How to Go From 3D Modeling to a Quality Custom Metal Fabrication

Designing a product is no easy task, especially when transitioning from an initial 3D model to a fully customized metal fabrication. This is where 3D modeling services can play a crucial role in streamlining the process, taking your CAD designs from the conceptual stage to a detailed 2D blueprint ready for fabrication.

Working with a structural steel detailer who has hands-on fabrication experience is vital. They can navigate complex software like CAD, 3D modeling tools, and CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) to determine the most efficient way to process your part design. This is particularly important in structural steel detailing, where multiple steps are involved before the product can advance to further stages of development.

Let's start by examining the critical design phase and how it fits into the broader structural steel detailing process.

The Role of Design Analysis in Custom Metal Fabrication

As mentioned earlier, metal fabrication design transforms an idea from a mere concept into tangible 2D and 3D forms. Think of your design as the initial draft in your custom metal fabrication journey.

After creating your initial product design, a skilled steel detailer can use 3D modeling to generate shop drawings for the fabricator. This is the stage where any necessary modifications can be made to enhance the part's manufacturability.

It's important to remember that having a product design doesn't automatically mean it can be manufactured as-is. This is especially true for custom fabricated steel products, which often require a transition from the design phase to a fabrication design phase before proceeding to other stages of product development.

This is why partnering with an experienced steel detailer like Southern Metal Fabricators is essential. They can act as your engineering and design partner, analyzing various factors to ensure your final product:

• Can be successfully fabricated.
• Retains its strength, durability, and integrity.
• Can be assembled or installed as intended.

Shaping Your Product Through Metal Forming

Your structural steel detailing partner must be proficient in bending, shaping, punching, and forming metal to meet diverse custom metal fabrication needs. Custom metal forming involves shaping raw stock into desired forms using powerful industrial machinery capable of exerting precise pressures and forces.

For instance, sheet metal rolling often employs specialized hot rolling for creating raw metal stock. In most cases, cold rolling is used to shape sheet or plate metal into cylinders or curves. Plate rolling creates curves, while angle rolling typically produces defined angles, usually at 90 degrees.

Metal bending uses both mechanical and CNC hydraulic press brakes to "bend" metal plates up to 12 feet long to any angle. At Southern Metal Fabricators, we have four press brake machines in our facility. Our largest press brake can handle ¾-inch steel plates, while our smaller ten-ton machine caters to more delicate projects.

For heavy-duty steel punching, our 50-ton hydraulic web and flange beam punches provide robust punching power, even in mass production. However, when precision is paramount, we rely on our CNC 30-ton Strippit punch press for consistent and accurate results.

Cutting Precision: The Key to Structural Steel Specifications

Custom metal cutting services are indispensable for meeting your industrial specifications for structural steel detailing. The cutting process may involve specialized saws, shears, and high-energy heat sources like plasma and laser cutters. Punching, a subset of cutting, creates holes or openings in metal pieces.

At Southern Metal Fabricators, we can cut metal to virtually any size or shape—from delicate sheets of copper to thick carbon steel I-beams. Regardless of the scale, our state-of-the-art equipment, including our Trumpf laser cutter, ensures we meet nearly any specification.

Our metal cutting capabilities include metal sawing, CNC plasma cutting, steel plate shearing, and additional metal laser cutting services.

Finishing Touches: Ensuring Quality in Custom Metal Fabrication

A full-service custom metal finishing shop is essential for achieving high-quality custom metal fabrication. At Southern Metal Fabricators, our extensive onsite finishing services encompass surface preparation and final finishing. Our expertise in structural steel detailing means we understand how quickly carbon steel can corrode when stripped to white metal, so we immediately apply paint to counteract this tendency.

Our custom finishing services include:

• Metal surface preparation: We can prepare metal surfaces to meet surface preparation grades SP1–SP10. This may involve steel blasting for superior finishes while saving time and labor costs. We also offer wire brushing or metal bead blasting techniques.
• Hot-dip galvanizing: We often perform hot-dip galvanizing after constructing a structure or sub-assembly. We can also order galvanized material and fabricate with it—approaches we frequently use when making outdoor industrial ladders and stairs.
• Metal fabrication painting: After preparing the surface, applying primer and paint in a controlled paint booth ensures a quality finish. Each layer of paint or primer is measured for thickness, and documentation is provided if strict tolerances are required. We also apply direct-to-metal (DTM) paint, which combines primer and finish paint to protect metal from environmental exposure in one coat.

Custom Welding Services: Essential for Quality Assemblies

In addition to structural steel detailing, Southern Metal Fabricators offers custom welding services to ensure every custom metal fabricated assembly and subassembly fits together as planned. Our certified welding professionals collectively have over 30 years of experience in adhering to all relevant codes and requirements governing custom metal fabrication.

For example, we're familiar with ASME and American Welding Society protocols, as well as Canadian welding standards (CWB). We also provide quality products and supporting documentation throughout the entire fabrication process.

Our in-house welding equipment includes MIG gas metal arc welding machines, TIG welders, and stud welding machines. We are also qualified to weld structural steel according to the American Welding Society AWS D1.1 (for carbon steel above 1/8” gauge) and AWS D1.6 standards (for stainless steel above 1/16” gauge).

Choosing the Right Steel Detailer for Your Custom Metal Fabrication

As noted earlier, it's crucial to work with a structural steel detailer who understands your unique industrial requirements for custom metal fabrications. A good detailer must possess several key traits to succeed, especially during the critical fabrication design phase.

Look for these qualities:

• Strong communication skills: Your detailer must collaborate effectively with designers and fabricators when drafting fabrication design plans. This collaboration can prevent issues if design adjustments are needed to optimize parts for fabrication.
• Familiarity with industry standards: Your structural steel detailer should be well-versed in industry standards, especially if the fabricated end product will be part of a construction project. OSHA regulations, AISC guidelines, bearing limits, and more should always be top of mind for a competent detailer.
• Expertise in 3D modeling and design software: Detailers need proficiency in CAD, 3D modeling, and CAM software to create custom fabricated products. If necessary, they can collaborate with designers to discuss and implement changes that optimize parts for fabrication.

Structural Steel Detailing Requires Fabrication Expertise

Structural steel detailing and custom metal fabrications form the backbone of our daily lives, from agricultural hoppers and silos to petroleum tank access ladders and stairs to utility water towers and tanks. This is why many steel manufacturers and fabricators choose Southern Metal Fabricators as their detailing partner due to our extensive experience in supporting essential systems and components.

In addition to our 32 years of fabrication experience, we've invested in cutting-edge automation for materials processing to serve as your off-site structural processing center.

Visit our structural steel fabrication page to learn more about the benefits of outsourcing your next detailing or processing project. Or contact us today to see how we can help bring your vision to life!