Fabrication is a process through which steel can be designed and customised into various shapes. These different pieces when assembled together make up a complete steel structure which can be used on an industrial, commercial or residential basis. Modern steel fabrication shops and factories have a CAD (computer aided design) system. The accuracy provided by the CAD helps make the process easier and also make the finished product look as good as possible.
In the recent years there has been a great deal of improvement in the fabrication machinery. Where once manual labor was required, now huge machine work automatically. The steel sector has improved dramatically thanks to machines being imported from leading technical centres in the world.
Processes involved in steel fabrication
The fabrication process begins when plates and sheets of steel are transported to dockyards. Since fabrication is a pretty rapid process, even thousands of tons of steel in the dockyard need to be replenished every now and then to meet the demands of an ever growing steel fabrication sector.
Prior to fabrication most of the steel is sort blasted. This is a surface preparation process and is pretty important to getting best results for fabrication. A shot is fired at the steel which helps displace the dirt and indents the steel. This creates a rough surface and thus prepares the steel for the fabrication process.
The steel is then cut and drilled. This is the first step to the fabrication steel process. The steel is cut into sections of varying sizes and shapes. The cutting process is carried out by different machinery and tools. Circular saws are the most common tools for cutting the steel. The process is pretty accurate. Another method of cutting steel is through flame cutting. The process uses oxygen and another combined gas at high temperatures which cuts through the steel.
Drilling and punching also take place in the fabrication factory. In order to make sure there are space for nuts and bolts to hold the steel structures together, all drilling and cutting is carried out.
For curved steel work a process known as bending is used. Through roller bending and press breaking equipment, curves and bends are created.
Welding is also carried out in a steel fabricating factory. Different welding processes are used for creating different welded steel structures. Assembling and welding are the most essential part of the fabrication process. The modern fabrication process involves welding of complex structures of steel. High temperature is sued to assemble different steel structures together and during the fabrication process as well. For every new project there are engineers who determine the different shapes and dimensions the steel would be processed into. They start with a mere two dimensional drawing and then go on to create complex three dimension structures which make it easier to visualise and create any kind of metal framework.
For more information on steel fabrication process you can visit different steel fabrication shops and get an initial consultation.
Information provided by: www.rosevalleysteelworks.com