What Are the Steel Structure Processing Technologies?

Steel structure buildings are mainly composed of steel components, and the processing of steel components is fabricated in the factory. After a series of processing, the steel components are finally made into components that meet the design and installation requirements, and then transported to the site for final installation.

The main processes for steel component processing mainly include: cutting, drilling, welding, bending, shot blasting, painting and other processes.

The premise of steel structure processing is to make a processing plan. According to the design drawings and technical requirements, the processing technology, processing sequence,  equipment and schedule are determined to formulate a complete processing plan to ensure that the components are completed on time, in quality and quantity.

Cutting

Cutting is one of the most common processes in steel structure processing. Its purpose is to cut steel into components of specified sizes. It is also the first process of cutting processing. The main cutting methods are flame cutting, plasma cutting, laser cutting, etc. Flame cutting is suitable for cutting thicker steel plates, plasma cutting is suitable for cutting thinner steel plates and stainless steel plates, and laser cutting is suitable for cutting high-precision and high-quality components. The deformation after cutting needs to be corrected, and the interface needs to be milled, planed or ground with a grinding wheel.

Drilling

Drilling is also one of the most commonly used processes in steel structure processing. Its purpose is to drill holes in the components for connection or installation. The main drilling methods include manual drilling, punching, CNC drilling, etc. Manual drilling is suitable for small batch production, punching is suitable for large batch production, and CNC drilling is suitable for high-precision and high-efficiency production.

Welding

After the steel plate is cut into the appropriate size and drilled, it needs to be welded into the required shape. The main welding methods are manual arc welding, gas shielded welding, submerged arc welding, laser welding, etc. Manual arc welding is suitable for small batch production, gas shielded welding is suitable for large batch production, submerged arc welding is suitable for welding thick plates, and laser welding is suitable for high-precision and high-quality welding.

Bending

The bending process is to mechanically or hot-roll the metal raw materials to deform them into the required bending angle and shape. It is usually used to make connectors, supports, etc. of various shapes.

Shot blasting

Shot blasting is a process of cleaning and enhancing the surface of the component. Its purpose is to remove surface oxide scale, rust and pollutants, and enhance surface hardness and wear resistance. The main shot blasting methods include mechanical shot blasting, steel shot blasting, sand blasting, etc. Mechanical shot blasting is suitable for cleaning the surface of larger components, steel shot blasting is suitable for enhancing surface hardness and wear resistance, and sand blasting is suitable for cleaning the surface of smaller components.

Painting/hot-dip galvanizing

Painting/hot-dip galvanizing is a process of painting the surface of components, the purpose of which is to prevent oxidation, corrosion and pollution of the steel surface and enhance the appearance and weather resistance. The main painting methods include manual spraying, mechanical spraying, electrostatic spraying, etc. Manual spraying is suitable for small batch production, mechanical spraying is suitable for large batch production, and electrostatic spraying is suitable for high-efficiency and high-quality production.

These are some basic processes in steel structure fabrication processing and production. Of course, according to the different needs of customers, other processes and processing steps may be added, such as fire prevention, pre-assembly and other processes. There will be many problems in the processing of steel components. Only by using appropriate processing technology can the quality and precision of components be ensured, so it is more important to find a professional and experienced processing manufacturer.