Steel fabrication is any process which involves the transformation of raw material such as steel into a new item or product. This new item can be used in applications which include construction and assembly.
In steel fabrication, raw materials undergo various fabricating methods such as cutting, forming, burning, machining and welding. The steel fabrication process requires a skilled and experienced technician or machinist to take raw components and transform them into marketable items.
With our advanced equipment and skillful staff, C-Mac is known to be a market leader of Steel Fabrication in manufacturing industry. With over 50 years of experience in Steel Sheet Fabrication and CNC Precision Machining, we have been recommended by many clients as we cater to different steel fabrication jobs from small to large.
In this process, steel is blasted to prepare it for fabrication. This aims to provide a clean finish so that the steel is easier to weld. Apart from that, with shot blasting, steel with rough surface can be painted easily.
It will be easier to work with steel if they are cut accordingly before fabrication. There are a few ways to cut steel. This includes circular saws, flame cutting or plasma cutting techniques.
Some structures may require various rolling and bending techniques. This is true in most modern structures. Steel must go through various set of bending rolls until a certain level of curve has been completed.
When it comes to steel fabrication, welding is vital. This process is used to attach fixtures and fittings. Apart from that, welding is also used to prepare steel connections for installation.
Coating is usually applied towards the end of the fabrication process. It is used for both functional and aesthetic purposes. Nowadays, high-tech coatings are common among fabricators because it can protect the steel against corrosion and fire. Moreover, it creates a custom look when architects or clients ask for it.
Before anything else, a blueprint should be created to guide both the fabricator and the client to the rest of the process. From there, the blueprint will be moved into a digitally-controlled screen using a CAD program. Using CAD software is an efficient way to create three-dimensional blueprints.
After the planning stage, fabricators have to gauge the original shape of the raw material which are available in various forms. These could be in flat plate, pipes, reshaped channels or other forms. In a fabrication shop, there are a variety of tools/machines and techniques that can be used. These equipment utilise heat, pressure and force at certain levels to fabricate the steel.
Once the raw material has been processed, the next step is for the machinist to form the material into the desired shape. CAD calibrations are combined with CNC equipment to get precise cuts and bends of the material. Cutting-edge technology is usually used to track process and maintain proficiency.
For the final touches, the item will be blasted, sanded or painted to improve its mechanical properties. Others also do this for the sake of aesthetic appeal.
*[Owner]* An industrial laundry system service company needed repairs and redesign done to their tooling. C-Mac made changes to the tooling to make access and ease of use to decrease service down times.
*[Service Manager]* An industrial fan service company had a failure of a major shopping centre air conditioning fan/ blower. C-Mac repaired the unit within a 24hr turn around for minimum downtime.
*[Owner/Manager]* A major food manufacturer specializing in tomato sauce had a filling machine breakdown. The machine was brought to C-Mac and repaired in 24hrs for minimum downtime of the production line costing $5,000 per hour.
*[RAAF - Warrant Officer]* Airfield support staff required a portable sandbagging frame and requested a design, prototype and trials at no cost. There was nothing suitable on the market i.e. made in Australia. "Sandbagging Frames":materials-handling/1-bagging-equipment#silt-bagging-frame are now on the national procurement data base and some probably overseas at different war zones.
*[Mechanical Design Engineer]* An automotive transmission design customer needed help with designing an automatic transmission gear prototype. We suggested and engineered a more cost effective and practical way for the mass production stage.
*[Nursery Manager]* At an exhibition saw our self tracking nursery trailers and indicated he had a costly issue transporting large (heavy) pots containing advanced trees. Existing method was a bobcat. C-Mac designed and quoted for the manufacture of a Self Tracking “Low Loader”. His comment on the first day of using "Low Loader trailer":nursery-equipment/7-trailers/#low-loader-self-tracking-trailer “Can now move 100 litre pots with trees, 150 metres in 1 hr and not get a sore back”.
*[Purchasing Officer]* A mining design and machining company needed help with machining components urgently as they were too busy to keep up with the demand. C-Mac machined the components so the deadline could be met.
*[General Manager]* Customer had to submit a proposal and compete against other countries for the manufacturing facility. C-Mac submitted drawings to show there was space in existing plant to install the new process and to comply with all Australian OH&S Standards. Working together with customer to submit proposal to the Head Office overseas WON the contract. Project was a success meeting 6month lead time and budget.
*[Nursery Owner]* Needed a specific Potting & Mixing machine. for his yuccas nursery, but the problem was it was no longer manufactured. From his description and specifications our engineers designed and modelled in 3D software his requirements. "Potting Machine":nursery-equipment/3-potting-machines/ was manufactured and fully tested with potting media in our workshop, video was then sent to customer who was very pleased with the results. Machine disassembled and freighted interstate and installed.
*[Maintenance Engineer]* An industrial hydraulic fitting manufacturer had problems with gear and shaft breakages with their machinery. They also had problems repairing and maintaining. C-Mac offered to repair and maintain their machinery on-site instead of having to permanently employ fitters.
72-74 Mandoon Road
GIRRAWEEN NSW 2145
Phone: (02) 9631 6000