METAL FABRICATION SHOP

PRODUCTION PROCESS AND TECHNOLOGY

The metal fabrication industry is primarily concerned with
Forming and shaping metals by hot and/or cold processes, essentially
heating/welding and shearing/forming operations.
Shearing operations cut materials into a desired shape and size and include
punching, piercing, blanking, cutoff, parting, shearing and trimming activities.
These produce holes or openings, or produce blanks or parts, the most common
hole-making operation being punching. Cutoff, parting and shearing are similar
operations with different applications.
Forming operations bend or conform materials into specific shapes by turning,
twisting, extruding, drawing, rolling, spinning, coining, and forging metal into
a specific configuration.
Machining refines the shape of a work piece when shearing and forming are
complete, by removing material from pieces of raw stock with machine tools. The
main processes involved are drilling, milling, and turning, shaping/planning,
broaching, sawing, and grinding.
Holding the different pieces together is achieved either by riveting, bolting
or more permanently by welding.
Welding is the process primarily used to join metals; most welds are by fusion in
which the materials joined are melted at, and around, the joint between them.
The essential feature of a fusion welding process is a heat source either
in the form of a flame from a gas torch (most often oxyacetylene or propane)
or an electric arc.
Gas Welding: In oxyacetylene and similar gas welding, the main source of heat
is the combustion of the fuel gas with pure oxygen, fed from cylinders through
flow regulators into a torch. The oxyacetylene flame can be adjusted by
changing the ratio of the volume of oxygen to acetylene and can attain
peak temperatures of 3,200C, sufficient to w eld steels and most other
metals, (steel melts above 1,500 C.) However , other gases, primarily
propane, is used for joining lower melting point non-ferrous metals, and for
brazing and silver soldering.
Arc Welding: An arc is arranged to run between an electrode in a rod holder
(torch) and the metals being welded the heat generated being as typically
15,000C to 20,000 C. Some form of inert gas shiel ding is usually required to
prevent oxidation of the metals in this process either Argon, Helium or

Carbon Dioxide is used. Gas shielded welding has many variants and
techniques including replacement of the torch-held electrode by wire feeding
off a roll.
Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is frequently called Stick or Covered
Electrode welding is a process that uses a consumable electrode coated in flux
to lay the weld. As the weld is laid, the flux coating of the electrode disintegrates,
giving off vapors that serve as a shielding gas and providing a layer of slag, both
of which protect the weld area from atmospheric contamination.
Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) is frequently referred to as MIG
welding, a high deposition rate welding process in which a continuous and
consumable wire electrode and a shielding gas are fed through a welding gun.
The primary shielding gasses used are Argon, Argon/Helium and CO2 in its pure
form. However, in some applications the presence of CO2 in the shielding gas
may adversely affect the mechanical properties of the weld.
Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) is frequently referred to as TIG welding, a
high quality welding process is an arc welding process that uses a non
consumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area is protected
from atmospheric contamination by a shielding gas (usually an inert gas such as
argon), and a filler metal is normally used.
Shielding Gases are the usual Argon or Argon + Helium. An Argon Hydrogen mix
is also used resulting in cleaner looking welds.