Steel fabrication is a diverse industry that utilizes complex machinery and tools to bend, cut, weld and shape steel into a wide variety of structures and components. From bridges and buildings to industrial equipment and machinery, fabricated steel plays a critical role in construction and manufacturing. Here is a look at some of the most common machinery and tools relied upon in steel fabrication shops across the world.
Cutting Tools
Laser cutters, plasma cutters and oxyfuel torches are essential for cutting steel pieces to specific shapes and designs. Laser cutters provide precise cuts with little heat impact while plasma cutters offer faster cutting for thicker materials. Oxyfuel torches, also called gas torches, employ oxygen and a fuel gas to cut and heat metal. Cutting tools enable steel fabricators to create custom steel parts efficiently.
Bending Equipment
Press brakes and roll benders are key for bending sheet metal into complex angles, curves or radii. Press brakes use upper and lower dies to bend steel between them while roll benders slowly feed sheet metal between rolling cylinders to form bends without sharp angles. Fabricators rely on bending machinery to shape flat steelstock into three-dimensional structures.
Welding Tools
Stick welders, mig welders and tig welders allow steel fabricators to join cut and bent steel pieces together. Stick welding uses a flux-coated electrode while mig and tig welding employ shielding gas and continuous wire feeding. Welding robots have also been adopted to improve precision and efficiency on larger projects. Welding completes fabricated parts by fusing metal together.
With the right tools, a steel fabricator is able to make items in varying shapes and designs to suit a client’s needs. Contact SAMS Fabrications Ltd at www.samsfabrications.co.uk for top-quality steel fabrication done using the right tools.
