Custom Metal Fabrication
Metal fabrication is a process that involves bending and cutting metal to form a specific, boilerplate structure or product. In comparison, custom metal fabrication involves cutting materials in a specific way to meet the needs of customers instead of attempting to maintain a standard look or size. Custom metal fabrication uses a wide range of specialized industrial equipment to achieve its desired result. The most common metals used in this process include stainless steel, copper, aluminum and carbon steel.
Process of Custom Metal Fabrication
Metals start the process in one of two forms; structural and sheet metal. Sheet metal is available as rectangular sheets or rolls of different thickness and sizes. If sheet metal is thicker than 3/16” it is referred to as a plate. On the other hand, structural metal comes formed into different shapes from the start, the most common ones being HSS, channels, beams and angles. The metal you use is largely dependent on your end goal and the application of its desired use. more personalized projects will obviously require more custom shaping.
The process of custom metal fabrication occurs in three stages; metal cutting, forming and assembly.
Metal Cutting
Here several tools like notches, punches, lasers, plasmas, shears and saws are used. Straight line cuts are made using saws, with the cut of material needed determining the saw that is used. Beams are passed through conveyors so they can be cut into various sizes. When more articulate cuts are required shears are used and, like saws, the cut of metal required determines the size of shear. Lasers and plasmas are used to cut more complex shapes like circles and complex curves. They are usually controlled by computers and can cut any metal with precision. Notches and punches are used for creating openings on metals of any size or shape using high pressure.
Forming
Forming happens after metals are cut. Machines generating a great deal of force and pressure are used to give the metal its desired shape. The main techniques used to form the shapes are press baking and rolling, both of which can be used to form metals of a huge range of thicknesses and sizes. This increases the versatility of the metal being used, making it ideal for a much wider range of applications.
Assembly
Once the metals have been formed, they are assembled and joined. This process typically involves welding the pieces together with intense heat without compromising the integrity of the individual pieces. It is at this time that the final product comes together and all of the earlier metal shapings serve its intended purpose.
Custom Metal Fabrication Benefits
There is nothing like the craftsmanship and beauty of handcrafted metalwork. Whether you are making a product for a purely functional purpose or not, custom metal fabrication work stands out. However, the difference is about more than aesthetics. Typically fabricated product will be made with a “one size fits all” mentality, products created through custom metal fabrication can be customized to meet each and every one of your needs. Custom metal fabrication work done today combines traditional hammer and forge methods with modern technologies like plasma cutting, water jet cutting, and AutoCAD. This ensures the accuracy of the fabrication and allows you to anticipate exactly what kind of product you will receive.
Cost of Custom Metal Fabrication Products
Many businesses require custom fabrication solutions for a wide variety of applications. As each product is made specifically to match your needs, it is natural to ask yourself what you will pay for these services. This number will be based on many factors:
Size
The size of the custom metal fabrication project that you need to be completed will have a great influence on the overall cost as larger products will use more labor and materials.
Metal
The metal used for custom fabrication will affect the price too. Metals that are commonly utilized include aluminum and stainless steel. However, depending on the type of project other metals like tungsten, brass and copper may be used as well. Alloys will be used in most custom fabrications and some cases precious metals like platinum, gold or silver will be incorporated.
Types of Processes
The processes which will be used to design your custom fabricated metal work will influence the price too. Some commonly used processes are punching, rolling, bending and metal cutting. Assembly is always performed, and welding will be required in most cases. The total cost will be influenced too by the number of processes that will have to be carried out. Their complexity will play a role in the total cost of the custom fabrication. The more expertise and experience required, the more expensive the process will be.
How to Save on Custom Fabrication
The best way to save is to and find fabricators that work in a cost efficient manner and utilize high-quality long-lasting materials. You will need to find a company that can deliver your desired services within the budget that you have set. Different custom metal fabricators usually focus on different kinds of services. Therefore, it is important that you make the right investment with every fabricated metal, feature or component that your business will require.
Capabilities
As different fabricating companies focus on different services, you will need to identify the type of specialization you will require for your application. Once you have done this you can research their production capacities, the type of structures they typically create and the kind of materials they typically use.
Price
Compare the prices of different fabricators that meet your requirements and then compare the quality of their work to the price they are offering. Note that one company could have higher quotes than others not because they are overcharging but because they are, for example, using more advanced and precise cutting tools which mean there will be fewer costly mistakes.
There is no doubt that custom metal fabrication has moved metalwork to a whole new level. Custom metal fabricators can create products that will match your needs perfectly, using a variety of high-quality materials and advanced methods. If you require custom fabricated products for your business then do not hesitate to contact Swanton Welding today.
