Sheet Metal Fabrication: What it is, How It Works and Its Processes

20 January 2023

Metal fabrication is known as making metal components or structures from raw metal resources. Various fabrication techniques, including cutting, punching, bending, and welding, are employed when making metal items. In its broadest sense, sheet metal fabrication uses various methods to produce metal structures. Usually, larger end products are made by processing and assembling sheets of steel or other metal components. Processes like welding are utilised to bond these small components and produce a high-quality finish, resulting in various products with different forms and sizes. Various processes are involved in sheet metal fabrication that can often be confused. As a result, we’ve developed an overview of sheet metal fabrication, also known as metalworking, and the methods used.

What Exactly Does a Sheet Metal Fabricator Do?

From the initial design stage to the assembly and preparation of the finished product, metal fabricators specialise in one or more of the techniques used in the metal fabrication process. Review the methods listed below to learn more about what a metal fabricator does.

What Are the Basic Fabrication Processes?

Cutting, stamping and punching, welding, and bending are some of the primary phases in the manufacturing process. Several additional procedures are carried out in addition to the basic fabrication steps mentioned above to convert the produced component into the finished steelwork assembly shipped to the customer. Many of these techniques entail painting or galvanising the surface of the steel structure assembly to prevent corrosion.

Below are some of the basic fabrication processes used during the manufacturing stage:

• Cutting – It is the first step in making anything. We start by cutting into the steel with a saw, water jet, plasma, and lasers. Numerical control, shearing, and chiselling are only a few of the numerous cutting techniques.

• Welding – Welders combine two metal components with building a new steel component or a large structure. A particular welding process will be used based on the type of metal and the building’s plans.

• Stamping And Punching – In stamping, the desired shape is created by indenting and raising metal using a press. This is how coins are produced. With this technique, a material-raised region is made into a die. The motion is somewhat similar to punching. Stamping can shape flat metal sheets into a broad range of useful forms. Punching and stamping are mechanically similar. However, stamping doesn’t require any material to be cut.

• Bending – Press brakes and other tools, such as manual and electric hammers, are used in fabrication workplaces to bend metal. Press brakes are used to coin or air-bend metal sheets to get the desired form. The resulting bend is cleaner and more accurate.

Here at L & C Harding Plumbing Pty Ltd, our sheet metal fabrication work is done to satisfy the customer. We are experts in sheet metal fabrication, welding, and purging for stainless steel, mild steel, and aluminium. Our sheet metal fabrication in Melbourne can satisfy any industrial demand with the appropriate material selected for your requirements. To speak to a specialist about the sheet metal fabrication you need for your work, call us at 1800 426 664 or fill out our enquiry form online.