A Metal Fabrication Company Minneapolis MN is a place where metal sheet or plate is cut and shaped into useful things. A metal fabrication shop (or fab shop) can make metal parts of any size, from small machine components, to metal sculpture, to building materials. A large fab shop generally employs fabricators, welders, finishers, and computer aided drawing (CAD) professionals. A typical metal fabrication project will follow certain steps.
A metal project begins with a CAD design of the piece to be made. A CAD design is often in the form of a file that a computer numerical control (CNC) metal cutting tool can read. A customer may bring his or her own CAD design, or the CAD professionals at a metal shop can assist in creating a design.
The next step is cutting the sheet of metal. The majority of metal projects are made with steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. The fab shop buys sheet metal or plates from the metal supplier. The sheets or plates are then cut with a cutting tool such as a laser cutter, a plasma cutter, a water jet cutter or shears. Often cutting is done with a CNC tool which works from a programmed design.
Once the basic part is cut, it needs to be formed into a 3-dimensional shape. A flat piece of metal can be bent, rolled or shaped with various tools including hammers, punches, dyes, or a press brake. Then, the piece needs to go through a finishing process to remove excess metal and shape the piece more precisely. Mills and lathes are two finishing tools. A drill bit may also be used in the finishing process to create a hole in a piece. Click here for more details about the metal fabrication company in Minneapolis, MN.
The next step in metal fabrication is joining pieces together. This is done by welding. A welding torch heats the edges to be joined, melting the metal so that the two edges can fuse together.
Once the project is complete, it is examined and tested before being passed on to the customer. If you are looking for a Metal Fabrication Company Minneapolis MN, you might check out Aerofab Inc. They have over 15 years of experience and come recommended.
