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From Safety to Savings: A Heavy Construction Equipment Blog

If your business works with construction, you deal with a lot of heavy equipment. If you want advice on how to save money on your equipment, you should check out my posts. I plan to write about everything from hiring versus buying, to troubleshooting to reduce repairs, to handling repairs yourself. I also plan to write about other aspects of heavy machinery use such as safety. I ultimately hope that my ideas guide you toward creating a leaner, more productive, more efficient, less expensive, and more profitable business. My ideas are geared toward everyone from newbies to experts in the field of construction.

From Safety to Savings: A Heavy Construction Equipment Blog

Here's What You Should Know About Steel Fabrication Processes

by Fred Gutierrez

The versatile nature of steel means that you can use it in different industries and for many purposes; hence it's desired and demanded. Steel is created by combining iron alloys and other materials to form different steel types. Steel formation entails three steps, mainly the melting of materials, mixing the melted materials with steel, and producing specific shapes. Steel fabrication is essential in creating large materials such as cars, ships, and airplanes, while custom fabrication can create smaller materials like staircases and plumbing systems. Have you ever thought about how steel fabrication occurs? This article discusses the main steel fabrication formation processes.

Cutting

Depending on the project, warehouse steel needs cutting into specific shapes, sizes, and designs. There are several techniques professionals use for cutting metal plates. The first technique entails plasma cutting torches shooting electrical arcs that generate powerful flames that slice through electrical conducive metals like aluminum and stainless steel. The second technique is oxyfuel cutting. That cutting fabrication type is excellent for iron-containing or ferrous metals such as low-carbon steel. Oxyfuel cutting entails heating metal with preheated flame and creating chemical reactions with oxygen steam which cuts through metals. The last cutting technique is waterjet cutting. This technique uses concentrated water beams to slice through metal plates.

Bending

Bending is usually done by applying massive pressure through hammering works or pressing machines to change steel piece shapes. The necessary steel piece angles form through tube benders and press brakes. Excessive force can deform materials; hence, steel fabricators should consider the amount of pressure they instill on raw materials. You may incur extra charges for repairing or replacing deformed steel pieces. Press brakes can be automated to limit processing errors and speed up production.

Welding

Welding is a standard steel fabrication type that combines or bends pieces of steel using fusion processes. The joining and bending of steel pieces occur when they're hot, where they're heated to extreme temperatures and then let cool down. Welding can occur using several heat sources, mainly electric arcs, gas flames, and lasers. The two materials in welding (parent materials and additional materials) are joined using joints. Steel fabricators ensure correct assembly of all parts matches desired specifications and appropriate welding methods.

Final Word

Steel fabrication is a green option since steel is fully recyclable. It's also a safe and cost-effective option that you can customize according to your needs and specifications. Contact professionals for steel fabrication installation and maintenance. For more information on steel fabrication, contact a professional near you.

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