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Shaping by fabrication
Fabrication involves joining separate pieces of material by cutting joints or by using other components [components: The different elements that make up a system or device. ], such as screws, nails and adhesives, or by using heat processes such as soldering [soldering: joining two metal objects by melting a softer metal with a lower melting point between them - thus fusing the two surfaces or edges together. Soldering is a form of brazing ] or welding [welding: joining metals by melting and fusing the adjoining edges or surfaces ]. Fabrication processes can be either permanent or temporary. Temporary fabrications are designed to be easily taken apart.
Fabrication processes and when they might be used
| Process | Wood | Metal | Plastics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joints (permanent) | Wide range of different joints, used in conjunction with suitable adhesives | Usually only simple butt joints used, joined by welding or soldering | Usually only simple butt joints used, joined by glues or heat gun |
| Nails, pins (permanent) | Use nails if appearance is not important. Use panel pins for fixing thin plywood and MDF [MDF: Medium-density fibreboard - a type of engineered wood made of compressed wood and fibre particles held together with glue ] | Not used | Not used |
| Threaded fastenings (temporary) | Wood screws of various types used | Machine screws, self-tapping screws and nuts and bolts often used | Machine screws, self-tapping screws and nuts and bolts can be used |
| Heat processes (permanent) | Not used | Soldering, brazing [brazing: joining two metal objects by melting a third metal with a lower melting point between them - fusing the two surfaces or edges together. Originally used brass as the 'filler metal' ] and welding used on most metals | Some plastics can be welded using a heat gun which melts the plastic together |
| Rivets (permanent) | Not used | A useful way of joining: pop rivets [pop rivets: type of rivet which uses a special tool to expand the rivet on both sides of the material being joined ] mainly used | Rivets can be used to join plastics, but not usually used |
| Adhesives (permanent) | Usually used with wood joints, but not always | Some limited use, more in industry than in schools | Plastics often joined with adhesives which melt and fuse the material |
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