An overview of specialty processes for metal fabrication

When manufacturers use metal for constructing machines and infrastructures, the maker is often required to process the raw material through metal fabrication. Considered a “value added process” for production, various industries today rely on fabrication techniques such as sawing, filing, and hammering to reform the metal piece into a different structure and shape.

There are many ways in which metal fabrication takes place. In order to meet customer needs, many manufacturers have developed processes which focus on:

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Casting: The American Foundry Society defines casting as a process by which a liquid material is poured into a mold (containing a hollow cavity of the desired shape) and then allowed to solidify. It is often used for making complex shapes that are otherwise hard or expensive to form using other methods. Casting is widely used. In fact, 90 percent of all manufactured goods contain some metal castings.

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Extrusion: Commonly used for producing cylindrical items, such as wiring and pipes, extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, where the material is drawn through a die.

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Punching: This method is used for metals to create decorative indentions or other features. A machine is used to create holes and designs.

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Welding. Used for “joining” materials, welding is the act of fusing two metal pieces together—often through pressured heat.

These are just four of the most common metal fabrication processes popular in the market today. Due to rising complexity of customer needs, many manufacturing companies have started developing customized metal fabrication services intended for each type of customers. 



Hence, for those who are looking for a metal fabrication company, it is important to choose one that has the experience and resources for your business’ value-added service.


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Steel: A key driver in the world’s economy

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Due to its high tensile and affordability, steel has easily become one of the world’s most valued commodities. Its broad applications—from machine tools to household instruments—have steeled the material as an all important product in nearly all industries.

In Europe, for example, steel has remained a competitive and indispensable industry that services a wide range of fields such as mechanics, shipbuilding, automotive, appliances, packaging, construction, and transportation. According to recent data, the European commission estimates the worth of the EU steel sector at €150 billion, with a production of roughly 200 million tons of steel annually.

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In other parts of the world, steel production has remained strong and productive. China, which is the biggest steel producing country in the world, accounted for nearly 50 percent of the world steel production in 2013. This, according to experts, is due to the country’s rapid modernization, construction, and increasing investments in infrastructure and manufacturing industries.

Other countries with significant steel production are Japan, United States, and India.

Today, steel has become a strategic industry essential to the growth and stability of some of the world’s most powerful countries. It has helped nations build the face of the planet through various infrastructure technologies and material innovations. Not only has it helped improve our treasures, but it also has become a fundamental part of society and people’s modern way of life.

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Structural steel: The best choice for commercial building construction

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Structural steel is made using one of two basic processes: Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF), which produce angles, channels, and other hot-rolled shapes, and Basic Oxygen Furnaces (BOF), which produce hollow steel sections and plate steel from rolls of sheet metal. Structural steel has been used in commercial and non-residential building construction for over 50 years, and with good reason. Structural steel framing systems have numerous benefits that other types of framing, such as engineered timber and concrete, cannot provide. The following are some examples:

Strength

Structural steel has a high strength-to-weight ratio. This means that the dead weight of steel is relatively small, making it suitable for the construction of bridges, buildings, and structures located on soft ground.

Ductility
 
Structural steel can withstand a lot of strain and deformation before it collapses or ruptures. This characteristic, along with strength, makes structural steel-framed buildings more resistant to shocks caused by earthquakes, blasts, hurricanes, and the like.

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Ease of expansion of or addition

Structural steel buildings can have extensions or additions constructed with minimal difficulty and within a short amount of time.

Structural steel has been the market leader in construction materials for the past 30 years and, thanks to technological innovations in the steel industry that allow for greater design flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and easy availability, it will likely remain so for the foreseeable future.

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DS Pipe & Steel Supply LLC is a family-owned wholesale distributor that supplies more than 120 different industrial product lines, including structural steel angles, flats, beams, sheets, and rectangular tubes. Founded in 1979, the firm has expanded under the guidance of its president, Chris Keehner. From a one-truck operation, it has since flourished to a business that employs 110 full-time employees, a fleet of 19 trucks, and a 250,000-square foot warehouse. For more information on its services, visit its website.