Metal Fabrication: The Role of the Machine Shop versus the Fab Shop

In the metal fabrication industry, the role of the machine shop versus the fab shop is often confused by the casual observer. They both appear to produce parts from raw materials for use in various industry applications, but there is a distinct difference.

Fabrication shops perform metal preparation tasks such as welding, production, and assembly. The machining shop, however, does the intricate tasks necessary to create complex metal-based parts for industries.

The Role of the Fabrication Shop

The fabrication shop prepares raw materials for industrial applications. They may produce sheet metal blanks, weld together brackets, braces and ductwork, or combine production materials to produce general-use parts for an industry client.

Some fab shops can perform specialized duties such as powder coating, brazing, oven soldering, casting, powder metallurgy, drawing, heat treatments, extrusion, shearing, forging, hydro forming, plastic fabrication, punching, spinning, English wheeling, and welding.

Fab shops can add electrical and hydraulic components to complete specialized parts for a client.  These production procedures produce a more specialized product, but the finished parts are not often very complex.

In addition, fabrication shops may opt to hire specially trained employees, called engineers, to create prototypes, machine designs, and technical drawings. These services help a fab shop better meet the needs of its clients.

The Role of the Machining Shop

The machining shop may perform many of the duties of the fabrication shop mentioned earlier, but the focus of the machining shop is often the production of complex parts. Intricate dies, presses, and processes are required to produce the machining shop parts.

Metal lathes, drills, and milling machines are staple manufacturing machines in the machining shop. CNC machines are also a very popular fixture. A machinists works with parts that are cast, formed, heat -treated, cut, pressed, fused, stamped, shaped, or molded.

Machinists often begin a new parts creation process by creating the tools necessary to make the finished parts requested by a client. Specialized finishing treatments such as heat treating, chemical baths, or sandblasting are often required by the machine shop as well.

To the casual observer, the role of the machining shop and the fab shop may appear to be interchangeable in the metal fabrication industry. While the machining shop and the fabrication shop do have duties that overlap, the machining shop performs much more intricate and skilled work than the fabrication shop. Their roles are similar, but distinctly separate.