Metal Fabrication Vs. Welding: What's The Difference? | CLEARVIEW Cladding Concepts

Metal fabrication is used to cut, bend, shape, and conjoin metal to form the desired product. Various tools, machinery, and techniques are used to get the final product. In comparison, welding is a specialized process of joining metal pieces to form some structure or product. Thus, welding can be one of the processes included in metal fabrication. To know the difference, we must learn the distinction between metal fabrication vs. welding.

Welding

Welding is a manufacturing process wherein two or more parts are fused utilizing pressure, heat, or both, forming a joint as a single unit or shape. Various specialized tools are used to fuse the metal pieces by combining pressure and heat without comprising the metal strength.

Welding can be broadly divided into two categories:

• Solid State Welding: In this method,the metal components are heated, which fastens them together without any additives or fillers.
• Fusion Welding: It is the process of heating metal components, then using fillers to weld them together.

These welding methods are used for a variety of applications. The welding processes are divided into four types:

• Manual Metal Arc Welding (MMAW): This method is known as rod or stick welding. In this method, welding rods and a current is applied to weld metal surfaces.
• Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG): A consumable rod is fed through a continuous spool of the electrode wire.
• Oxy-Acetylene Welding (OA): A torch hose is used in combination with an acetylene tank and an oxygen tank to produce a flame for heating the metal. This method also employs a filler rod for fusion.
• Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (TIG): in the TIG process, a tungstenelectrode is utilized to create the fusion.

Metal Fabrication

The manufacturing process utilized to form metal structures, or machines is called metal fabrication. The process is completed in many steps, including the following:

Planning: Careful planning is required before beginning the fabrication. A design has to be prepared as per the specifications. Then the plan is made for procuring the required materials, machinery, and equipment.

Production: Once the planning part is complete, we can start the production, which uses activities to fashion raw materials into the required design. The steps involved are as follows:

• Cutting: It is carried out by machines. The most readily used technologies utilized for metal fragmentation are laser and waterjet cutting.
• Casting:  Moulds for desirable shapes are created by the die maker. Then molten metal is poured into the dies and forms the required metal components.
• Punching: To punch a pre-designed pattern for a functional or decorative process, a punching press is utilized.
• Forging: The metal is compacted using high-pressure equipment to get desired shapes by bending it at different angles in different places.
• Turning: This process is completed in a lathe machine. Radical shapes and cuts can be made using turning.
• Milling: A process using complex equipment to trim the facet of the metal and create angles, holes, or perforations into metal segments, is called milling.
• Extrusion: Billets are used through a die to form tubular parts like wires or pipes.

A wide variety of processes and activities are required to create different products, structures, or machines. This is also called metal fabrication. However, many fabrications do not require welding. Welding can be an important part of fabrication. But welding alone cannot complete the entire process of metal fabrication.