Factors To Consider When Selecting Metal For A Custom Fabrication

Metal fabrication is a process that uses several techniques like welding, bending, roll forming, hydroforming, drawing, and cutting to create durable and reliable materials for numerous purposes. As such, the type of material used to make custom metal fabrications is crucial to ensuring the end product is dependable. Fabricators choose metals for fabrication based on their unique properties, like versatility, which is their ability to work with other materials. They also consider machinability, the ease with which machines can cut the metal, and weldability. Other factors considered before choosing metals for fabrications include: 

Tensile Strength

A material's tensile strength is the highest stress or load it can bear before it fails or is permanently damaged. Steel has some of the highest tensile strength readings, while aluminum has some of the lowest. Knowing the tensile strength of metals before beginning a custom metal fabrication process is vital. That is because the knowledge allows you to avoid choosing a metal that could cause damage to your property or harm individuals because of an inability to withstand the stress exerted on it. Moreover, choosing a metal that can withstand the level of stress you intend to place on the custom fabrication saves you the money you would use trying to reinforce or replace a metal with low tensile strength. 

Corrosion Resistance

Corrosion resistance refers to how well a metal can withstand the corrosive effects of oxidation or exposure to chemical reactions. Different metals corrode at different rates depending on their properties and exposure to corrosive elements like moisture and high temperatures. Thus, before choosing a metal for your custom metal fabrication, consider the conditions of the area you will place it. If it has substances that can hasten corrosion, you should find a metal with high corrosion resistance. That means avoiding metals with high reactivity, like iron and zinc, because they rust pretty quickly when exposed to moisture.

Ductility

Ductility refers to a metal's ability to allow changes to its shape without cracking, breaking, or shattering. For instance, aluminum is very pliable; thus, you can easily deform it to fit your designs, while steel is very rigid, making it difficult to mold it into different shapes. Ductility is a significant factor if your custom metal fabrication consists of parts with complex geometry. Thus, you have to find a metal that will remain structurally sound after processes like drawing into a wire, rolling, or hammering. Remember choosing a metal with the wrong ductility will result in high fabrication and molding costs as you will require more resources.

To learn more, contact a custom metal fabrication service in your area.

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