1 What is Fabrication?

Fabrication is the action or process of manufacturing or inventing, the assembly of parts to create something more. Assembly of complex parts on large projects takes place one simple piece at a time.

During fabrication of objects, parts may be joined by a combination of methods: welds, bolts, screws, rivets, adhesives, etc. Weldments are components that are joined by welding. Thus, all weldments are fabrications, but not all fabrications are weldments.

The first steps in welding processes are:

• Reading the technical drawing to determine what type of weld is required,
• Clamping to a table or fixture to avoid heat warpage, and
• Tack welding two pieces of metal.

Objectives

After completing this part, you will be able to:

• Explain the various safety issues related to fabrication.
• List the advantages of using preformed parts for fabrication.
• List the advantages of using custom fabrication parts.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the proper placement of tack welds.
• Demonstrate the use of location and alignment points when assembling a project.
• Explain how to adjust parts to meet the tolerance.
• Describe how to control weld distortion.
• Lay out and trace parts.
• Identify common sizes and shapes of metals used in weldments.
• Describe how to assemble and fit up parts for welding.