Achieving Aluminium and Steel Fabrication with Precision, Accuracy and Cost-Efficiency

Aluminium (Al) is widely used as a structural engineering material due to its excellent strength to density ratio, toughness and corrosion-resistant properties. Aluminium fabrication services use a variety of cutting processes such as water jet cutting, which uses a high-pressure water jet combined with an abrasive that provides the metal sharp edges. Water jet cutting can be used for steel fabrication in Brisbane and other locations, to cut through a metal sheet of up to 120 mm. Laser cutting yields a high-quality cut with a narrow kerf. Plasma cutting is faster than laser cutting for the same thickness range of metal, and is a an accurate and exact technology across a multitude of industries, using an accelerated jet of hot air to cut, melt and remove material. Mechanical cutting provides a good cutting speed but a lesser cutting zone quality than some of the other methods.

MIG (metal inert gas) welding is used by aluminium fabrication services for plate thicknesses of more than 6 mm. It is preferred when high welding speeds are required combined with long weld lengths. Aluminium sheets as low as 1 mm can be welded using pulse MIG welding. TIG (tungsten inert gas) welding is used on aluminium sheets with up to 0.7 mm, and is useful for shorter weld lengths. Resistance spot welding (RSW) is used to make flange and lap joints. The process is easy to automate and causes low deformation. However, aluminium sheet to be welded using RSW requires surface preparation.

Mandrel and tubing processes

For some tubing processes, a mandrel, which is an object used for shaping machined work, is placed inside the tube to prevent it from collapsing. Many types of mandrels are available for use in tubing processes, such as plug mandrel, sand, ball mandrel with a cable, form mandrel, and ball mandrel without a cable. The tube is held in tension to prevent creasing during the tubing process. This is done with the help of a wiper die made of a softer alloy. Most of the tooling used in tube fabrication is made of tooled steel as it has a longer lifespan. Parts, clamping block and rotating form block are made of hardened steel as the tubing doesn’t move past these parts while being machined.

CNC machines for process automation

Press bending is used where a consistent cross-section is not required. The process is used for cold tubing and pipes. Rotary draw bending (RDB) uses die sets with a constant centre line radius (CLR) to bend pipes. Each job can be accomplished with a variable degree of bending using this process. A CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machine can be used to create severe bends of high quality. It allows for precision bending of hard-to-bend tubing with a large outside diameter to thickness ratio, and a small mean bending radius to outside diameter ratio.

Use of CNC machines and CAD in steel fabrication

Steel fabrication in Brisbane most often involves taking raw material and shaping it to the desired form. It requires skilled technicians who can accomplish all processes of steel fabrication such as machining, cutting, welding, etc. Machining involves using a specialized piece of equipment to shave away parts of the metal to create the desired shape. Welding is used to bend or combine pieces to form one piece. Casting is usually done to add visual interest to the fabrication. Formed and expanded metal are used for steel fabrication in Brisbane where processes for outdoor furniture need to let the moisture flow off.

Most modern steel fabrication shops in Brisbane use computer-aided design (CAD) and detailing which is linked directly to CNC machinery, creating a genuine CAD/CAM environment. As machinery is used in most steel fabrication Brisbane processes, fabricators are able to achieve speed of steel erection at the site, resulting in significant benefits for the client and the contractor.

Machinists tasked with steel fabrication in Brisbane have to gauge original shape of the raw material and then process it. Tools, talent, software and equipment available with the fabricator shop will determine the final outcome of the process. Plate metal is used in most Brisbane steel fabrication processes to shape the pieces for a better range to work with. Fitting is often required for creating and completing pieces.

Metal fabricator shop with advanced equipment and technology

Brisbane Metal Products (BMP) offers comprehensive and cost-effective solutions of steel fabrication in Brisbane and aluminium fabrication services for industrial, commercial, retail and residential sectors with Australia-wide distribution capabilities. BMP offers flexible and personalized solutions and work closely with the client’s design teams and architects throughout the process to deliver your projects on time and budget, with the quality outcome you require. As a full-service metal fabricator, BMP offers value-added services combined with engineering, design, welding, testing, finishing, assembly and installation. BMP’s extensive range of capabilities includes an array of ever-changing shapes, material grades and project specifications. Contact BMP for all your requirements related to aluminium fabrication services, steel fabrication in Brisbane, and other metal and wire fabrication requirements in Australia.

Expert Metal Specialists With over 50 years of experience we’ll ensure you always get the best guidance. Quality workmanship, client relationships, and reliability are the basis of our business and form a philosophy that we are extremely proud of.