Month: March 2022

Our steel ladders are meticulously fabricated to provide safe access to services inside and outside your building. Safety is key here, which is why ladders, staircases and platforms are subject to so many industry-specific regulations, and why you should always use a professional steel fabricator to undertake the work.

Structural steel ladders – an introduction

Steel ladders – fixed or portable – provide a strong and durable way of scaling a height. Mild steel and stainless steel are both weatherproof for use outside, and tough enough to withstand many years of harsh industrial conditions.

At FEM, we can fabricate steel ladders, steps, and staircases using your design or one of our own. We can also add in extra safety features, such as a handrail, an access platform, or a step-over.

For exterior use, cat ladders or vertical ladders are a popular solution. They’re usually fixed to a wall or roof and fitted with a protective cradle, offering a way to safely access hard-to-reach areas.

The consequences of something going wrong while an employee is working at height are likely to be life-altering for everyone involved. Always make sure your chosen provider is following all of the necessary regulations for ladder fabrication.

Why choose FEM for your steel ladders

If you’re looking for steel fabrication services in Great Britain, then where better to find a provider than in the steel city itself – Sheffield. We’re a family-owned business, driven by a determination to offer our clients the very best this renowned city has to offer.

We’re also proud to say that we meet the standards for ISO9001 accreditation. When you choose to work with us, you can expect to receive a consistently high standard of work. Our reputation is everything, and we can confidently say that our approach to handling projects, from start to finish, has earned us loyalty among our clients.

To find out more about our fabrication services or to discuss steel ladder fabrication, call our team, email us, or use our contact form online.

Stainless Steel letter fabrication is a very popular fabrication service. Many business will use fabricated letters when opening a business to create a high quality, professional high end look. They also may be used for residential properties for house numbers. Stainless Steel Letters can be flat cut or built up depending on the desired look or impact you want to create.

Stainless steel is often the leading metal material used for steel letters due to it being fire and heat resistance, sustainable and corrosion resistant. it is a versatile material and typical inexpensive material which can create a big impact for your business. It is also an easy material to clean and maintain.

What can stainless steel letters be used for?

Fabricated metal letters can be used for internal and external use. You may often see them being used for:

• Name Plaques
• Building Names and Numbers
• Schools and Universities
• Shop signs
• Front Door numbers
• Boats
• Hotels

How are stainless steel letters fabricated?

Stainless steel is a highly popular material and heat resistant materials. It is the perfect material to use for metal letters and logos due to the durability and corrosion resistance elements of the material. Using your design, letters are created using CNC tools and machining to create the shape and specifications of the letters from stainless steel sheets.

The fabrication processes used during the creation of letters may involve cutting, forming, shearing, welding, and machining. Once the letters have been fabricated the letters will be buffed and painted if required. Stainless Steel is an ideal material if it needs to be painted.

Painting stainless steel is important as it helps to protect the material and can incorporate your desired colours. After the letters have been welded, the material will be cleaned and degreased. The metal will then be primed and painting the colour you desire. The paint will create a clean and smooth finished to the letters.

Once finished, the letters may have brackets on the inside as a mounting option. The letters will be installed and be set securely in place. Fabricated letters also have the option of having LED lighting behind the letters to illuminate the sign.

If you would like to know more about our stainless-steel fabrication process, you can find more about our services here or you can contact us using the contact form for a bespoke fabrication projects.

In the fabrication industry there is a wide range of different types of fabrication. Cutting, folding, casting, forging, machining, shearing, punching, stamping, and welding are the most common types of fabrication that are performed during the manufacturing process.

Types of Fabrication Processes

Cutting

Cutting involves splitting or cutting the metal material down into smaller sections. When creating large scale fabrication cutting may be used to create the desired sections. Large sheets of metal will be cut down into either halves or thirds before being shaped however, pre shaped metals may also use the cutting process. This can be done through advancements in technology and cutting tools including water jet cutting, laser cutting, CNC (computer numerical computer) cutting machines.

Forming

Forming is a common metal fabrication process to create a shape or a fold in the metal material. The process involves manipulating the piece of metal forming a bend that is usually done at a 90-degree angle. Forming requires high tech equipment to form shapes in the metal such as CNC press brakes or rolling machines.

Punching

Punching is the process of creating holes in metal workpieces by punching them in using specific machinery. Using metal sheets, the punching device will cut and punch desired shapes or holes on the flat surface of the metal. This can be done using CNC Turret Punch Machines for large scale fabrication. Smaller hand powered punching devices may be used for small scale fabrication.

Shearing

Shearing is a similar process to cutting. It involves removing unwanted material or excess metal material by trimming it in one long cut. One long straight cut is achieved by having two blades: One above the piece of metal and one below the metal. It is the perfect tool for cutting smaller lengths or different shape materials as the as the blades are able to be mounted at angles.

Stamping

Another fabrication process that is common and similar to punching. Unlike punching, Stamping will create an indentation as opposed to punching a hole in the metal. Stamping is done to create letters, shapes or images into a sheet of metal. Stamping machines are often used for coining and four slide forming.

Welding

Welding is probably the most popular fabrication procedure used. Welding involves joining multiple pieces metal together through heat and pressure. The welding process can be used for different types of metal to create any shapes and sizes. The most popular types of welding are MIG and TIG welding, stick or arc welding and spot and stud welding.

MIG (Metal Inert Gas) Welding and TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) Welding are two of the most common welding procedures we use at FEM for many of our fabrication projects for all industry needs including the construction industry.

Machining

Machining is the process of removing unwanted material from the metal by shaping it. This is commonly done using CNC Machining to ensure the measurements are precise.

Find out more about or machining service and process offered at FEM.

 

Types of Fabrication of Steel Structures

The structural steel fabrication process begins with the ideation stage. Before the physical labour of fabrication begins, our skilled fabricators will design the structure using specialist software. The design process involves factoring in the requirements, measurements and regulations and compliances needed for the fabrication.

Once the design is finalised the steel metal will involve:

• Cutting
• Forming
• Welding

Once the fabrication processes have been performed the steel structure can be assembled and become operational.

If you would like to know about the structure steel fabrication process, you can find out more here.

If you would like to find out more information regarding a fabrication project or a bespoke fabrication project, you can contact us where are team will be happy to help.