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Built For Safety and Longevity

Our industrial fabrication services (also known as metal fabrication services) are responsible for manufacturing items that keep communities safe and prosperous.  We manufacture products that serve government agencies, emergency responders, the U.S. military, and the country’s core manufacturers and industrial companies.  

Regardless of the background or business you’re running, Craftsmen Industries always prioritizes the customer’s needs.

With experience that dates back to 1982, we ensure our products and services are durable and tailored to your desire. Backed up by our ISO 9001:2015 Certification, you’ll get premium-quality industrial fabrication services that will make your investment worthwhile. 

This process is responsible for manufacturing far more products than the typical consumer realizes; common products in industrial services, including many made by Craftsmen Industries, Inc, are:

• Aerostat Launch Stands
• Aircraft Maintenance Stands
• Disaster Relief
• Command Centers
• Mobile Kitchens
• Water Treatment
• Energy Storage
• Mobile Laboratories
• Mobile Training Centers
• Mobile Veterinary Units
• Mobile Healthcare
• Fire Suppression Systems

What is Industrial Fabrication?

Industrial fabrication refers to the manufacturing of complex, large-scale items and equipment either for on-site or field-site locations.  It focuses on using raw materials to craft parts, machines, and structures while using a combination of human labor and automated processes. Furthermore, this process requires skilled designers and workers as well as the use of specialized technology and production equipment that can manage the manufacture and assemblage of large pieces of materials, typically metals, into a finished product. 

When done right, fabricated products are durable and long-lasting. That’s why you should always find suitable and trustworthy industrial fabrication companies that you can rely on. Our expert team at Craftsmen Industries will ensure you get a premium-quality service with all the safety measures in mind.

Materials

Industrial Fabrication services work on a wide variety of materials, including carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and alloys.  Each material has its own strength and weakness for a particular application.

Due to the complexity of industrial product mechanics and design, customers can benefit by consulting an industrial fabrication service to determine which material would be best for a specific project by taking into account its purpose, the client’s budget, and shelf life requirements. So if you’re interested in starting a project of your own, contact Craftsmen Industries today, and our team will be happy to fill you in on all the details! 

Although there are a wide range of metals and alloys used in industrial fabrication, some of the most common metals include the following: 

• Stainless steel
• Carbon steel
• Titanium
• Aluminum
• Copper

Stainless steel

The first common material used in industrial fabrication is stainless steel. This metal has superior durability and strength; it is able to maintain its strength as it is highly resistant to impact, structural damages, and corrosion and can hold its rigidity in temperatures up to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit.

One of the most unique abilities of stainless steel is its ability to repair itself because of its chromium content, which forms a chromium oxide film on the surface of the steel once the metal becomes damaged and exposed to oxygen.  Another advantage is that it allows for easy cleaning and sterilization, making it a very important material in the medical field. 

The disadvantages of stainless steel are that it is expensive and that it tends to collect dirt. 

That’s why it’s rarely used in the vehicle manufacturing business. Furthermore, this metal is susceptible to dents and scratches, so it may lose its shine over time.

The most common products fabricated from stainless steel are dampers, railings, hoppers, screw conveyors, enclosures, and housings.

Carbon steel 

Carbon steel is the second most common metal that industrial fabrication companies use. The content of carbon in steel can vary from .05% (low) to 2.5% (high).  The carbon in high-carbon steel gives this material superior hardness and strength.    On the other hand, low-carbon steel (also known as mild steel), the most common of the carbon/steel alloys, is ductile and malleable.  Carbons steel’s other advantage is that it is relatively inexpensive.

As for disadvantages, the most inconvenient one is that this metal is hard to work with. Due to its strength, carbon steel can’t be easily molded or bent to create the desired shapes. That’s why its use is limited in certain applications. 

Unlike stainless steel, this material doesn’t contain any chromium. This makes it more prone to rust and corrosion when exposed to moisture for longer periods. 

Due to its strength and endurance, carbon steel is used to create a variety of products. These are construction materials, automotive components, and numerous other tools.

Titanium 

The next commonly used material for industrial fabrication is titanium. Commonly used in the aerospace, military, automotive, medical, and sporting industry, this metal is corrosion and rust-resistant and has the highest strength to density ratio of all the metals. Furthermore, titanium is easily recyclable, which makes it cost-effective for industrial fabrication services. As for medical use, this metal is non-toxic and biocompatible. 

However, it can not be cast like aluminum, and it tends to be more expensive than other materials. 

Titanium is also a highly reactive material, so it has to be carefully managed during the whole production process. Unlike carbon steel, this metal doesn’t do well in high temperatures above 400 degrees Celsius because it starts to lose strength.

This metal is used in aviation to create compressor fans and landing gear. Furthermore, it’s present in space shuttle and motorcycle components, as well as internal prosthetics, jewelry, and fasteners.

Aluminum 

This metal has a high strength-to-weight ratio, allowing the engineering of very wide spans.  It also acts as a good thermal and electrical conductor. In addition, it is known for its high corrosion resistance, making it optimal for long-term exposure to environmental and chemical hazards.  

Due to its lightweight nature, aluminum helps numerous electronics companies in crafting smartphones, televisions, and laptops. Furthermore, it’s a non-toxic metal, so it’s suitable for crafting food containers and cookware. Like titanium, this material is also easily recyclable, so it requires less energy during the process.

Its disadvantages are that it is not particularly strong and is expensive compared to steel. That’s why it’s not suitable for products that require high strength and durability. 

Lastly, aluminum has a time-consuming welding process. It has a lower melting point than most metals and a high thermal expansion coefficient, making the process more difficult.

