Fabricated structural steel is widely used by many industries for its various benefits. It is considered to be one of the most durable materials in the construction industry. Fabrication of structural steel is the manipulation of steel to form a structural steel design. In a comprehensive term, the whole process of structural steel fabrication can be divided into three main steps, cutting, bending and assembling. Let us have a look at what structural steel fabrication involves.
Cutting
To begin with the structural steel fabrication process, the steel sheet or rods are cut based on the length required. The process of cutting can be done by various kinds of tools such as plasma torches, water jets, laser cutters and mechanical saw. Based on the need, structural steel is sheared, sawed or chiseled. The most common technique used is shearing.
Bending
When bending structural steel, the process of hammering is used. The most commonly used tool for this process is the press brake. Fabricators these days use press brakes to air bend sheets into different formations. A fabricator then makes use of a CNC-controlled (Computerized Numerical Control) back gauges to position the cut parts which then helps in placing the bend lines in the correct position.
Assembling
After the various pieces of the structural steel are ready, the fabricator assembles them. This process is mostly done by welding. There are other ways such as riveting, threaded fasteners and binding of adhesives. Sometimes the process of bending also helps in assembly. The fabricator simply bends the steel to form crimped seams to join the pieces together. In the assembly process, both manual and automated manufacturing processes are made use of.
Although the process of structural steel design is commonly practiced by many fabricators, it is essential to get an expert to get your structural steel fabrication done. Choosing the right fabricator is necessary as an unskilled fabricator cannot provide the amount of care and precision required to build a structural steel design. Also, adhering to the proper codes of a structural steel building is obligatory. To get the most skilled and certified fabricator for your construction, get in touch with the creators of amazing structural steel design.
