When steel is used in the construction process, the material has to be custom shaped to fit pre-existing templates. This process is known as steel fabrication. This task is carried out by professional steel fabricators, which is a little different than a machine shop, although some businesses may combine both practices in one location. Generally, before a construction project begins, a fabrication company bids on the job of shaping the steel components. When the bid is won, the company then goes to work making the steel parts on a made to order basis. Steel can be shaped in a variety of ways such as burning, drilling, cutting, bending, grinding, punching and welding. The two most common types of welding are gas welding and arc welding. Gas welding commonly uses tungsten inert gas (TIG welding) and metal inert gas (MIG welding). Shaping of the steel is usually done in the fabrication shop and then the pieces are transported to the construction site and put in place. While steel fabrication is necessary for building construction, it is also used for a variety of other purposes such as making bumpers, tanks, landing gears, gates, racks, stairs, handrails, posts, nails, and ladders. It is used in a variety of industries such as construction, automotive, marine, transportation, military, and private projects. The method can be used for very small jobs such as making nails as well as huge ones such as making ships. There is a great need for this service and skilled workers who know how to do it because steel is such a popular building material. It is comprised of iron and carbon as well as other alloy materials such as vanadium, manganese, tungsten, and chromium depending upon its intended use. For example spring steel has very little alloy, alloy steel has only non-carbon elements, stainless steel has at least 10.5 percent chromium, and maraging steel contains nickel. Other types of steel include weathering steel and tool steel that is used for making tools. A good fabricator needs a well stocked shop with a variety of tools in order to meet the demands for the wide variety of steel shaping customers need. For example, the shop will need technologically advanced machines such as shears, press brakes, plate rolls, saws, plasma torches, and all types of welding equipment. This science has advanced along with technology throughout the years. Metal fabrication itself has been around for centuries. Early blacksmiths practiced a form of the skill by hand with a hammer and fire in earlier times. Today much of the work is carried out automatically by sophisticated machinery. High tech equipment requires skilled operators in order to safely and accurately fabricate steel to exact specifications. When choosing a company to work with, it is wise to find one with extensive experience in the field and one with a stellar reputation when it comes to quality of work and customer service.
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