News

3 Ways to Ensure You Receive the Highest Quality Fabrication Services Possible

What Custom Manufacturing Means at Alloy Fabrication

Alloy Fabrication offers custom fabrication services to produce virtually any industrial steel product. This versatility is a result of our full range of in-house manufacturing capabilities which essentially allow us to work with more materials, more part sizes, and more complex/specialized design requirements.

What that means is we don’t simply produce standard parts or copies of products you can already find on the market. Rather, Alloy Fabrication considers your exact needs in design, dimensions, materials, and/or performance, then we quickly turn those specifications into real-world, American-made steel products.

An Overview of Modular Process Skids

Each custom modular process skid is engineered around the unique requirements of the specific process being carried out. Essentially, the finished product is a turnkey package of specialized equipment including fabricated tanks, valves, and associated piping systems – all designed and integrated for maximum transportability.

Modularity means that the skidded system can be disassembled to make transportation even easier. In certain applications, modular equipment can be easily swapped in and out for complex processes which do not allow a one-and-done equipment solution.

Process skids are sometimes referred to as “systems in a box” in reference to their fully integrated designs. A skidded system is often manufactured as an alternative to conventional stick-built processing equipment. In contrast, stick-built systems require separate pieces of equipment and components to be shipped and manually installed at each new job site, drastically complicating the setup process.

Aluminum TIG Welding Services Explained

TIG welding is more descriptively referred to as gas tungsten arc welding, or GTAW. This unique welding process is the preferred method for industrial fabrication projects involving thinner-gauge aluminum materials, as well as geometrically complex alloy parts such as custom joints, brackets, and structural assemblies.

TIG welding aluminum generally requires a higher skill level, more experience, and a more time-consuming process. However, compared to MIG welding services, TIG welding is capable of producing more highly-precise welds which are stronger and aesthetically superior.

Duplex Stainless Steel Metallurgy Explained

As mentioned above, duplex stainless steels exhibit a two-phase metallurgical microstructure with a nearly equal composition of austenite and ferrite material. This allows manufacturers to take advantage of the benefits of both metallurgical families while minimizing any drawbacks.

For example, elements such as chromium, molybdenum and nitrogen can be increased in concentration for applications which demand generally enhanced corrosion resistance (e.g. for the oil and gas processing industry), while nickel can be increased in concentration specifically for chloride pitting and corrosion (e.g. for water processing and desalination plants). 

Essentially, an optimal material solution can be achieved for a wide range of industrial fabrication projects through materials science and engineering.

The Advantages of Stainless Steel for Industrial Fabrication

Stainless steel is an iron-based alloy that is renowned for its high level of strength and durability, as well as its resistance to heat and corrosion.

The molecular composition varies depending on the grade, but all stainless steel grades contain at least 10.5% chromium and less than 1.2% carbon. These two properties are primarily what sets stainless grades apart from most other types of steel. The chromium creates an oxide film on the stainless steel surface which adds to the material’s toughness and corrosion resistance.

The Different Types of Industrial Tube Bending Services Explained

Roller Bending

As the name suggests, tubular roller bending machines utilize a series of drum rollers which precisely push the tube stock through a coil which is positioned at an exact bend angle. Most roll forming machines use a 3-roller or 4-roller configuration to accurately control the bending of the tube. Roll bending machines are also commonly used to process flat sheets for sheet metal fabrication projects.

What Is Powder Coating vs. Conventional Wet Paint?

Essentially, powder coating is the application of dry powder onto an electrostatically charged surface. The electrostatic adhesion creates a tougher, thicker surface coating than is possible with wet paint in a single application. Furthermore, the electrostatically charged powder provides much stronger adhesion than conventional paints, allowing custom powder coated parts to stand up to industrial wear, tear, and the test of time.

Steel Plate Rolling Compared to Other Metal Forming Services

What Is the Metal Rolling Process?

Roll forming is a process that uses a set of precisely placed rollers. A strip, sheet, or plate of metal is continuously fed into the rollers which perform incremental bending and reshaping by pressing against the material with extreme force. Generally, the rollers are mounted in sets on a consecutive stand with each roller completing one small step of the overall reshaping process.

Screw Conveyors for Efficient Material Handling in Battery Recycling Operations

Sometimes referred to as helix or auger conveyors, screw conveyors are highly efficient and extremely durable material handling systems. They utilize a large industrial-sized screw mechanism as a conveyor to separate and transport bulk products or raw materials. The relative simplicity of the screw construction offers higher reliability and less maintenance when compared to more complex conveyor systems.

Their versatility and reliability makes screw conveyors ideal for battery recyclers and related material handling operations.