Steel and Custom Metal Fabrication in Brisbane Increase the Overall Value of your Projects

by Patrick Duncan Marketing Manager

Commonly used metals for custom metal fabrication include aluminium, steel, brass, copper, iron, gold, nickel, magnesium and tin. The metal fabrication process is often started with sheet metal, metal bars, metal billets, and metal rods to create a new product in the desired shape. For example, steel billets can be used for fabricating into a curved aluminium tube by using the extrusion process and then folding the tube. 

Soft metals used in custom metal fabrication include aluminium, magnesium, copper and brass. Aluminium is corrosion-resistant and weldable, making it an ideal choice for low-fatigue applications such as structural components in machinery, marine and automobile parts, and hydraulic valve bodies. Aluminium is usually blended with other elements such as silicone and zinc and then heat-treated to eliminate residual stress. This makes it more stable for use in airframes, automobiles and other consumer products. 7075 aluminium grade is used by military in many firearms. Wing spars in Boeing are made with 7075 grade aluminium.

Magnesium for custom metal fabrication

Magnesium is another lightweight material used in custom metal fabrication processes. It is the lightest of all structural elements. It is highly malleable, has excellent dampening characteristics and can be readily moulded or die-cast.  It is preferred in custom metal fabrication processes in Brisbane where good strength and low weight is important. Camera and cell phone bodies, and laptop and computer chassis are usually made of magnesium. Automobile manufacturers use magnesium in transmission cases, intake manifolds and seat frames to improve fuel efficiency. In terms of price, magnesium is more expensive than aluminium, but this factor is largely mitigated by the relative ease with which magnesium components can be manufactured.

Using copper and brass

Copper is another hard metal used in custom metal fabrication processes. It is easy to braze but difficult to weld. It is extremely ductile, so widely used in the manufacturing of semiconductors as an element of high-temperature superconducting. Copper is an ingredient of more than 570 different metallic alloys.

Brass is appropriate for use in environments high in ammonia and acids. It is an alloy of copper and zinc which is available in dozens of grades. Brass is suitable for manufacturing screws and rivets, architectural trims and bottoms of boats. It is sturdy and offers tensile strength rivalling that of mild steel.

Stainless steel as a versatile fabrication material

Steel fabrication in Brisbane involves fabricating for a wide variety of applications, including automobile manufacturing, textile processing, marine applications and the chemical industry. Many stainless steel grades can withstand temperatures upwards of 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1482 Celsius), which is hot enough to melt brass, aluminium and copper. By increasing the amount of chromium in steel, corrosion-resistance can be greatly enhanced.

Selecting the right machinery for fabrication

It is important to select the right machinery for steel fabrication in Brisbane that requires complex steel metal shapes.  Plasma machines and Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machines are often used for exceptional precision and accuracy. Plasma tables are commonly used for carving circular holes or complex shapes from thick metal plates, while sawing is used for processes in steel fabrication in Brisbane involving structural steel projects . Plate shears are appropriate for carbon steel ductwork or durable metal bins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

CNC lathe, MIM and thixomolding processes

CNC lathe uses a chuck to grip the workpiece and rotate it against a fixed cutting tool. Mill-turn machines take lathes one step further with the addition of rotating tools and secondary spindles, eliminating secondary machining operations. Metal injection modelling, or MIM, produces fully dense, near net shape parts. However, the workpiece shape must be suitable for MIM, otherwise it will not survive the debind and sintering process. Proper part and mould design are equally critical for the success of the MIM process. Thixomolding causes the material to become less viscous, meaning the process can be used to have thinner walls and finer details than a die cast part.

Meeting industry standards in high precision fabrication processes

From thick carbon steel plates to copper filigree, surface preparation and final finishing, Brisbane Meal Products (BMP) delivers state-of-the-art fabrication techniques. BMP’s processes  can help you extend the life of your steel and metal fabrications, reduce project labour costs and increase your product ROI. Their certified welders follow a documented quality control (QC) process to meet industry requirements and increase the value of outputs in custom metal fabrication and steel fabrication in Brisbane. For parts which are near impossible to manufacture through conventional methods, BMP makes use of 3D metal printing to create shapes with complex geometries. They use an additive manufacturing process known as DMLS (Direct Metal Laser Sintering), which delivers where other manufacturing processes cannot. Use of automation techniques such as robotics ensures that there waste of material is minimal while accuracy is greatly enhanced. Get in touch with Brisbane Metal Products for all your requirements related to custom metal fabrication and stainless steel fabrication in Brisbane.

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Created on Mar 12th 2021 23:26. Viewed 378 times.

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