For Specialty Metal Fabrication Richmond Should Be Prioritized

By Edward Cook

There is a lot of cutting, assembling, and bending involved in the building of structures. The whole process is called metal fabrication. Metal fabrication falls under value added processes, with the final products being machines of structures composed of different raw materials. The buildings in which this process is done are called fab shops. Fab shops place bids on jobs posted by employers. When they are selected for the job, they go ahead to produce the produce based on drawings. When one needs professional  offers a good location to visit.

Any project done in a fab shop starts out as a drawing of the final product. The drawings are usually produced by engineers and presented to workers to analyze and understand them. Workers measure the drawings to come up with precise measurements. Once the measuring has been completed, they start to fabricate the final structure. When the structure has been fabricated, it is assembled together and installed.

Fab stores are employed by several different employers, including VARs, OEMs, and contractors. They produce a wide range of structures such as hand railings for buildings, staircases, structural frames for heavy equipment and buildings, and loose parts. They take both small and large projects. Some fab shops often specialize in the kind of projects they undertake.

Bending, assembling, and cutting are the key processes making up this activity. Chiseling, sawing, and shearing are some of the cutting methods employed. There are mechanical and manual variants of all the three cutting methods. Torching and CNC are also additional methods for cutting. Oxy-fuel and plasma torches are example of torching equipment used. Torches are hand-held to allow ease of operation. They incorporate handles for holding and controls.

Bending is accomplished through hammering, which may be powered or manual. Another way of accomplishing bending is press brakes or similar tools. Contemporary metal fabricators air-bend or coin metal sheet into form using press brakes. CNC-controlled backgauges position cut parts using hard stops to place bend lines in correct positions. CNC-controlled press brakes have been made more efficient and seamless by off-line programming software

Assembling is the final step in this process. It is accomplished through riveting, use threaded fasteners, use of adhesives, and welding among many other methods. Sheet metal and structural steel are used by fabricators as the starting materials for the process. Additional materials used include fasteners, welding wire, and flux. Both automated processes and human labor are used.

Undesirable material over metal surfaces are removed through a refinement method referred to as machining. Machining is necessary for attaining the required shape. Machining is usually a separate trade in which fab shops only specialize to a limited extent. Machining capabilities that a fab shop may incorporate within their services include magnet based drills, mills, and metal lathes.

Fab stores usually specialize in one or multiple areas of specialty in this profession. Specialization by fab stores is usually dependent on customer needs and level of expertise in the specific specialty. Some of the areas available for specialization include welding, powder coating, casting, powder metallurgy, and chipping.