Metal Fabrication Machines

Introduction to Metal Fabrication Machines

The process of metal fabrication might seem simple and straightforward to many inexperienced people. When it is put into simple words, metal fabrication is the process of turning raw material into something useful – a finished product of any kind. These finished products are used either right away like they are without any alterations or as a part of something else. Some good examples of the first type are some types of tools, stainless steel cutlery or paper clips and of the second type are screws, nails, parts of vehicles or airplanes and so on.

Metal Fabrication Machines – Is the Process Really That Simple?

Regardless of the fact that many people do believe that this process is simple, the fact is that nothing can be further from the truth. The process of metal fabrication consists of numerous different but equally important stages, the bulk of which require a lot of knowledge, skill and complex metal fabrication machines. Besides this, the process is not only complex and long, but it is sometimes also very dangerous and always requires the full and undivided attention of the metal workers in charge of the machine. Now, it is not very hard to see just how difficult and demanding it is to create a finished product out of raw material.

Metal Fabrication Machines and the Processes Involved in Metal Fabrication

There are many different stages in the process of metal fabrication and all of these stages require different types of metal fabrication machines to be used. Here are some examples of these different stages and machines used in each of the stages:

• Forming of the metal – this process includes rolling machines which reduce the thickness of the metal piece; deep drawing machines which literally draw lines into the metal piece; bending machines which bend and shape the metal piece into the required form; extrusion machines which are used for producing complex products such as cylindrical bars and so on.
• Shearing of the metal – during this stage, hydraulic shears are used to cut through flat and thinner metal pieces, usually in a straight line and turret punching machines are used for creating many different types of shapes in sheet metal pieces.
• Removing of the material – different kinds of special metal saws are used during this stage to roughly shape the raw material; turning machines turn the metal product around its axis and cuts it while it is turning around; drillers are used to create holes in the metal work piece and milling machines are used for removing small irregularities form the metal product.
• Welding – this stage happens at the end of the process, and welding machines are used for putting the pieces of the metal product together thus making it ready for the final inspection and shipping.

Besides these machines, there are many more metal fabrication machines and tools that are used today, some of them being very advanced and modern such as plasma cutters, laser cutters and even water jet cutters.