Steel fabrication is an essential stage of the process that sits at the heart of modern construction, infrastructure and engineering projects around the world. Steel fabricators transform raw materials into bespoke structural components to meet construction requirements, including beams, columns, and frames. These are the core structural pieces that support our built environment.
What is Steel Fabrication?
So, what is steel fabrication? At its core, fabricated steel refers to steel that has been processed from its raw state to create a useful steel structure. During the fabrication process, the metal is shaped and assembled into components that are ready to be used.
This is a highly skilled discipline where specialist fabricators use advanced machinery and engineering expertise to turn design concepts into real-world structures. Machinery used in the fabrication of steel structures includes:
- CNC machines
- Press Brakes
- Plate Rolls
- Shears
- Turret Punch
To discuss how Angle Ring could support your steel fabrication needs, contact our team today.
Why is metal forming important to steel fabrication?
Modern construction today is highly dependent on the strength and reliability offered by steel fabrication. An integral part of what makes steel fabrication such an important process in construction is the process of metal forming.
Metal forming is the process of manipulating and changing the shape of the steel to create the rolled, curved or otherwise complex forms that are required to meet the needs of the final structure.
The key benefits of the metal forming process include:
- Versatility: In modern construction and design, steel fabricators are being required to achieve more complex designs and structures. The metal forming process allows fabricators to achieve results beyond standard straight beams.
- High strength capacity: In its raw form, steel already offers excellent load-bearing capacity. However, metal forming and steel fabrication can further strengthen the final product by creating arch shapes or by fabricating built-up girders from plate when standard section sizes are unavailable.
- Precision shaping and consistent results: Throughout the process of metal forming, skilled operators work with advanced CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) machinery that allows them to create complex designs to exacting specifications. For larger products, this process also allows designs to be recreated with precise consistency.
Steel Fabrication: How The Process Works
The fabrication of steel structures involves several technical stages. Step-by-step, these include:
1. CAD/CAM design
Modern steel fabrication utilises CAD (Computer Aided Design), which is linked directly to CAM machinery. This CAD/CAM design to manufacturing process ensures that the accuracy of computer-generated details is transmitted directly to the factory floor, increasing production standards and speed.
2. Surface preparation
Before or after fabrication, steel sections and plates are often shot-blasted. This process fires a high velocity ‘shot’ at the steel to remove dirt and scale, creating a textured surface that allows protective paints and coatings to adhere properly.
3. Cutting and drilling
Following proper preparation, steel is now ready to be cut to the appropriate size. This process requires precision tools to ensure accuracy and consistency. These tools include:
- Laser or plasma cutting machinery: When creating high-precision profiles, laser or plasma cutting is ideal for use on the entire range of sections, including CHS, RHS, PFCs, Beams, etc.
- Circular & band saws: Circular and band saws are more often used for rapid straight or mitred cuts. This can be on the full range of steel from light tube to heavy column sections.
- Flame or gas cutting: With or without CNC control, utilised for thicker plates or general cutting such as splitting beams into ‘T’ sections.
4. Metal forming
Once the process reaches the metal forming stage, the components are ready to be formed into the required shape. This stage of fabrication can use several techniques depending on the final requirements, including:
- Section bending: Shaping steel sections (like I-beams or angles) into curves.
- Plate rolling: Curving flat steel plates into cylinders or arcs or helical stringers.
- Press braking: Using high-pressure machinery to press steel along its entire length to create specific angles or folds.
- Tube bending:Curving tubular sections into complex shapes, including 3-dimensional or helical bends for smaller components such as handrails, through to large diameter sections for roof trusses.
5. Welding and assembly
Coded welding is used to join components together whilst ensuring strength and compliance with safety standards. Common techniques include Manual Metal Arc (MMA), Metal Active Gas (MAG) welding and Submerged Arc Welding.
6. Finishing and Delivery
The final stage of any steel fabrication process is finishing and delivery. Protective coatings, such as galvanising or painting, are commonly applied to ensure longevity and resistance to the elements. Finally, the steel components are delivered to the site ready for immediate installation, which significantly reduces construction time.
Choosing a Fabrication Partner
At Angle Ring, we offer the UK’s most comprehensive metal-bending service on a single site. Our steel bending and forming services are supported by in-house sawing, flame/plasma cutting & coded welding services.
Whether creating a Tee section by splitting, dressing & straightening beams, cutting weld preps onto plate by flame, plasma or by machining, or fully welding items with our qualified welders supported by in-house welding engineers, we can offer a complete solution.
Based in the heart of the UK, we can also utilise trusted suppliers to supplement our services to offer polishing, testing, heat treatment, etc., to ensure we offer a comprehensive service.
Angle Ring works with all fabricators from small companies who require our services once a year through to the largest steel contractors working on the UK’s most prestigious projects, whether architectural, civil engineering, energy, defence of major infrastructure.