Metal fabrication is one of the most important industries in the world today. Without welders and metal fabricators, it would be impossible for us to build houses, commercial buildings, roads, and bridges. Metal fabrication is also needed in the manufacturing of various products we use in our daily lives. While most of us don’t give it a second thought, metal fabrication is actually a fascinating subject. To provide this to you, here are six interesting facts about metal fabrication.
Welding Underwater & Welding History
1. If not for Earth’s atmosphere, two pieces of uncoated metal would bond together when they touched each other. However, because of the composition of our atmosphere, a layer of oxidised material always gets in between the metal pieces, preventing them from fusing together.
2. Believe it or not, the process of welding metal together has been around for thousands of years. In fact, the earliest incarnation of metal fabrication dates back to as early as 3,500 BC as early welding tools and images have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs.
3. There are two major welding methods: wet and dry, both of which can be performed underwater. The deepest dry weld ever done underwater was made in 1990, at a record 1,075 feet or almost 328 metres. The record for a wet weld, meanwhile, goes to the US Navy, who welded at a depth of 2,000ft or almost 610m in 2005.
Welding in Space & Burj Khalifa
4. More than 50% of all the products we use every day are made through metal fabrication or some form of welding. These products include computers, mobile phones, boats, aircraft, and cutlery to name a few.
5. The Russians were the first people to attempt metal fabrication in space. In 1969, Cosmonauts tried to weld metals outside our planet, providing the groundwork for experiments and technology that made it possible for us to build a space station later on.
6. It’s amazing how metal fabrication grew from what was it before. Thanks to advancements in the industry, the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was constructed using just over half the amount of steel used in the construction of the Empire State Building.
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