Even though steel is a very strong metal, it's very easy to fabricate. That gives fabricators all kinds of projects to complete, but if you want to keep issues from popping up during your own fabrication, review these tips carefully.
Use Paper Templates as a Guide
One goal you want to have when manipulating steel in different ways is cutting down on material ways. Steel isn't cheap, and having to perform the same cuts or bends over and over because of previous mistakes is going to make your steel costs go through the roof.
You can eliminate wasteful fabrication and spending if you use paper templates as a guide. You can put them directly over the steel you're trying to manipulate a certain way, so you can see exactly what directions and angles you need to go in. That gives you a better chance of getting optimal fabrication results in one shot.
Protect Your Steel When Not in Use
Even though steel is one of the more durable materials you can find on the marketplace, you still want to take certain measures to protect this material when it's not being used in fabrication.
You may have a bunch of steel supplies on your worksite, and taking proactive steps to keep them safe and sound will help you avoid unnecessary replacements.
You want to store steel in a temperature-controlled space to keep elements from causing breakdown. Keeping steel up off the ground also is recommended, to avoid accidentally hitting the material with machinery and possibly cause structural damage.
Remember Mistakes
Regardless of how long you've been fabricating steel, there could always be a chance for accidents during fabrication. It's a tricky process, and steel is no exception when it comes to the risk of mistakes.
It could be cutting too much material away or not using the proper machinery for fabrication. Each time you do something wrong with steel, make a note of it. Write it down somewhere so that you can go back to these mistakes before starting another fabrication project. That will keep you from making the same mistakes over and over with steel.
Fabrication steel is something that has limitless potential because of the varying techniques, materials, and equipment. If you're hoping to improve your fabrication techniques in an impactful way with this material, then spend time reviewing best practices that have proven to work for so many in this industry.