Welding and Sheet Metal Fabrication: Key Differences Explained

Welding and sheet metal fabrication appear to be interchangeable concepts, although, they are entirely different. Welding is considered as a part of metal fabrication. Many times, people misjudge welding with metal fabrication because of metalworking. Considering the nature of both concepts, welding is a process where metal fabrication is a set of processes. They both differ in many ways. However, this post gives insights into the difference between welding and sheet metal fabrication.

What Is Metal Fabrication?

Metal fabrication is a process of forming products from sheet metal. Metal fabrication is a step-by-step process of designing, cutting, bending, shaping, and joining metals. Metal fabrication demands much more than just joining two metals. The following are some processes involved in metal fabrication:

• Die-Cutting: Die-cutting is a process of cutting a low strength material or a sheet metal by applying shear force on it with the help of a pressing die.

• Punching: Punching is a forming process, in which a die is forcefully punched on the sheet to create a hole in it by application of shear force.

• Hydroforming: Hydroforming is a shaping process that uses hydraulic pressure to press the die upon the metal sheet. In this process, the metal sheet is pressed by the die to form the desired shape at room temperature. Hydroforming is often used for ductile materials.

• Roll Forming: In the roll forming process, a long metal sheet is passed through strategically mounted rollers to bend at desired cross-sections.

• Spinning: This process is used for forming axially symmetrical components by spinning a disk or tube on a high-speed chuck.

• Stamping: Stamping is a hot metal fabrication process, in which the stamp is pressed against the sheet metal to achieve the desired shape. In this process, the metal sheet is not cut but is pressed to form the desired shape.

• Finishing: Finishing is the last, but the most important process in metal fabrication. It involves an extra layer coating that is done on the product to make it rust-resistant, improve surface finish, and give it a tarnish resistance.

What Is Welding?

Welding is a process of joining two metals by application of temperature. It is also referred to as metal forming. It is a technique that utilizes filler material and heat to create a bond between two metal pieces. Welding is one of the metal fabrication techniques. The applications of welding vary from metalworking shops to automobile repair.

There are multiple welding techniques which are used according to the industrial requirements. Different types of Welding are detailed as follows:

• Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding: MIG is also known as a gas metal arc welding. In this technique, a consumable MIG electrode comes in contact with a metal workpiece creating an electric arc. The electric arc generates heat to melt and join two metal pieces.

• Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding: In this technique, a non-consumable TIG electrode is used to weld two metal pieces.

• Plasma Arc Welding: Plasma arc welding is similar to TIG but the difference is the electrode is placed in a torch and the plasma arc can be separated from the gas envelope.

Key Differences between Welding and Metal Fabrication

Let us discuss the difference between welding and sheet metal fabrication.

Use of Different Techniques

Sheet metal fabrication uses different techniques, and welding is one of those techniques. Welding is a standalone process that may be used in the fabrication process. Welding itself has different techniques under the same umbrella of joining metal pieces. On the other hand, sheet metal fabrication techniques can have different purposes. For example, cutting is performed for dimensioning purposes, whereas metal bending is performed for shaping purposes and so on.

Use of Different Tools

In the sheet metal fabrication process, a fabricator often follows a standard set of processes that requires a specific set of tools. The process begins with cutting the appropriate sizes of metal sheets. The fabricator then may use lathe machines, grinders, drills, welds, sheet rollers, etc, to shape and join sheet metals for forming a product. Whereas, welding is a specific technique that uses a variety of tools depending on the type of welding. The most common tools used in welding include clamps, consumable electrodes, power sources, auto-darkening helmets, etc.

Use of Different Skill Sets

Both these processes demand different skill sets from metalworkers. Sheet metal fabrication is more of a tabletop process. This means the metal fabrication tools have set tabletop nature where the workpiece has to be manipulated based on the process. For example, if sheet rolling is to be performed, then the function of the roller remains the same, but the length, width, and thickness have to be manipulated according to the capabilities of the roller. However, welding is one of the fabrication processes, where welders require a set of skills pertaining to welding only. They must possess experience over the selection of filler material and the type of welding technique to be implemented. Many mission-critical applications like ASME pressure vessel building require certified welders, as they have knowledge of the dos and don’ts of welding across these devices.

Conclusion

Although welding and metal fabrication are often confused, they serve distinct purposes in the world of metalworking. Welding is just one technique under the broader umbrella of metal fabrication. Both require different skill sets, tools, and techniques to achieve the desired outcomes. Therefore, the processes of welding and sheet metal fabrication should be performed by experts to ensure the best results.

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