Tools And Equipment Suitable For Metal Fabrication
There is a wide choice of tools and equipment available for effective metal fabrication work.
Depending on the job in question, hand tools, power tools, or heavy machinery can all be used as appropriate.
For simple cutting of mild steel strips and sheet even the most basic of hand tools can be used. A hacksaw, shear, or even a pair of snips may be all that is required for simple metal cutting tasks.
For larger jobs and thicker gauge metals a power tool has to be the machine of choice. This could be a small electric motor driven jigsaw, an air or electric cutsaw, or similar machine fitted with the correct specification metal cutting blade.
This type of machine however is limited in capabilities when it comes to prolonged cutting periods or when working on slightly thicker gauge steel and metals.
For this type of fabrication work the choice has to be either a portable cutting saw such as a stihl ts410 (if petrol driven) or hitachi cm12y (an electric alternative), or a stationary piece of metal fabrication equipment like an electric bandsaw or possibly an abrasive wheel type chop saw.
Disc cutters and abrasive wheel saws are best suited to cutting small sections of metal and in particular box sections used for fabricating structures, gantries, and similar projects.
Larger components and in particular machinery components often require specialist machinery such as lathes, punches, welding equipment, and equipment such as metal folders and presses.
At some point a necessary task with metal fabrication work is the drilling of holes in metal sheets, or pieces of heavy duty steel. Depending on the gauge (thickness) of metal concerned several different tools could be used.
If the item to be worked on is in a workshop hand held power tools could be the machine of choice, or possibly a pillar drill press. If the metal work piece however is situated in building or factory environment it would be far easier to take the tool to the work piece in question instead.
In this environment an option would be the choice of possibly using a powerbore pb32 magnetic drill. This particular tool is a portable electric drill configured as a pillar drill press but is portable and fitted with an electromagnetic base. This allows the PB32 to be attached to metal rsj’s, girders, sections, and plate steel on site, saving time and ultimately money.
Renowned for it’s high build quality and accurate fast drilling performance, the PB32 magnetic drill accepts “rotabroach” type drill bits and milling cutters giving it a versatile range of applications in the workplace for engineering repair and fabrication work.
Fastening sections of metal together requires a totally different approach. Light gauge metals may be joined using nothing more complicated than basic fixings such as bolts or rivets. Medium and heavy gauge metals will need something far more robust and strong.
A proven method of joining metal together is by welding. Gas, electric, tig, mig, arc, are all methods of welding which can be used on and off site when it comes to repair, service, and fabrication work on all types of metals, structures, and assemblies.
The range of welding gear available is vast and without any doubt there is an item of welding equipment available to suit nearly every application when it comes to metal fabrication work.
