Metal fabrication involves building metal structures from raw metal material. In this video, a metal fabricator explains what happens during the fabrication process and the methods employed. The metal fabrication process can be broken down into three parts; cutting, bending, and assembling.
Using these three processes, a final value-added metal structure is created. Cutting can be done by sawing, shearing, chiseling, torching, and via numerical control (i.e., CNC cutters).
Bending utilizes hammers, press brakes, tube benders, and other tools. Assembling uses welding, adhesives, or bending to create crimped seams. Metal fabrication begins with a design that is often provided to a metal fabrication shop by a client. It's this design that informs what the final product will be. The raw materials used include flat metal (e.g., sheet metal and plate metal) and sectional metals (e.g., rods, Z-shapes, and hollow tubes.) The raw materials are made out of different metals, including steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and magnesium. According to 2021 data from Zippia, there are more than 77,000 metal fabricators working in the US. The industries that rely on metal fabrication include mining, energy, construction, aerospace, medicine, and transportation.
