What is Metal Fabrication?
Metal fabrication is the process of shaping metal into desired designs and sizes. It can consist of processes such as cutting, welding etc. Since metal is hard, it is first taken into the form of sheet metal and then fabricated into desired shapes and sizes. Sheet metal is very thin and can easily be fabricated with the help of cutting, hammering, welding etc. The people who fabricate metal are known as metal fabricators.
Why is Metal Fabricated?
Metal is fabricated so that it can be shaped into the desired shapes and designs. Metal in its pure form is very hard and difficult to fabricate. So it is necessary to make use of the techniques discussed below to shape it.
What are the different types of Metal Alterations?
Depending on what the required final product, a metal can undergo one type of metal fabrication or several. However, in whatever form fabrication is required to ensure the metal fits the required shape, size and thickness. This is great as it allows markets such as Saudi Arabia to get high quality customized metal products. Listed below are the different types of metal alterations:
Forging metal
Forging is a metal alteration method that works by heating the metal at extremely high temperatures and then striking it with a hammer. The process is repeated until the metal has taken the desired shape. The hammering process is done by hand by a professional metal fabricator. This is the oldest technique and is still widely used because it is very effective. This technique is used for shaping metal.
Casting metal
Casting process requires the metal to first be in molten state. This is achieved by heating the metal at its melting point until it turns into molten state. Then molten metal is poured into a mold. The mold is already made into the desired shape. When the molten metal is poured in the mold, it is cooled till it turns hard and regains its hard metal form. This is also a very effective and widely used process. This method is also used to shape the metal.
Drawing metal
This method of metal fabrication makes use of tensile force to pull the metal. It is pulled until the metal is converted into a thinner piece of metal. It can also be said to change the thickness of the metal. After the drawing stage is completed, the metal is much easier to fabricate and work with.
In order to make the drawing process easy, the metal can be heated. Since upon heating the fabrication process can be made easier, it can help in drawing the metal. After getting the job done, the metal can be cooled down again so it can regain its strength. This process is a bit similar to the forging process as both methods bring the same outcome. However, this method is more effective and gets the job done much quicker.
Forming metal
Forming metal is another process of metal alteration that includes bending the metal to shape. To bend the metal, pressure is applied usually with the help of a brake press. The pressure is applied till the metal is bent to shape and a crease is formed. Although hammering can also be used to achieve the same outcome, it is much more time consuming and labor intensive. The bending process can be made easy by heating the metal up as it aids in the fabrication process.
Machining metal
Machining is a metal fabrication process that makes use of machines to shape metal. It includes multiple sub processes based on the desired outcome such as drilling, turning and milling. These techniques are very helpful as they aid several other processes in getting their job done more effectively.
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Drilling
The drilling process makes use of a drill machine and a drill bit to put a hole in the metal. The process is very simple, and any size of hole can be made depending on the requirement. The holes can be made to either accommodate some other part of metal inside or just leave them as is. One example would be shower heads.
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Turning
Turning is another process of metal machining. In this process, the metal is turned at very high speeds to allow the metal cutting tools to remove metal in circular fashion. Since, the metal is being removed in circular fashion it can also be made into a circular shape. This process usually ensures that all sides of the metal are cut evenly.
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Milling
In the milling process of metal machining, multi-point cutting tools remove metal from the work piece.
Metal extrusion
Metal extrusion forces the metal between an open or closed die. The objective is to form a cavity inside the metal. This step is mainly used to shape the metal in the form of pipes etc. Multiple other shapes can also be formed using the process.
Metal cutting
Metal cutting as the name suggests is the process of cutting metal. However, as simple as it may sound the process is very intricate as it requires high precision and accuracy. There are multiple methods such as lasers, etc. to cut the metal. This is also a very important step as cutting the metal to the required size is one of the main steps of metal fabrication. Metal can be cut by using power tools, handheld blades such as hacksaw, backsaw etc.
