Cutting, welding, and forming metal pieces to create construction materials or finished products is known as metal fabrication. Professionals may work on an assembly line, repeating tasks in order to mass produce metal products. Others work on a variety of projects, such as building and assembling furniture and other goods out of raw materials. Sheet metal is used in the construction of buildings, barns, roofs, garages, and storage sheds, and many metal fabricators work with it. Manufacturing plants, construction companies, and private repair shops employ the majority of metal fabricators.
Many metal fabrication jobs are found in large industrial manufacturing plants, where workers prepare metal parts and pieces on an assembly line. Cutting raw materials to a specific length, drilling holes for screws, welding or otherwise attaching pieces together, buffing and smoothing parts, and a variety of other assembly line tasks may be assigned to a worker. In large, modern factories, many metal fabrication jobs entail using computer and robotic technology to make precise cuts, bends, and holes.
Cutting and forming materials, as well as assembling entire structures, are all part of metal fabrication jobs in small businesses and many construction firms. Workers frequently consult blueprints to determine the sizes and shapes of sheet metal, iron, and other construction materials, and then form them accordingly. They frequently work in groups to construct structures on top of foundations, employing a variety of hand and power tools to accomplish their goals.
Automobile and airplane construction and repair companies frequently hire highly skilled metal fabricators. To prepare a car or airplane body for painting, people may fill in rust spots, hammer out dents, and smooth it out. When rust or other damage is beyond repair, a fabricator takes precise measurements and fabricates a replacement piece, which he or she then welds into place. A fabricator is often skilled in other aspects of car or airplane repair, such as general mechanic work and painting.
Metal fabrication jobs do not usually require extensive education, though some employers prefer to hire people who have completed two-year training programs at vocational schools or community colleges. Most new metal fabricators begin their careers as apprentices or assistants, learning the trade firsthand from experienced professionals for a period of time, sometimes up to four or five years in some companies. Fabricators can begin working without supervision once they have proven their abilities and demonstrated a strong work ethic.