Metal Fabrication Vs Welding: Understanding the Difference

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Metal Fabrication Vs Welding Understanding the
Difference
Look around you and you will find many products
and components that require precise sheet metal
fabrication. Be it an aerospace part or a paper
clip, its journey must have started with a piece
of metal or alloy stock. People looking for metal
fabrication service professionals often settle
with welders. However, metal
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fabrication and welding are two completely
different processes. Metal Fabrication comprises
of several processes and welding is just a part
of it. To understand the difference between
these two, let us first understand the meaning of
Metal Fabrication and the processes involved
therein. Metal fabrication and designing The
design is of utmost importance before the metal
shearing process starts. This is because one
needs to cut, weld and bend the piece of metal in
a particular way. When you approach a metal
fabrication firm, the professionals create a
design for each metal part and lay things out so
that everything can be put together in a proper
way and the person can be provided the finished
product. For intricate designing of metals,
laser cutting is used. The laser machines provide
superior quality cutting but also require
maintenance and regular replacement of laser
spare parts. Metal fabrication and specific
shaping Unlike Welding, Metal Fabrication is not
just about putting two metal pieces together. It
is much more than that. If a piece of metal is
big in size, it has to be precisely cut to a
particular length and shape. When you need a
particular sheet to be bent in a specific way,
it will not require a welder but a bending
machine. Also, this kind of shaping and bending
can be done only by an experienced
professional. Difference in the tools Even if
metal fabrication is carried out by amateurs, it
needs tools like angle grinder discs, set of
Cleco fasteners etc. You cant use metal
fabrication tools for welding because it
requires certain instruments .
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• Adjustable wrench
• Abrasives
• Benders
• Consumable electrodes
• Cylinders with custom carts
• Chipping hammers
• Electrode holders
• Hand file
• Vice and vice grips
• Welding clamps
• Soapstone
• Tungsten inert gas consumables

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Both welding and metal fabrication need cleaning
supplies in order to disinfect the metal. Wire
brushes and organic solvents, like acetone or a
citrus-based degreaser are used to scrub off the
grease and other oily deposits. Difference in
the process As mentioned above, welding is a
metal fabrication technique and works hand in
hand with sheet metal fabrication. In order to
get the final product, every process involves
techniques like assembling and bending. You can
weld in different ways including oxy acetylene,
gas metal arc (GMAW) welding and TIG (the most
commonly used technique in fabrication shops) In
short, welding just involves joining two pieces
of metal together. It doesnt involve designing,
layout creation, forming, cutting or machining.
As Sheet Metal Fabrication is a comprehensive
process, it involves many different processes
including specialty techniques like Finishing,
Roll Forming, Shrinking, Die cutting,
Hydroforming, stretching, stamping, spinning
etc. We hope that this article gave you a lot of
clarity regarding both the processes and how
they are implemented. This will definitely help
you to decide whether you want to approach
merely a welding professional or a metal
fabrication company. About The Author Steve M
Glassner is the General manager of Alternative
Parts Inc, the leading manufacturer and
distributor of various Amada machine parts
including LVD Strippit laser spare parts and
consumables. Steve is a Machine Tools industry
enthusiast and frequently writes about various
aspects of the industry.