AFFORDABLE METAL INC.
HIALEAH, FLORIDA

Laser cutting services use industrial-grade lasers to cut metals, plastics, rubber, glass, stone, foam, and composite materials. Laser cutting is a CNC-controlled, non-contact, thermal process that provides quick, accurate cuts with a narrow kerf or cutting groove. Most laser cutting services use carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers or neodymium-doped, yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers. Both types of devices produce cuts by focusing a beam of monochromatic light on very small spot, typically less than 0.5 mm in diameter. Light from CO2 lasers is transmitted by mirrors or transmissive optics. Light from Nd:YAG lasers is transmitted by fiber optics, allowing for the three-dimensional cutting or trimming or parts. Once a zone of molten or vaporized material is created, a jet of assist gas is delivered co-axially through the cutting nozzle to eject the cut material from the kerf. The resulting cut is clean, square and distortion-free. Most laser cutting services offer short setup times and cutting that requires little or no finishing. Laser cutting services differ in terms of services offered. Examples include CAD/CAM support, design assistance, low or high volume production, and quality assurance. Computer aided design or drafting (CAD) is used to design products quickly and accurately. Computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is used to fabricate products directly from CAD outputs. Laser cutting services that provide design assistance can help with concepts, manufacturing costs, manufacturing techniques and material considerations such as sourcing. They may also be able to assist with upgrading, redesigning, reevaluating or modernizing existing products to increase performance and/or reduce manufacturing costs. Some laser cutting services specialize in low volume or high volume production. Others provide quality inspection reports or statistical process control data. Companies that specialize in cutting tubes and pipes, wires and rods, tapes and adhesives, films and sheets, or woven and knitted textiles are also available. Roll forming services create metal shapes with uniform cross-sections. Sheets, strips, coils, wires or foils are fed between successive pairs of rollers that progressively bend and form the metal until the desired shape and cross-section is obtained. The roll forming process adds strength and rigidity to ferrous metals, nonferrous metals, exotic metals and alloys, and composite materials. Roll forming services produce many different shapes. Roll-formed angled shapes are usually bent at a 90° degree angle. C-shapes and U-shapes are three-sided channels with ends that are rolled inward or unrolled, respectively. Hats are similar to C-shapes and U-shapes, but have ends that are rolled outward 90° to the sides. Round, rectangular, hexagonal and square tubes are similar to pipes, but have thinner walls. Other standard metal shapes include rings, S-shapes, and Z-shapes. Some roll forming services also provide specialized or custom shapes for specific applications. Material thickness, width, and diameter are important specifications to consider. Roll forming services perform several rolling processes. Cold rolling is performed below a metal's softening point in order to create strain and achieve work-hardening. Hot rolling occurs above the metal's softening point, but at temperatures which do not create strain hardening. Temper rolling subjects metal sheets and strips to a slight amount of cold rolling after annealing in order to prevent stretcher strains. Roll forming services also provide manufacturing capabilities such as bending or curving, corrugating, embossing, machining, notching, painting, powder coating, plating, press braking, slitting, and stamping. Punching produces holes before, during or after the roll forming process. Toll processing, tool making, and welding services are commonly available. Roll forming services that provide support and production services may offer assembly services, computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), prototyping, low volume or high volume production, just-in-time (JIT) capabilities, or packaging and shipping services. Sheet metal fabrication services providers manufacture components by cutting, bending, rolling, forming, stamping and welding sheet metal. Components manufactured through sheet metal fabrication services are used in a variety of applications such as enclosures, computer equipment, HVAC components, kitchen and sanitary equipment, machine tools and other industrial applications. Sheet metal fabrication services include a diverse range of processes used to fashion sheet metal into usable products. These processes may be broken down into three rough categories, cutting, forming, and finishing services. Sheet metal forming processes include those actions used fashion metal into specific shapes or semi-finished pieces. Common techniques include bending and forming, rolling, stamping, punching, welding, and hardware and fastener creation. Bending and forming processes are used to shape the sheet metal to its final shape. In the rolling process, a series of roll stands is used to progressively shape or bend a strip of flat-rolled metal to a desired cross section. Stamping is the process of impressing surface definition and three-dimensional designs onto materials with pressurized tools and dies. Punching is the process of punching holes in the sheet metal. Welding is the joining of metals and metal parts by melting and re-forming a metal bond between materials, with or without additional filler metal. Hardware and fastener creation is the capability to supply and integrate hardware such as handles, latches and threaded, self-clinching fasteners used to provide threads in sheet metal that is too thin or soft to be tapped. Providers of welding and fabrication services supply welding and structural fabrication for a variety of materials. These vendors also supply a selection of services including machining, CAD support, and field welding. Services, materials, and certifications or quality requirements are all important to consider when searching for suppliers of welding and fabrication services. Services offered by providers of welding and fabrication services include welding, machining, pressure vessel fabrication, CAD or CAM support, piping fabrication, and field welding.