Fabrication And Machining Are They Different? | CLEARVIEW Cladding Concepts

Fabrication means creating a component, product, or structure, as per your requirements, by using one or more forging processes. Different machinery, tools, and techniques are used to complete the fabrication process. In contrast, machining is a process of shaping different articles using machines to cut and shape the product by removing material.

To understand the key differences between fabrication and machining, we will first have to know the basics of these techniques. Read on to learn more!

Fabrication

Fabrication is the course of manufacturing metal structures or machines through different machines and processes. The final product or structure is prepared using many steps, including the following:

Planning: Every fabrication project requires Careful planning ahead of starting. A design and estimate have to be prepared using the given specifications. Then the process of procuring the required materials, tools, machinery, and equipment is initiated.

Production: After the planning is completed, production can be started using seven basic processes. The processes involved are as follows:

• Casting: It is one of the oldest manufacturing processes.This involvesmolding molten metal into the desired shape by pouring it into Moulds for desirable shapes. The die maker creates these molds. Though casting does not produce smooth surfaces and complex shapes, it is widely used to process the desired object’s basic form.
• Joining: The process of integrating two or more components either permanently or temporarily is called joining. The joining may be processed with or without using heat, pressure, or external material.
• Forming: The metal is deformed by superficially applying high pressure, force, or energy. Various forming methods, such as extrusion, forging, rolling, drawing, etc., are used in the fabrication industry.
• Machining: This process is completed using different machines to gradually remove excess material from the surface of an object to get the desired shape, feature, accuracy, and finish. Various types of machining methods are in use, including traditional methods (milling, turning, facing, drilling, etc.), and non-conventional methods (ECM, EDM, USM, CHM, AJM, LBM, etc.), micro-machining (micro milling, micro drilling, precision turning, etc.), and abrasive cutting (grinding, honing, and lapping, etc.). However, the basic principle remains the same. Excessive material is gradually chipped off from an object and is followed in every machining process.
• Surface Working: To acquire the suitable shape and finish, external heat, color, or coating is used to alter the surface integrity of the object. Many surface characteristics of the component are altered without changing the basic shape and dimension. Thus, this process is also termed surface modification.
• Extrusion: Billets are used through a die to form tubular parts like wires or pipes.
• Additive Manufacturing: As opposed to the machining method, where the material is slowly chipped off layer by layer from the object, the additive manufacturing process involves placing materials in different layers one after the other to create a 3D product. The various operations used in additive manufacturing are 3-D printing, lithography, rapid prototyping, etc.

Distinction Between Fabrication and Machining:

The above information indicates that fabrication is a production process used to make the desired product by using suitable raw materials and one of the above-listed manufacturing processes. Machining is just one of the seven processes. Thus, we can conclude that machining can be one of the basic manufacturing processes involved in fabrication. However, it is not always needed to fabricate a product.