Project Gallery
Project Gallery
Steel Thrustframe Fabrication
A customer from the gas exploration industry approached Swanton Welding & Machining to fabricate an A36 and A-514 steel thrustframe weldment. The 225,000 lbs weldment was fabricated using a variety of processes, including CNC milling, MIG welding, drilling, laser cutting, bending, tapping and forming. The 54′ long and 8′ wide thrustframe was skillfully fabricated using […]
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Truck Dump Project
Swanton Welding fabricated two truck dump platforms. These are used in various industries where semi or other large trucks are driven onto a platform for unloading. After securing the truck, the platform is raised high into the air, and the load on the truck is transferred via gravity into a bin or hopper. Our client builds […]
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Accumulator Tower for Metal Coating Process
Structural Steel Tower This project consisted of constructing two similar towers. The entry side is pictured and the exit side can be seen in the distance. This new customer to Swanton Welding requested the project to be finish painted before it was delivered. These structural steel towers were assembled in the field and required very […]
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Project Gallery
Industrial Conveyor Fabrication
An agricultural industry client approached Swanton Welding & Machining to fabricate twelve, 5,000 lbs conveyor components. Utilizing AutoCAD 2009, we first drafted complete shop fabrication drawings of the component. We then fabricated the 20′ long, 3’6″ high and 8′ wide conveyor section using a CNC beam line, saws, and drills. After fabrication, during which we […]
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Stainless Steel Hopper
We custom fabricated this stainless steel hopper and finished it off with a polished interior for food grade application.
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Stainless Steel Platform
Custom fabricated stainless structural steel platform with carbon steel columns and handrails.
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Mixing Tank Fabrication
A customer from the water treatment industry approached Swanton Welding & Machining to fabricate a mixing tank assembly. The 50,000 lbs. tank assembly was made up of many different parts and systems including rapid mix, reactor and clarifier tanks, a 16′-8″ long platform, and a 15′ high draft tube. To fabricate these components and many […]
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CE Boiler Stack Replacement
Swanton Welding was responsible to create a drawing based printed CAD drawings to design and fabricate a replacement stack out of A588 material for the refinery
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CVG Airport Canopy
Fabrication of two large canopies out of steel tubing to be installed at an airport. The canopies were fully assembled in shop prior to shipping. Both canopies were hot dip galvanized to withstand the corrosive installation environment.
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Discharge Hopper, Clarifier, Clarifier Structure, Catwalk & Stairs, Auger
We custom built a large Discharge Hopper, a Clarifier used to remove slurry, the Clarifier Structure, accessible Catwalk & Stairs, and a custom Auger for the Clarifier. The most interesting thing about this project was its overall size and the custom auger we built.
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Purification System Filter
Waste Water Separator This project’s client needed a water tight clarifier tank fabricated. We had to build, weld, leak test, shop assembly, blast, caulk, and paint the tank. In the end, we delivered a completed clarifier tank assembly. Completion Date March 7, 2017 Materials All materials were carbon steel Fabrication Methods This project utilized […]
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Fulton County Hospital Office Addition
Swanton Welding was tasked with fabricating the steel framework for the new Fulton County Hospital addition in Wauseon, Ohio. We appreciated the opportunity to support Rupp/Rosebrock, Inc. and their construction crews as they constructed a four-story medical building that will attach to Fulton County Hospital. The team at Swanton Welding used our beam line to […]
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Acid Furnace Fabrication
Swanton Welding & Machining was approached by a chemical industry customer to fabricate a 125,000 lbs. acid furnace. We first drafted complete shop fabrication drawings for the furnace using AutoCAD software. We then used a variety of fabrication methods to complete the A516 grade 70 and A-36 grade steel furnace, including: drilling, rolling, laser cutting, […]
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Glass Furnace Rebuild – Support Steel
A client proposed and drew the initial design of this support steel project. It will encase and support a glass melting furnace for the engineered reinforcements industry. Swanton Welding supplied materials such as tie rods, platform steel, stairs, and ladders for the 20 ft tool glass melting furnace. Fabrication, blasting, and painting were customized to […]
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Tire Separator and Hopper
The project involved making a hopper & separator for a tire recycling plant. The hopper was designed to dump truckloads of used tires. It has a motor and sliding floor system that was sloped to feed the tires to the separator, which would separate the tires based on size and feed them to additional equipment […]
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4100 Grillage Fabrication
Barge Stabilizer Swanton Welding took on a project with a simple goal: support a 1500 tons crane with two barges. The heavy duty steel frame binding the two barges together, and the crane would be used to drive in bridge pilings.
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Catalytic Converter
Fabricated stainless steel Catalytic Converter w/ Pipe Bundle. A customer approached us about doing this job out of stainless steel with the stainless pipe bundle being made out of a special seamless tubing. The timeline was critical as the customer had a two day plant outage scheduled and they needed this unit installed during that […]
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Steel Stack Fabrication
Swanton Welding & Machining was approached by a client from the clean air industry to fabricate 950,000 lbs. of steel stacks. Eight large stacks were fabricated using a variety of processes including rolling, bending, forming and MIG welding. The stacks were fabricated using a combination of material such as, A36 steel and 304 and 409 […]
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Bottom Casing for Glass Furnace
This custom fabrication project was for approximately 30 Bottom Casings for a Glass Furnace. Each section had to have pads custom machined to ensure it was within 1 mm of flatness. After the individual casings were completed, we had to shop assemble the entire length of them and use a transit to ensure their critical […]