Arguably one of the most common types of metal fabrication processes involves the act of cutting. Cutting involves sheets of metal split directly into two halves, thirds or even more delicate sections.

In numerous applications, the metal you choose to cut is freshly created and must be shaped in the long run into something particular. 

You can submit pre-shaped metals such as measured panels and bars for the laser cutting process. Professionals can skilfully perform cuts on a wide range of machinery, including plasma torches and lasers, to even more elaborate high-tech devices. 

Folding is a relatively complicated form of metal fabrication processing, and this is where a metal surface gets manipulated to form shapes at specific angles.

Professionals strive to fold on the metal surface at 90 degrees when it comes to specific folding applications.

They may even choose something less or more blunt. However, folding can only be accurately performed in facilities with various high-tech equipment as the process is incredibly complex.

In multiple cases where folds are often required for certain shapes, combining two metal panels at specific angles can be a much more practical alternative to this process.

Alongside the cutting process, welding is another popular process in the metal fabrication world and crafts enthusiasts. Welding wire processes involve the joining of two utterly different plate metal parts, and these parts can either be panels, bars, sheets or other shapes.

As long as the parts are made specifically from metals, anything is possible. Through numerous tool types and methods, welding is achievable via a skilled welder. You can weld by applying heat across many points where the pieces are to be connected. 

When a machine is being utilised to remove various portions from a specific metal, it is called machining or CNC machining. Generally, this process uses a lathe to perform this task; it rotates the desired metal against the tools and trims the edges and corners skilfully.

Over time, it formulates into different shapes or measurements. There are other machining cases; either one hole or many holes get formed through the surface of the metal. They can do this by utilising a CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) machining tool.

The oldest style of metal fabrication is known as casting. The casting process involves molten metal, which gets poured into a mould, left to solidify to become a specific form. It is a flexible method or technique of metal fabrication, and casting is suitable for complex desired shape making of a wide range.

It can often solve many fabrication issues that professionals in various industries face, which many other methods cannot solve efficiently. Assembly parts that require folding, stamping or shearing. Some of the most popular metals involved in this application include gold, copper, silver, magnesium, iron, and stainless steel. 

Holes are formed in pieces of metal during the machining or punching process; metal gets placed underneath a die device and is punched through a drill. To ensure your punch holes to be of the right size, the circumstances of your drill or chosen tool has to be able to slot perfectly into the die.

Punching holes into a metal can often help fasten the latches or other unknown components. There are two categories or intentions of those professionals choosing to punch holes into their pieces. In other application cases, you can extract the metal area with the gap from a much more extensive panel to form a minor hole or part. 

The process can be referred to as shearing for those metal sheets that require plenty of extended cuts. In many cases, the metal sheet horizontally passes through the cutting machine. Cutting tools are mainly applied vertically across the entire length of the flat sheet.

The third shearing method can involve placing your metal on top of the edge of the open cutter or by lowering the blade, similar to the paper cutters that you find in many facilities. Shearing is applied to metals to trim down their edges; however, you cannot apply this style along the metal edge. 

However, punching is not the only form of the metal fabrication process that uses a die. In specific applications, the intention is not for forming holes, like punching, but it allows professionals to raise portions of their sheet metal without piercing the surface.

For these applications, stamping can create particular shapes, images or letters on top of your metal panels or sheets. Metal stamping is much like relief carving in marble or wood. A vital essential example of metal stamping is coins, as you can print presidents or royals faces, currency amounts or engrave words on nickels, dimes, quarters, pennies and pounds.

Aerospace

Agricultural industries

Alternative energy

Automotive

Construction

Consumer products

Military and defence

Original equipment manufacturers

Recreational vehicles

Various others