There are various types of fabrication processes or techniques applied in modern production, choose the right metal fabrication method based on the material, tolerances, strength requirements, quantity, surface finish, and other factors. 

– Cutting: a basic fabrication process where the material is cut into smaller sections or parts. It can make the sheet metal into pieces of the required size and shape. The cutting process involves the use of different tools.

– Forming: a metal fabrication process that involves bending, distorting, or shaping metal to produce parts and components without losing its mass, and can be applied to various material forms, including sheets, plates, and others, to produce simple components to complex assemblies. 

– Forging: using the pressure from a hammer or die when it striking to the metal to shape it. Cold forging, warm forging, or hot forging are determined by the temperature. 

– Casting: pouring the molten metal into a mold or die and allowing it to cool and harden into the desired shape. It is suitable for mass production. There are die casting, vacuum casting, sand casting, and more types.

– Extrusion: the process of creating objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, the metal is pushed through a die of the desired cross-section. It can create very complex cross-sections and excellent surface finish. 

– Punching: employs specialized equipment and tooling to create holes, profiles, and forms in sheet metal or other flat materials. This process involves a punch press that drives a punch tool through the workpiece at high speed, forcing it against a die to cut out sections or create customized patterns. 

– Drawing: using the tensile force to pull metal into and through a die, a thinner shape is generally formed after the stretching. When the depth of the structure is equal to or greater than its radius, the process is considered a deep drawing. Drawing is a common way to produce wires.

– Welding: fuses materials, primarily metals, through the application of intense heat and pressure. Welding can be performed manually or with robotic assistance, depending on the project’s scale and intricacy. It serves as a fundamental step in metal fabrication, often employed as the final stage to unite components such as sheets, panels, bars, and custom shapes. 

– Shearing: also known as die cutting, is a method that cuts stock while not forming chips and does not involve burning and melting, it produces less waste and heat compared to cutting, but lacks precision. 

– Stamping: transforms flat metal sheets or coils into desired shapes using a stamping press equipped with specialized tools and dies. Stamping can be executed as a single-stage operation, where one press stroke produces the finished part, or through a series of stages for more complex shapes.