Forming & Fabrication Services

Sheet metal fabrication and formation is an important automotive craft. Making fenders, door panels, bumpers, hoods, and virtually a myriad of other automotive parts from sheet metal is an integral skill for restoration of many muscle vehicles, building prototypes for hot rods, fabricating body kits for vintage cars, and making custom components for sports cars and racing cars. In fact, this craft form has been around nearly as long as the automotive industry itself. The earliest examples of sheet metal fabrication can be found as far back as during the Egyptian empire of the time of Cleopatra. Much of the time, the skills that were used to craft these parts would translate to skills that would be used in making equipment and devices used today.

Forming  Fabrication

Automotive sheet metal forming is very similar to the process of cookie dough printing. Two sheets of thick sheets of metal are formed together using rollers and hot air. Various forms can be made during the forming process depending upon the final application. For example, side skirts, fender flares, front bumper lip, and bumpers could all be created using the same basic sheet metal forming process. As mentioned before, this craft was used in the construction of body kits for the classic Ford cars of yesteryear.

Metal tube forming & fabrication is another necessary skill for those looking to restore muscle or race car machinery. In the case of muscle vehicles, tube welding is used to weld the sheet metal together depending on the original manufacturers’ design. This type of welding process is also used for precision manufacturing of parts such as door handles, grilles, and the like. When it comes to tube fabrication, you need to have a variety of tools on hand, including a hammer, welding gun, tube saw, clamps, wire cutters, etc. Additionally, you will want to have additional tools such as an epoxy paint sprayer, a tube brush, and of course a power drill.

Sheet metal fabrication work for cars and other vehicles is not limited to just sheet metal fabrication. Plastic and rubber is another common process that uses hot metal in order to create parts. The process used for plastics and rubber usually starts with a simple mold or tooling. Molds are commonly produced using injection molding techniques while tooling is a more expensive process. Afterward, the parts are manually crafted and pressed through various machining operations to create each individual part.

Laser cutting is a very popular form of metal fabrication and can easily be done by hand or with special machines. It is often a combination of forming and laser cutting. It is typically used to create individual parts that are not solid in their outline, but rather hollow. As opposed to traditional tube and brush formed parts, laser cut parts require precise cutting techniques.

CNC or Computer Numerated cutting machines are used in the forming and fabrication process. These machines can perform a variety of actions that allow for intricate detailing. By using a CNC machine, the entire process from beginning to end can be automated for increased efficiency. However, with all automation, mistakes are bound to happen. Forming & Fabrication companies that offer CNC machines use a variety of sensors and software to catch any errors during the cutting or forming process so that these types of mistakes can be quickly corrected.

Other CNC machine services provided by Forming & Fabrication companies include forming metal tubes. Tubes are produced on a CNC machine by applying heat directly to them with a hand held device. CNC tube fabrication services include detailed metal tube designs which are used for prototypes, components, molds, parts, accessories, bags, and more. These services also include forming vacuum bottles, cans, tubes, laminates, furniture edges, flooring material, automotive seals, and more.

Forming & Fabrication companies have gained popularity across the country because they offer an inexpensive alternative to high priced professional metal fabricators and sheet metal forming & fabrication machines. The low prices along with the variety of products offered attracts consumers. Forming is a process that creates metal objects on a blueprint with computer numerical controlled (CNC) technology. A CNC machine can cut out a variety of detailed designs using different methods. This allows a company to make as many products as possible. Forming & Fabrication companies have been featured in national magazines, home improvement trade publications, corporate newsletters, and more.

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