28 Aug What do Structural Steel Fabricators do?
Steel – specifically structural steel – is known for being a versatile, robust and reliable material. While structural steel products are used in an enormous range of applications across the construction industry, often this requires the use of steel fabrication specialists.
What is Steel Fabrication?
Structural steel fabrication is a process which involves manufacturing specific components out of solid steel. Once these products have been finished, they can be used to create various structural shapes, frameworks and formations. One very common example is a steel frame building, which is almost like a ‘skeleton’ of a structure.
Steel fabrication involves very intricate and detailed processes to get right. Many steel fabrication companies use their wide array of skills, equipment and machinery to fabricate specific products in varying sizes, all while using numerous metals. These can include anything from steel gates and railings to balconies and steel staircases.
Baker Steel Trading are a steel fabrication company, based in Woking, who can fabricate bespoke designs for our customers. We can transform standard steel sections into well-designed, detailed structures with unmatched precision, high-quality machinery and a well-trained team of coded welders and fabricators.
Techniques Involved in Structural Steel Fabrication
The steel fabrication process has evolved substantially over the past few years. More fabricators are utilising innovative new technology to enhance the products, make the whole process easier and more efficient, and ultimately help the customer.
Below are some common steel fabrication techniques:
- Shot blasting
This is where steel sections are blasted with a shot of force, hence the name, which helps prepare them for further fabrication work. Shot blasting steel is commonly performed on larger, heavier objects.
- Welding
Steel welding involves attaching different sections together. Welding machinery is often reserved for fixtures and fittings, due to how it creates that stability and rigidness between the sections. Welding steel involves high temperatures to melt the materials together, which solidifies when it cools. There is no universal welding technique; multiple options exist out there, including TIG welding, MIG welding and arc welding, among others.
- Bending
A large portion of steel fabrication work involves creating curved edges, as well as rigid, straight shapes. Therefore, bending and rolling steel are skills which fabricators should know. Bending steel helps create a smooth finish that doesn’t succumb to damage, cracks or breaks, given that steel is incredibly malleable when heated. This is how many unique and unusual designs are created.
- Cutting
Sections of steel need to obviously be cut to specifications. The process of cutting steel can be done by hand, using specialist tools such as flame or plasma cutters. Or alternatively, for larger, heavier objects, special machinery would be needed to create the desired size and shape.
- Finishing
Steel finishing helps to protect the products from excessive corrosion, water damage and more. Depending on the uses of structural steel products, and whereabouts they will be used, different coatings would be required at certain times.
Who Uses Structural Steel Fabricators?
Any industry which uses a certain amount of metals will undoubtedly require steel fabrication services, on some level. Some of the most common industries which require them are:
- Construction (domestic and commercial)
- Transport
- Civil infrastructure
- Mining
- Auto manufacturing
What can Structural Steel Fabricators Produce?
Some products which are frequently fabricated include the following:
- Universal beams (otherwise known as I beams)
- Universal columns
- Parallel flange channels (PFCs)
- Staircases
- Gates
- Floor joists
- Railings and handlebars
- Ladders
- Grating
- Racks
For Baker Steel Trading, our services have recently expanded to include that which, until recently, would potentially be outsourced.
These include in-house services like providing structural steel fabrication drawings (and 3D models) and providing kit-form steel frame structures to your chosen specifications. We also go above and beyond for our customers, providing on-site services such as surveying, measuring, mobile welding, delivery and installation of products. We can even provide you with a flexible crane or HIAB hire if you need it.
Need Structural Steel?
Now that you know more about what structural steel fabrication is all about, you know that Baker Steel Trading are the experts to call for any queries or advice.
We provide a wide range of steel products instantly available to buy, and our dedicated team will work diligently to provide you with any specific bespoke steel products you need. We are CE-approved steel specialists who are passionate about impeccable quality and efficient service.
We offer no-obligation, free estimates to our customers, so why not get in touch with us today?