Metal fabrication or metal fab is an integral component of the production process in today’s modern industrial world. Shops throughout the United States work hard to provide the right type of process to produce the quality of product the manufacturer desires. While some fabrication shops in Cleveland are generalists, others are specialists. They may focus on specific techniques or handle certain metals to the exclusion of others.
Defining Metal Fabricators
Metal fabricators construct and even repair metal components and/or products. They may work on large or small parts. They accomplish this by utilizing a raw material and subjecting it to a variety of specific techniques. The most common tasks and approaches a fabrication shop employs are dependent upon the intended purpose, the specifications of the client and the demands/requirements of the base material. In a Cleveland fabrication shop, the following are potential
* Assembly
* Bending
* Brazing
* Casting
* Cutting – including CNC enabled devices, laser or plasma systems
* Design/modeling
* Detailing
* Folding
* Forming – automated versions include CNC forming
* Machining
* Painting
* Punching
* Shaping
* Shearing or cutting see above
* Spinning
* Stamping
* Welding including MIG, TIG, Spot, Stick and Field
These are all value added processes in metal fabrication.
Professional fabricators may also refer to the type of work they perform as falling under such designation as structural, sheet metal or structural. It depends upon what type of work the company they are working for is concentrating on or even the project they are working on at the time. In many instances, the uniqueness of a part or metal demands customization.
Not all companies perform this task for their clients in-house. While some are ready to fabricate the component, they may have to request the designing and modeling from some other company who specializes in the design process. Other fabricators are quite capable of doing whatever is required of them to design and replicate the unique part. They will handle the entire task from the beginning to completion in their own shop.
Metal Fabrication and Fabrication Shops
For today’s manufacturing sector, fabrication is simply another step in providing a high quality product in a cost-effective manner. In Cleveland, fabricators work with various industries to produce the desired component. They can repair welds or produce a structural element. They can work with almost any metal – common or rare. They can even work with the manufacturer from design to completion to produce a specialty component. Overall, today’s metal fabrication shops are responsible for providing the public, through the manufacturing concerns, with a vast array of both novelty and everyday items.
