An Introduction to Structural Steel Fabrication

There’s no denying the ways in which structural steel fabrication has improved the trajectory of urbanization and construction development. Structural steel plays an essential role when it comes to maintaining the structural integrity of many of the buildings we rely on, on a regular basis.

 

In today’s blog, our goal is to scale structural steel fabrication back to its fundamentals by answering a few introductory questions.

 

What is structural steel fabrication?

 

At its core, steel fabrication is the creation of steel structures using a range of 3 broad processes: cutting, bending, and assembling.

The popularity of steel fabrication is largely due to its ability to do well in face of the elements, its durability, versatility, and flexibility in design – making structural steel the material of choice when it comes to assembling smaller structural components.

 

What processes are involved in the fabrication process?

 

• Cutting –  is the process in which sheet metal is made into smaller sections, while also removing unwanted material. Structural steel fabricators will use oxy-gas torches, plasma cutters, laser cutters, and saw machines to perform cuts.

 

• Bending – metal fabricators will effectively bend structural steel through the application of force. Multiple types of equipment offer bending capabilities, allowing for the metal to be curved or formed into the desired shape.

 

• Assembling ­– assembly involves the process in which different fabricated steel components are put together to form a final product. This is typically conducted through welding. For larger projects, fabricators will manufacture components offsite, and then assemble them during the time of installation onsite.

 

What are a few common applications?

 

Steel fabrication offers utility across a large range of applications in a diverse number of industries. Common applications include use in the automotive, construction, energy, and manufacturing industries. Whether it’s in the construction of urban infrastructure, or for mining, or ship building applications, it’s clear that the popularity and universality of structural steel is here for the long-haul.