Copper 

The last common material used by industrial fabrication companies is copper.. Copper is lightweight, versatile and easy to bend and to work with.  It is also a very good thermal and electrical conductor. 

That’s why it’s mostly used in welding, electrical components, and grounding strips. 

Furthermore, this metal is known for its incredible strength, so it’s used in bridges and building constructions. Since it’s quite common, it doesn’t hold a high price when compared to more expensive materials like titanium. 

One of the biggest disadvantages of copper is its tendency to corrode. Due to the corrosion process, this material can degrade and become brittle over time. 

Lastly, copper is a conductive metal. So when it comes in contact with another conductive material, it can cause a short circuit.

Equipment

There is a wide range of equipment that can be used by industrial fabrication specialists, depending on the raw material as well as the shape, size, and design of the end product.  Some of the most common equipment used by industrial services fabricators to do their work are the following:  

• Metal fabrication
• Brake press
• Plate rollers
• Ironworker

Metal Fabricator

This type of machine cuts, shapes, positions, and aligns different types of metal. It’s known for its accuracy and ability to speed up production time. Therefore, using metal fabrication machinery helps industrial fabrication companies save both time and money.

Brake Press

This machine bends sheet and plate materials of steel, aluminum, brass and sheet metal. The brake press’ bending force, known as tonnage, determines how much pressure is to be applied.  They are used in a variety of industries, including the automotive and aircraft industries.  

Plate rollers  (plate bending machine or a roll bending machine)

Suitable for bending medium and thick plates, this type of machine will roll different types of metal sheet into round or conical shapes. 

It’s a cost-effective way to achieve the desired shape and helps save time due to the lack of manual effort. Therefore, it’s commonly used in automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding, and aerospace applications. 

Ironworker 

This equipment has stations for different activities; they can be used to punch plate, angle, and channel iron and shear flat plates and round and square raw metals. They are powered and generate force from mechanical advantage and hydraulic systems. Furthermore, they can be operated by only one person, drastically reducing production time and effort.

The Production Process

Because of all of the steps involved in producing the final product, from the design and selection of the material to the development and testing of a prototype, the fabrication of industrial items takes time and expertise as well as close collaboration between all parties.  Some of those steps may involve the following:

• Design
• Cutting, bending, and forming
• Welding and assembly
• Finishing

Designing for Industrial Services

While some clients walk into a fabricator with drawings in hand, others need the expertise and creativity of the industrial services fabricators to help them design the end product.  Most fabricators use computer-aided design programs (CAD) or computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software to aid them in their design process. During the design phase, fabricators will work to determine what the best type of materials are most suitable for the product, what machine and tools can do the job, what type of finishing will be required, as well as decide the safest and most reliable designs and methods. A prototype of the object is typically produced and tested before actually beginning work on the final product.

Cutting, Bending, and Forming 

Once the design has been completed, the raw materials are purchased and readied for manipulation, often cutting and bending.  Cutting of the raw material is done by sawing, sheering, chiseling, or torching.  

Forming is another type of manipulation that involves the conversion of flat metals into 3D parts without removing any of the material.  In this process, a metal sheet is stretched or bent by machines, but not to the point of failure. Bending is one type of forming, done by manual hammering or through the use of equipment like press brakes. Another type of forming is metal spinning, which literally spins a metal disk and a preformed block together to rotate it high speeds to create a round metal part.

Punching and drilling may also be used in order to add holes; these holes can be used for assemblage or installation.

Welding and Assembly

Once the parts have been cut and formed, fabricators use various techniques to assemble the product.  Welding, riveting, threaded fasteners, and binding with adhesives are all methods used to join the pieces together into a cohesive whole. 

Using welding, our specialists assemble and tack weld formed and machined parts into place. Once the piece’s assemblage has been reviewed for accuracy, a welder then completes the work either using design drawings or their own experience. 

Finishing – Adding the last touch

After the industrial product has been assembled, finishing is the final step in making it more resistant to chemical, environmental, electrical, and tarnish threats as well as making it safe for further handling.

Deburring 

Finishing can involve the process of deburring to ensure that there is no excess material.  This step ensures that there are no sharp edges remaining that might cause damage to other machinery or to injure either workers or customers. 

Painting

Paints can be mixed for various color matching uses and special effects. Entire trailers may be painted solid or stencils may be used to spray on specific messages. Craftsmen’s facilities include 65’, 60’ and 45’ controlled paint booths. 

Powder Coating 

Materials such as epoxy, polyurethanes, polyester, and hybrids are added to components, creating a very hard and protective coating. In this dry finishing process, a precoating preparation, which can involve a cleaning, rinsing, and application of a sealer, is often employed, and then fine ground particles, which are electrically charged, are melted and fused onto the piece in a uniform coat. 

Metal Plating 

Plating is a manufacturing process in which a thin layer of metal, like copper, nickel, chromium or aluminum, is applied to the material.  This technique creates several benefits, included improved resistance to corrosion, greater strength, increased paint adhesion, and aesthetic appeal. 

Production Timeframe and Cost

Production timeframe and cost are both heavily dependent on the type of material, the complexity of the design, and the stage of product development when the process first begins.  Pricing may undergo frequent changes due to the worldwide fluctuation in metal and materials prices. Customers should contact an industrial manufacturer fabricator to get an estimate of both cost and time needed to complete the project. 

Advantages and Disadvantages

As discussed in this article, industrial manufacturing services can produce a wide variety of products in different sizes and materials, and the wide breadth of tools and machinery available make constructing almost any idea possible.  However, this can also be a costly process due to all of the material inputs and expertise needed. Working closely with an industrial fabricator may help alleviate some of these costs through a thorough review of alternatives and overall project goals.