What is Custom Metal Fabrication?

An Example of a Coating Test

Custom fabrication metal is literally called the entire process of manufacturing raw metal materials together with machine parts and structural components. These processes mean that everything from cutting and forming to final assembly is metal of special manufacture. Various specialized metal fabrications, formats are responsible for projects as small as foundry parts, and can be expanded to include all equipment and machine parts. When you need something metal, you have to customize the metalwork. When you need something with more rigorous specifications, whether it is precision metal Decking, steel construction beams or anything in between, custom metal fabrications will do your requests. Custom metal fabrication is a process in which a wide range of high-tech tools and equipment are used that can cut, bend, roll and assemble metal into complex, small and according to requests. Among the most commonly used metals, carbon steel, stainless and high-strength steel, aluminum and copper are often used. Some applications require specialty metal fabrication, so the production of special metals also uses metallurgy when necessary to determine the best metal for the job.

For private metal manufacturers, the metal from which the actual work begins comes in two main forms; sheet metal and structural steel. Sheet comes in rectangular sheets or rolls of various sizes and thicknesses. When sheet metal is 3/16 inch thick or equal to it, it is usually called custom sheet metal and is generally classified as sheet metal. Structural metal is metal that has been preformed into a certain shape, which is usually defined by its cross section. The most commonly used structural shapes are beams, angular structures, channels and hollow ones. Structural metal may also include special metals such as ready-made mesh. A special metal fabrication kit has three main functions, namely; cut the stock of metal parts into the desired shapes and sizes, bend or shape the metal in a certain way, and assemble the elements of an assembly. Each of the main processes has different types of methods and equipment used for each, depending on the wishes of a particular metal fabrication job.

Special Metal Fabrication Process

Typically, custom metal fabrication includes some or all of the following steps:

  • Cutting: In most special metal fabrication processes, the first one starts with cutting the metal sheets into small pieces as desired. The size of these parts will largely depend on the type of product and the limitations of the necessary machines.
  • Forming: During the bending process, special metal surfaces are bent in different ways. Most often, presses and folding machines are used to perform these bends, depending on the type of design.
  • Welding: Solder connects two separate pieces of metal by melting them together, forcing the two to connect. This may include welding two separate components together to form a larger component, or joining large finished parts together to complete the final design. Plates, sheets, rods and many other metal parts can be welded together.
  • Processing: In machining, various cutting and shaping tools are used to pick up parts of a piece of metal. In order to cut special metal, parts of a product until they reach the desired shape or size, turning is usually done with certain tools.
  • Drilling: The press uses force to create holes in the special piece of metal into which other parts can be inserted. This process can be used to allow other parts to be connected to a larger object, or to create holes in the sheet that will later be cut into smaller pieces. Depending on the design and size of the metal to be punched, this can be accomplished with a small manual punch press or a larger, more complex CNC punching machine.
  • Stamping: Like punching, stamping uses compressive force on the mold to shape the sheet metal, but stamping does not pierce the base material. Metal stamping has many applications, such as marking a metal object or creating a certain form of design, such as etching. More complex designs may use a series of progressive patterns to make incremental changes to the object as it moves through the process.
  • Casting: During the casting process, the molten metal is poured into a mold and allowed to solidify into the final design shape. This versatile manufacturing process is often used to create complex shapes.
An Example of a Welding & Thickness Test
An Example of a Welding & Thickness Test

Producing special steel requires forming the stock in the desired shapes using industrial machines that can produce the force and pressure required to convert the metal to precise tolerances. There are different tools to use during these steps. Custom steel fabrication can be carried out using these tools and methods. YENA Engineering produces fast and high quality products during steel and steel manufacturing, click here to get information about steel manufacturing processes.

CUTTING MACHINE: Special metalworking cutters are industrial machines that cut sheets and come in various sizes and configurations. One side remains stationary, while the other side is a moving part. It uses an angled handle to cut metal using opposite blades for different thicknesses. Some, such as bench cutters, are operated manually. The large shears, including the cutting rods, are hydraulically operated to hold the material in place. Scissors are usually used to cut straight lines.

PLASMA AND LASER: The industrial plasma table makes it possible to cut sheet metal of any shape or size. Plasma can cut special shapes such as circles or complex curves and is usually operated by computer numerical control (CNC). Plasma cutting is slightly coarser than laser. Laser cutters are used for extremely clean and precise cutting of most metals, allowing intricate shapes such as bronze ornaments to be created.

PUNCH: An industrial metal stamping machine that uses a die drilled into the metal to create holes of almost any shape or size, usually using CNC. These high-pressure devices can use mechanical, electromechanical or hydraulic forces.

The Packaging Stage
The Packaging Stage

Materials Used in Production

  • Pipe and Tube: Pipes are always round in shape. Tubes can be square, rectangular or round. The pipes are pressurized and designed for use in the transfer of liquids or gases. Pipes are used in structural applications. Available in different grades of carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum and other materials.
  • Structural Metals: Any prefabricated metal part designed for standard assembly is considered structural metal. This material is an important aspect of the construction and engineering industries, and common examples include bars, beams, corners and decking.
  • Sheets: Flat metal is a raw material and although usually quite thin, parts of various thicknesses are available. Applications range from construction to household appliances, military and defense.

Custom metal fabrication is a complex process. You have a project to work on, check out YENA Engineering, which brings together as many talents as possible under one roof. We keep the costs at a minimum for you and offer fast and quality solutions. YENA Engineering, which has been operating for 15 years, has all these capabilities and much more. Contact us today to learn more about our custom fabricator capabilities and how they can help your project succeed.

Figure 4: YENA Factory
Figure 4: YENA Factory

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