for the preparation of connections as well as attaching fittings and fixtures. The weld pool created by the melting of the parent material due to high heat fuses the metals together.
- Bending: Bending or rolling techniques are used when the steel is required to have a smoother finish. Steel fabricator will do the same at the last stage of their fabrication process.
- Coating: The coating on the steel has both functional and aesthetic importance. The coating gives a smooth and sophisticated texture as well as makes the material corrosion resistant.
In simple words, steel fabrication is the process of shaping, bending, and cutting steel alloy to get the end product. The process of fabrication takes raw materials and transforms them into finished products that can be marketed. However, not everyone can achieve ideal results from it. Only a skilled technician with enough training and experience in the fabrication process can ace the process and get desirable results.