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Metal Fabrication

Metal fabrication is a process of manufacturing metal components by changing the raw metal material using various tools. Metal fabrication processes can be classified as cold, warm and hot working depending on the temperature at which the material is processed. 

Most of the objects around us such as paper clips, computers, bolts, nails, automobile parts, parts used for instruments and machinery and countless other products are transformed by metal fabrication processes such as bending, punching, drilling, turning, grinding, threading etc. The factors, influencing the metal fabrication process are the type of material being machined, the rate of production, the desired geometry, and other physical requirements of the part.

Types of Metal fabrication processes

Metal fabrication can be divided to forming, removal and non-conventional.

Metal Forming

• Forging: Forging involves plastic deformation of the workpiece by compressive forces. Parts such as crankshafts, connecting rods, gears, bolt heads etc., are made by forging.
• Rolling: Rolling is a process of reducing the thickness of a long workpiece by compressive forces using a set of rolls. Plates used for Machine structures, vessels and sheets used for automobile and aircraft bodies, appliances and furniture etc are made by rolling.
• Extrusion: During extrusion round billets are forced through one or more dies by a compressive force that is applied to a ram. The extruded piece that emerges has the desired shape. In general, extrusion is used to produce cylindrical bars or hollow tubes, but shapes of irregular cross sections may be produced from the more readily extrudable metals, such as Aluminum. Because of the large forces required in extrusion, most of the metals are extruded under hot conditions where the deformation resistance of the metal is low.    
• Drawing:  Drawing is the pulling of a metal piece through a die having a tapered bore by means of a tensile force that is applied on the exit side. Rod, wire and tubing products are commonly fabricated by drawing.
• Deep Drawing: Deep Drawing is a type of Drawing process. In deep drawing, the depth of the part can be greater than its diameter. Deep drawing is used for making automotive fuel tanks, kitchen sinks etc•.
• Bending: During bending, the workpiece is bent to form flanges, contours, curls, seams, corrugations and other geometries by means of applying force through hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical machines.  
• Spinning: Spinning is a process of forming axially symmetrical shapes.
• Turret Punching: Turret Punching creates shapes in sheet material by successively punching a series of basic shapes.

Metal Removal

Cast and formed metal parts often require further processing or finishing operations to impart specific characteristics such as dimensional accuracy and surface finish. There are several methods of metal removing such as Metal Cutting, Abrasive process and non-conventional metal removing processes. 

• Sawing: Sawing is a type of cutting in which the cutting tool is a blade that has a series of small teeth, with each tooth removing a small amount of material. The Saw machine is used to shape raw material to the approximate size of the part, prior to fabrication to the desired shape.
• Shearing: Shearing is a metal cutting process through which flat surfaces and various cross-sections with grooves and notches are produced.
• Blanking: During Blanking, different shaped parts are created in sheet metal by applying a punch and die.
• Tapping: Tapping produces internal threads in the workpiece. This involves use of a tool with multiple cutting teeth.
• Broaching: Broaching involves use of a long multitooth cutting tool that makes successively deeper cuts. A broach can remove material up to a depth of 6mm in one stroke. Broached parts have good dimensional accuracy and surface finish. This process is used for machining internal and external surfaces such as holes, keyways and teeth of internal gear.
• Boring: Boring produces circular internal profiles in hollow workpiece or on a hole made by drilling or another process.
• Turning: Turning rotates the workpiece about its axis while applying cutting tools to create a desired shape.
• Drilling: Drilling produces deep holes in a workpiece using a long cutting tool.
• Milling: Milling removes small chips using a rotating cutter. Face milling, end milling, straddle milling, and form milling are some of the types of cutting used.
• Grinding: Grinding is a chip removal process in which the cutting tool is an abrasive grain wheel. The different types of grinding processes are Surface grinding, Cylindrical grinding, Internal grinding and Centerless grinding etc.

Advanced Metal Removal

Laser Cutting: Laser cutting involves focusing a beam of high density energy on the surface of the workpiece. The beam evaporates portions of the workpiece in a controlled manner.

Electro Discharge Machining: Electro Discharge machining is based on erosion of metal by spark discharges. This process can be used for machining any material which is an electrical conductor. Electro Discharge machining has many applications such as producing die cavities for automotive body components, narrow slots and various intricate shapes.

 

Wire-Cut EDM: The wire-cut Electro Discharge machine produces part shapes by cutting a metal work piece with a continuously moving wire by means of rapid, repetitive discharges. This process is used to cut plates as thick as 300 mm and for making punches, tools and dies from hard materials and other intricate parts.

Waterjet Cutting: In this process, the force of a water jet is used to cut material. The water jet acts like a saw and cuts a narrow groove in the workpiece. Most of metals, pastics, fabrics, wood products, rubber, insulating material, leather, brick and composite materials can be cut.

 

 

Samples of Metal Fabrication

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