Custom Metal Fabrication

The term custom metal fabrication actually encompasses the entire procedure of constructing structural elements and machine components from individual raw materials. Essentially, this means that almost everything which includes cutting, bending, punching, etc., falls under the large umbrella of custom metal fabrication. The basic definition is that the fabrication of metal is done from scratch in a customized manner. This is done by fabricating a metal component to the specific requirements of the customer.

The fabrication process starts with raw materials such as steel, sheet metal stock, and aluminum or iron. In order to get these materials transformed into custom shapes, metal cutting & sheet metalworking experts apply heat and pressure along with other factors such as lubrication and brazing. After the preliminary work has been done, the product is then moved on to the forming process where various techniques are used to shape the components. Among the most common techniques used in custom metal fabrication are stamping, grooving, bending, drilling, riveting, etc., while using different methods for each particular part can be used for varied purposes.

After shaping, all that remains is to fabricate a metal part according to the customer's specification. In order to do this, three basic techniques are generally used by fabricators such as stamping, laser cutting, and welding. Stamping is the most common technique followed by many metal forming experts due to its simple and automated nature. This technique involves passing a template through a die machine or press in order to create a mold from which the part is manufactured. Laser cutting, on the other hand, uses a laser beam to cut shapes from a high-strength, flat metal blank.