The metal fabrication industry has an important role to play in the modern world. The stainless steel handrails are a good example of products that come from this industry.

Unfortunately, the processes used to fabricate metals are known to have a negative impact on the environment and on the safety of workers who facilitate these processes. This article provides a few ideas that can reduce the negative impact of the processes referred to. Apprentice metal fabricators should find this information useful.

Less Toxic Heat Treatment

Heat treatment is perhaps the heart of the metal fabrication process. Many times, the process of heat-treatment exposes metal fabricators to various toxic compounds. For example, nitriding is used to harden metals after fabrication. Cyanide salts are often used to create the baths used in this process.

If fabrication specialists are exposed to cyanide on a regular basis, they could easily become victims of cyanide poisoning.  In the same breath, the waste left behind after nitriding is likely to contain traces of cyanide. If such waste is not disposed of properly, it could end up in water bodies (e.g. artificial dams) that supply drinking water to nearby residential areas.

Replacing cyanide baths with chloride baths (for example) during heat treatment is likely to increase the safety of workers while reducing the negative environmental impact of metal fabrication.

Deionized Process Baths

Water is a common raw material for nearly all forms of metal fabrication. Availability of water allows for the preparation of process baths required for various fabrication processes (e.g. annealing). Water is also used to clean/rinse metals before, during or after fabrication.

Many fabrication specialists used ordinary tap water in their process baths. The problem with this is that tapped water often has a number of mineral impurities that are often left behind as sludge (waste) after the process bath. Deionized water is free of these mineral impurities. Using deionized water instead of tap water might reduce the total amount of waste generated during the metal fabrication process.

Metal Plating

The type of plating chosen for finished metal products can also make metal fabrication safer and less destructive to the environment. For example, hexavalent chromium is known to be a carcinogen and your workers may develop cancer-related complications upon long-term exposure. Hexavalent chromium can be substituted with trivalent chromium in a bid to improve the safety and the eco-friendliness of the fabrication exercise.

For more information on metal fabrication, talk to a professional.