welding Archives - EG Structural

A fabrication professional metalworking a piece for a public art display

What is the Difference Between Welding and Fabrication?

If you’re even remotely involved in the metalworking industry, you often hear terms like welding and fabrication. Many people use them interchangeably, but there’s actually a bit of a difference between the two areas of metalwork. But, what exactly are those differences?

EG Structural is looking to change how people perceive public art by creating incredible art installations and brand identities that excite the public. However, our mission would amount to nothing without the strong expertise of the custom fabrication professionals we partner with. Read our blog post below to learn what exactly is the difference between welding and fabrication.

What Exactly is Welding?

Welding is a process by which two or more parts are fused together using heat, pressure, or both to join the pieces as they cool. Welding is usually used on metals and thermoplastics, but can also be used on wood.

Some materials require the use of specific processes and techniques, especially for certain tasks.

Joining metals: Involves heating parts at high temperatures to form a pool of molten material that cools as it connects to another piece of metal.
Joining plastics: Plastic welding also involves heating the materials to join them together.
Joining wood: But, wood welding uses heat generated from friction to join materials together. These materials are subjected to a great deal of pressure before a linear friction movement creates heat to bond pieces together.

But, What is Fabrication?

Metal fabrication is a broad term that encompasses the entire process of building anything from raw metal materials. This means everything from cutting and shaping to the final assembly. But, to create a piece that meets your structural needs, you need custom fabrication services to truly make it your own.

We’re not exaggerating when saying that they can pretty much create anything. Whether you’re looking to build beautiful railings for your staircase or construction equipment parts for your project, it’s the right solution for the job. Custom fabrication professionals can stretch metal materials to meet the dimensions of your project. Additionally, they can use sectional metals such as I-beams, Z shapes, hollow structural sections, and bars and rods for each unique project.

So, What’s the Difference Between Welding and Custom Fabrication?

The biggest difference between the two involves what tools and processes are used in these activities. For example, metal fabrication often involves tools you wouldn’t see welders use like:

Abrasives
Adjustable wrenches
Benders
Chipping hammers
Consumable electrodes
Cylinders with custom carts
Electrode holders
Hand file
Soapstone
Tungsten inert gas (TIG) consumables
Vice and vice grips
Welding clamps

While welding is a metal forming technique and goes hand-in-hand with fabrication, they use similar processes to assemble and bend materials. However, metal fabrication is an overarching process and involves many different procedures to create custom metalworks, such as:

Die-cutting
Finishing
Hydroforming
Roll forming
Shrinking
Spinning
Stamping
Stretching

EG Structural Works with Industry Professionals to Create Public Art Installations

EG Structural is fortunate to have partnered with several wonderful individuals to design public art that highlights their unique communities. We combine intense research, strong conceptual design, custom fabrication, and engineering expertise to develop landmarks that inspire engagement. We help build an identity that exhibits what it means to be a part of a community.