Metal fabrication and welding is a general term that may refer to any method that joins one or more type of metals together to form a piece or shape to be used in the military and industries like automotive, manufacturing, and construction, among others.
All professionals involved in the metal fabrication and welding industries must be educated about occupational health hazards, risks of injuries, safety hazards, and workplace safety before beginning their work on the field.
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Metal Fabrication and Welding: Metal Types
The type of technique used in welding metals depends largely on the materials, their properties and other factors. Here are some of the most used types:- Aluminum– Aluminum base metals are grouped into wrought alloys and cast alloys. Wrought alloys, which are sub-categorized as non-heat or heat treatable, areproduced by forging, extruding or other mechanical processes, while cast alloysare made by molding.
- Cast iron – Welding cast iron requires soft consumables since it cracks easily with thermal expansion. However, casting type, welding procedure and heat treatments affect the risk of cracking or brittleness of cast iron.
- Copper – Probably one of the most important metals in the modern world, copper and copper alloys are used in the construction industry and production of transportation equipment, electrical products and industrial machinery. Metal fabrication and welding procedures vary between the eight groups of copper and copper alloys.
- Stainless steel – Stainless steel base metals are classified into austenitic, martensitic and ferritic based on crystal structure. Stainless steel alloys often have 10% chromium content, but this amount may vary and affect the type of consumables to use.
Preheating and Postheating Metals
The need to preheat before welding or perform heat treatment after welding varies significantly between metals. Below are basic guidelines for metal fabrication and welding:- Aluminum – Preheat is often not needed, but can be useful to reduce the risk of cracking or when joining metals with varying thickness. Post treatment involves letting it cool slowly.
- Cast iron – The need to preheat cast iron lies on the castings or type of shapes to form. While preheating may not be needed for all applications, it is often used when using cast iron fillers, and when performing oxyacetylene welding. Postheat treatment may involve stress relieving or full annealing.
- Copper – Although copper alloys generally do not require preheating, thick copper areas would require a high preheat treatment. The preheat setting would depend on the base thickness, welding technique and alloys to be welded.
- Stainless steel – Preheating is needed for joining thick stainless steels or those with high carbon content. Martensitic and ferritic stainless steelsdo not require preheating, but austenitic grades often does. Postheating helps in relieving stress, slowing down the cooling process, and minimizing cracks.
Metal Fabrication and WeldingSafety
Metal fabrication and welding involves the use of pressure, heat, gas, fumes, oxygen, chemicals and other hazardous materials. Although more than 80 welding processes exist, welders and other professionals must follow the same safety guidelines with some additional policies for every technology used. For instance, the smoke released in metal fabrication and welding processes can be toxic, so the need for safety gear, abiding of building codes, and adherence to exhaust requirements must be in place.All professionals involved in the metal fabrication and welding industries must be educated about occupational health hazards, risks of injuries, safety hazards, and workplace safety before beginning their work on the field.
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