How Many Techniques are Used in Metal Fabrication

 Metal manufacturing is a key part of a country's manufacturing. As explained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), it involves a wide range of processes, including metal smelting and/or refining, as well as the manufacture of metal alloys and super-alloys. These metals are then used to make castings and other metal products. Many techniques are used in metal fabrication, but we will explore some of them.

List:

1. Bending

2. Cutting

3. Shrinking

4. Assembling

5. Expanding Metal

6. Resistance Welding

Bending

In order to bend metal, manufacturing companies often use manual or powered hammers with benders and other related tools. The press brake is used to bend a metal plate coin or air into a desired shape and shape. It provides a cleaner, more accurate bend. Metal brakes can achieve bending up to 90 degrees, making them invaluable in manufacturing.

Cutting

Metal fabrication companies cut metal by using specialized tools, including oxygen fuel and plasma torches. Some people think that the plasma torch is dangerous, but this is not the case. The "arc" that reaches these extreme temperatures is very small, so the likelihood of accidental contact with the body is small. Other methods of cutting metals include sawing, shearing, chiseling and numerically controlled cutters such as lasers, grinding heads and water jets.

There are times where a piece of metal may accidentally be stretched to the wrong size, or you need a complicated shape in the sheet metal that cannot be achieved by expanding the metal alone.

Here, a laser cutting machine can make a perfectly smooth, stress-free cut in the metal—in whatever shape you may need. This cutting technique is often used in place of CNC punching because it places less physical stress on the material surrounding the hole so the sheet metal is stronger overall.

Shrinking

It is not uncommon for manufacturing companies to shrink metal. In general, these companies have three main ways to shrink metal:

l The first is wrinkles. It can be said that it is the oldest method, folding involves forcing the metal between the cracks with a hammer, or folding the metal on its edge with a folding fork.

l The second method involves the use of a lever operated tool called a retractor. The jaws of this tool grab the metal from both sides and squeeze them together. It is more accurate than folding, but it is also more time consuming.

l The third method is heat shrinkage. Basically, it involves heating the stretched piece of metal with a torch and then waiting for it to cool. As the metal cools, it naturally contracts; therefore, allows for smaller sizes.

Assembling

Assembly of metal is accomplished in a variety of ways, the most common being welding. Other options for assembling metal include bonding with an adhesive, using threaded fasteners, riveting, and bending in the form of crimped seams.

Expanding Metal

Usually, if you want to leave open space in a metal object, you can use a wire mesh or use a CNC punch/laser to cut holes in a metal plate. However, another way to increase open space is to use metal plates or metal coils and pass them through the expansion machine. Expanded metals are generally stronger than woven wire mesh of the same thickness, lighter than solid metal sheets, and less wasteful of raw materials than punching or laser cutting metal sheets alone.

Resistance Welding

For joining two sheets of stainless steel, few welding techniques produce results on par with resistance welding. This ideal welding machine can make welds in stainless steel faster than a human eye can blink while minimizing weld burns, spatter, and other deformities associated with manual MIG or TIG welding.

Therefore, we have talked about several technologies about sheet metal fabrication:Bending, Cutting, Shrinking, Assembling, Expanding Metal and Resistance Welding. Hope this short essay could help you learn more about the technologies of the sheet metal fabrication.