When you hear the word manufacturing, you probably think of a large factory with billowing smoke churning out products on an assembly line. But before that product can be manufactured, there are other processes involved, and fabrication is an integral part of that process. This hands-on portion of the manufacturing process is often the very beginning of the item being made and serves as the foundation to complete the manufacturing portion. In most cases, fabricated parts are made of metal such as steel, and these parts make up the final product you use.

What is Fabrication?

The fabrication process involves making smaller parts in a shop, usually by hand, that will later be put together in order to make the final product that consumers use. These parts can be comprised of anything from steel frames for vehicles to moving parts of engines. Those individual pieces and parts must be made by a skilled worker, usually an engineer hired by the company selling the actual product. It is integral that the fabricated parts are made to exact specifications. If your car is not running properly or your computer is not working right, it can sometimes be a result of a wrongly fabricated part. These fabricated parts are typically made in a shop using specifically designed molds, along with welding equipment, band saws, and other tools. They must be created to exact precision in order for the end product to work the way it was intended.

What Role Does Fabrication Play in Manufacturing?

Before the workers in the manufacturing plant can begin putting things together, they must have all of the fabricated parts ready. The parts work together in conjunction with the final product and help to make up the item you buy. In most cases, the company producing the product owns both the fabrication and manufacturing sectors, since it's important that each meets the correct specifications of the product. The two work in conjunction with one another, ensuring that the final product looks great and works well. Think of fabrication as the creation of the parts needed to make something, and manufacturing as the process of putting all of those parts together.

Examples of Fabrication

The fabrication process is extremely important when it comes to developing and then creating things consumers use. Here are some examples of what is fabricated to help complete a finished product:

• Steel or other metal frames for trailers, cars, or buildings
• Small moving parts inside of computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones
• Metal fittings used in appliances
• Tiny gears and other moving parts for things like watches or clocks
• Gun parts
• Metal car parts such as exhaust pipes, steering wheel columns, and others
• The creation of screws, pins, nails, grommets, pipes, and other metal materials

For professional fabrication services, contact a company such as Suburban Welding & Steel LLC.