Metal Fabrication Perth

Sheet metal is not a type of metal but rather a term for metals that have been manipulated into a specific shape. The shape of sheet metal is generally a rectangle and various metals can be used to create sheet metal. Another defining characteristic of this metal is its thickness. Sheet metal is relatively thin and lightweight.

Common metals used for sheet metal include brass, copper, aluminium, steel, titanium, and nickel. These metals are rigid, tough, and able to withstand intense manipulation. Sheet metal is an unfinished product that you can use for cladding and covering. Alternatively, you can manipulate it into a variety of new products and shapes through welding, bending, CNC plasma cutting, Guillotine, or other fabrication techniques.

Sheet metal generally ranges between 0.20 mm to 6 mm in thickness. Metals thinner than 0.20 mm are classified as foil or leaf metals, while plate metals are the thickest at 6 mm and above. When looking at sheet metal, it is important to consider the thickness. This will affect the cost of the material as well as the amount of work it will take to cut or manipulate the metal. It is also important to check the thickness against the type of manipulation you want to carry out. Thinner sheets may be easier to cut, but bending requires a certain thickness to prevent warping or cracking in the metal.

Metal fabrication encompasses a variety of processes with the most common being folding, cutting, and welding. Each of these processes offers a unique outcome and end product.

Cutting splits sheet metal into smaller pieces using laser cutting, CNC plasma cutting, die-cutting or CNC cutters. During CNC cutting, you input the desired shape into a computer program. Then the plasma cutter follows the specified path to cut the metal into the desired shape with precision and accuracy.

Folding or forming involves using machines to apply a large amount of pressure on the metal sheets to bend the metal to the desired angle.

Welding is another common practice in metal fabrication and creates an end product with processed pieces of metal. There are various techniques used to weld metal. For example, at Arktek we use Arc Electrode Welding, Pulse MIG/Pulse TIG, and AC/DC TIG.

Metal fabrication requires specialised machinery to carry out the task of manipulating the sheet metal to reach the desired end product. Often, metal fabricators will conduct sheet metal fabrication in large volumes of repeated processes.

While fabrication techniques once required a person physically hammering away at the metal, the technology is increasingly becoming automated.

Fabrication machines need to be highly accurate & efficient to complete the tasks efficiently. The machines include press brakes, water jets, plasma and laser systems, shears, plate rolls and welding machinery amongst others.

Metal fabrication creates several products from sheet metal. You most probably use some of these products every day without realising it. Metal fabrication can create metal parts for everyday items including your cutlery, computer, toaster, fridge, and microwave.

Metal fabrication is also used on a large scale for parts in various industries. These include Mining, Agricultural, Civil, Commercial, Industrial, Manufacturing, Landscape Construction, Residential, Automotive, Electrical, Aviation, Rail, Retail, Aerospace and many more.

You can process various metals depending on the durable and flexible qualities of the materials. The most commonly processed metals include steel, aluminium, and copper.

Other metals that are often processed in metal fabrication are brass, tin, titanium, nickel, carbon steel, Stainless Steel and sometimes tungsten.