What Is the Fabrication Industry?

The fabrication industry is centered on manufacturing components that can be used to create larger machines and structures. Comprised of metal, plastic and wood fabrication, the fabrication industry can range from mining and lumber mills to chemical engineering and welding and fabrication. The main objective of the fabrication industry is to produce the components that can be assembled to create a larger finished component, building or machine. Seldom found in the global market place is a company that produces a finished product from start to finish. Today's manufacturing trends are comprised of smaller units being fabricated by one or several companies and assembled by another company.

Beginning with the mining of ore and minerals, the metal fabrication industry produces many grades of steel and alloy materials that can be assembled by welders and workers using blueprints as guides. The drafting of the blueprints are one of the most important and critical steps in the fabrication industry. Mechanical engineers produce findings that are translated into drawings and sketches by draftsmen and architects and ultimately created by workers who produce the final step in the fabrication industry. In the wood building fabrication industry, trees are cut in the initial steps of the industry by lumber cutters and then milled into usable lumber by mill operators and employees.

In the home fabrication industry, the milled and dried lumber is converted into houses and buildings by carpenters who follow the drawings and specifications set forth by architects. Other fabrication types, such as plastic, begin the fabrication process by mixing chemicals to produce a liquid plastic that is injected into molds to create critical components and parts for assembly. From computers to aircraft, plastic fabrication produces switches, handles and even chassis components to give structural strength and integrity to a wide array of machines and devices. Fabrication involves creating a finished product from a combination of smaller parts, all coming together at the hands of an experienced fabricator.

One group of fabricators who are most commonly associated with the fabrication industry are welders. From ship building to sky scraper fabrication, the welders are responsible for interpreting a blueprint drawing into an actual finished product. From the collection of raw materials to the completion of the final assembly, the fabrication process is responsible for many of the world's greatest artifacts. The Golden Gate Bridge, the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramids are all products of fabrication and a thriving industry of creators.