The metal can also be cut by using tools such as a chisel and a pointed hammer, however it will only work if the metal is thin. Usually, during the fabrication process cutting is the first step as it is important to cut the metal to size.
Metal punching
This process uses punch presses to introduce holes in the metal piece by punching the metal with the help of special turrets. This process also requires precision in locating where to poke the holes accurately. Punching is usually used in both light as well as heavy metal work.
Metal stamping
Metal stamping makes use of hammers or a press to indent metal usually with letters, shapes etc. Industries such as automotive industries that use metal extensively mainly make use of this type of metal fabrication. Moreover, this method is also used for personalizing and engraving names, emblems etc. in metal. Apart from the automotive industry, watches, mobile devices, laptop manufactures etc. make use of this kind of metal alteration.
Welding
Metal welding utilizes heat and pressure to combine or adjoin two or more pieces of metal together. This process is important as the adjoined pieces are bonded together with great strength. Since heat and pressure are used, the overall integrity of the metal is not compromised.
Metal shearing
In metal shearing one long, straight cut is achieved by combining two blades. One blade resides below the metal applying pressure while the other one resides above the metal. The upper blade is responsible for forcing the metal down onto the lower blade causing linear cuts into the metal. It is ideal for cutting smaller lengths and differently shaped materials.
What to keep in mind when fabricating metal?
While fabricating metal, make sure you have more metal than you require. This is very important as cutting away more and more metal is relatively easier than joining smaller pieces back together.
Metal can be heated to make the fabrication process easy. Using heat to your advantage can help you make the fabrication process much easier. Especially in case of metal that is thicker. This is because the thicker the metal the more difficult it is to fabricate it. Introducing heat to such metal will make your fabrication process much easier and save you a lot of time.
What are the benefits of Metal Fabrication?
The benefits of metal fabrication are as follows:
Customization and versatility
Metal fabrication gives the ability to create products that are customized exactly according to your needs. By customizing the products, you can get the shape, size and design exactly according to your needs with laser precision. Moreover, for further customization the products can be engraved as well so you can get the full effect.
Customers like that of the Saudi Arabian market, especially of cities like Jeddah require highly customized products. To fulfill their needs, highly customized steel products can be easily fabricated with high precision. This shows how beneficial and easy metal fabrication is.
Strength and durability
Steel is an alloy of metal with high metal points and great tensile strength. This makes it great for use in places that need a strong material. Moreover, it can withstand the harsh climate especially in countries such as Saudi Arabia where the temperatures can be high in the summers.
Thus, it is a great choice especially for industries such as construction, automotives, etc. Saudi Arabian companies such as Al Safrik Steel that use 100% pure steel can help you achieve even more durability. Since our steel is much purer, its strength and melting points are also higher. This essentially means our steel has more strength and can endure higher temperatures.
Fast turnaround time
Metal fabrication is a relatively speedy process which can be sped up by automating and streamlining the process. The required output can be achieved much quicker in comparison to materials that require more finesse. Moreover, they can be assembled and disassembled much more quickly which not only saves time but also the cost of the projects. This can be seen as an example in the construction industry where using concrete can take much more time. Whereas, using metal can save a lot of the time while providing much more strength. Thus, this is a great option.
High quality
Steel fabrication provides much higher quality work as it can be made precisely using different precision technologies. Since most of the work is machined, the chances of precision being off are close to none. This means that the finished product is much higher quality which can really have an impact on the results. At Al Safrik Steel we use different sorts of tests and technologies to make sure our products are up to standard.
Al Safrik Steel; Who are we?
Al Safrik Steel is a Steel and metal fabrication company that uses 100% steel to alter and fabricate a large variety of products. Our products are made for the Saudi Arabian market, according to their needs and requirements. Our long lineup of products contains all sorts of products that mainly have industrial use. We believe that our customers should only get the best quality of products.
Over the past couple of years, we have perfected our trade. Our highly qualified engineers have ensured that the quality standards of all our products are met. So, wait no further, place an order now and get the best of what we have to offer.
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