One of the most common methods of building steel structures is custom steel fabrication. Although once known for being very labor intensive, the industry has advanced in recent years and many jobs that were once done by hand are now done by computers. This change has allowed for more customization, allowing labs to design more highly-specialized parts. Steel fabrication is a multi-step process that often involves many different types of machinery and personnel.
An important part of steel fabricating is the cutting of steel. More complicated than it sounds, modern fabrication labs utilize high precision instruments such as lasers, oxy-fuel torches, or plasma torches in order to achieve a precision cut.
The Process
Bending is also an important part of custom steel fabrication. Modern fabrication labs often incorporate instruments such as press brakes into the bending process. This allows the steel to be bent into very specific forms.
Finally, there’s assembly. Assembly involves the joining together of different steel pieces to achieve the finished product. Individual pieces are often joined together using threaded fasteners, riveting, and different welding techniques.
Fields and Industries
Many different industries utilize fabricated steel. Mining companies, for example, often hire custom steel fabrication service provider to fabricate equipment such as different types of gaskets and tanks. Fabricated steel is also common in the agricultural industry, particularly for heavy duty parts such as tractor blades and balers. The ever expanding oil and gas industry is also known to use fabricated steel to make important parts such as machine arms, sprockets, sweep shafts, and housings for oil seed extractions. Additionally, fabricated steel products can be found in the power generation, railroad, signage and displays, and water treatment fields.
Automation and Customization
Fabricated steel remains an important part of American industry. New techniques and technological advancements have allowed for increased precision and specificity in the designing of steel structures. Modern fab labs are able to offer their customers a level of customization previously not possible.
Many of these advancements became possible when the industry shifted from manual controlled machines to computer numerical controlled machines, or CNC’s. Such automation has made fabrication a more cost effective and efficient process, saving both manufacturer and consumer time and money.
