Metal Fabrication

Z-Studios offers a standard of metal fabrication you won’t find anywhere else. We are not the biggest among fabricators, but we are unique in what we can do for your project. And we are fully equipped to handle even the largest design or installation.

Whatever your needs, whatever your vision, we’ll build it—to a standard of perfection that is truly exceptional.

Metal Fabrication is the process of manipulating metal from one state into another. There are several basic categories of metal fabrication, such as structural, architectural, ornamental, automotive/recreational, and artistic.

Waterjet Cutting

A water jet cutter is a tool capable of slicing into metal or other materials (such as granite) using a jet of water at high velocity and pressure, or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance. It is the preferred method when the materials being cut are sensitive to the high temperatures generated by other methods.

CAD Drawing

Computer-aided design (CAD) is the use of computer systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design. CAD software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve communications through documentation, and to create a database for manufacturing.

Metal Polishing

Polishing and buffing are finishing processes for smoothing a workpiece’s surface using an abrasive and a work wheel. Technically polishing refers to processes that use an abrasive that is glued to the work wheel, while buffing uses a loose abrasive applied to the work wheel. Polishing is a more aggressive process while buffing is less harsh, which leads to a smoother, brighter finish.

Brake Forming

A brake is a metalworking machine that allows the bending of sheet metal. A cornice brake only allows for simple bends and creases, while a box-and-pan brake also allows one to form box and pan shapes. It is also known as a bending machine or bending brake. The brake consists of a flat surface onto which the material is placed, and a clamping bar which will come down and hold the material firmly during the bend. The front, gate-like, plate of the machine is hinged and may be lifted, forcing the material extended over a straight edge to bend to follow the plate.

Welding

Choosing the right kind of welding is essential to efficiency in fabrication. Z-studios provides both MIG, and TIG welding services.

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding is a welding process in which an electric arc forms between a consumable wire electrode and the workpiece metal(s), which heats the workpiece metal(s), causing them to melt, and join. Along with the wire electrode, a shielding gas feeds through the welding gun, which shields the process from contaminants in the air.

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding, is an arc welding process that uses a nonconsumable tungsten electrode to produce the weld. The weld area is protected from atmospheric contamination by a shielding gas (usually an inert gas such as argon), and a filler metal is normally used, though some welds, known as autogenous welds, do not require it.

The process grants the operator greater control over the weld than competing processes such as shielded metal arc welding and gas metal arc welding, allowing for stronger, higher quality welds. However, TIG is comparatively more complex and difficult to master, and furthermore, it is significantly slower than most other welding techniques.

Metal Shearing

Shearing refers to a specific cutting process that produces straight line cuts to separate a piece of sheet metal. Most commonly, shearing is used to cut a sheet parallel to an existing edge which is held square, but angled cuts can be made as well. For this reason, shearing is primarily used to cut sheet stock into smaller sizes in preparation for other processes.