Working with metal can have temperamental moments. You simply cannot blast the heat or cut without giving consideration to the project as a whole. Metal is a pliable and temperamental material that can shapeshift with heat and thus ruining the whole project. Take a look at these metal grates for a custom built stone BBQ grill we helped fabricate.
Intricate Details Make Perfect Cuts
The metal slots on the grill had to be cut in a specific order to eliminate heat warp. When sheet metal is cut on the CNC plasma table it will try to draw towards the heat. Therefore, to help slow or mitigate that process, the order of the cuts in the grate becomes critical for accuracy of the cut.
The slots were cut left to right starting with the first slot of each section, then moving to the second slot of each section and so on.
This allowed the plate to cool enough between cuts that the warp never occurred. The bends put into the finished plates add strength to help keep them flat during use or the cooking, but it is optimized as a design feature to create a nice polished, distinguished finished look.
If you have a unique custom fabrication project, don’t trust your repairs or metal work to just anyone, be sure you are working with a knowledgeable and professional custom fabricator who will consider your project end to end.
