Introduction
Within engineering and production, terms like fabrication and manufacturing are often used interchangeably. While they are related processes, they technically refer to different procedures. This article explains the difference between sheet metal fabrication and manufacturing, and why understanding that distinction matters, particularly if you are involved in production planning or supplier selection.
What is Fabrication?
Fabrication is the process of transforming raw or semi-finished materials, primarily sheet metal, but also plastics, wood and composites, into components or sub-assemblies through controlled, repeatable processes. It typically follows CAD-based design and, in metal fabrication, involves machinery such as CNC punch presses, lasers and press brakes.
Typical fabrication operations include:
- CNC punching and laser cutting
- Press braking (bending)
- Welding and joining
- Insertion of fasteners or studs
- Surface finishing, for example powder coating
- Mechanical sub-assembly
At Unifabs, fabrication is at the heart of what we do. From simple brackets to complex enclosures and kiosks, our precision processes ensure every component and sub-assembly meets exact customer specifications, ready to be used in the assembly of complete products. Fabrication typically produces parts that will later be integrated into a finished product, whether as part of a larger assembly or a complete solution.
What is Manufacturing?
Manufacturing is complete process of making a market-ready product. It includes fabrication, but also covers:
- Sourcing and managing materials
- Integration of electrical, plastic or other non-metal parts
- Complete product assembly
- Testing, inspection and compliance
- Packaging and logistics
Manufacturing brings together multiple disciplines to turn designs into deliverable products. Fabricated components are typically one part of the wider manufacturing workflow, which ensures the final product is fully functional, tested and ready for use.
How Fabrication and Manufacturing Differ
While fabrication and manufacturing often work side by side, their roles are distinct. Fabrication focuses on producing parts, frames, brackets, enclosures and assemblies by cutting, forming and joining materials such as sheet metal or tube. Manufacturing takes this further by integrating those fabricated parts with plastics, electronics and other components to create a complete, functional product ready for use.
The processes also differ. Fabrication involves precision cutting, forming, welding, coating and sometimes light mechanical assembly to prepare parts for the next stage. Manufacturing adds tasks such as integrating electrical systems, installing non-metal components, carrying out final assembly, testing and packaging.
The outputs reflect this distinction. Fabrication delivers components and sub-assemblies such as panels, chassis or cabinets. Manufacturing delivers a finished, ready-to-use item.
To make this clearer, consider a real-world example Unifabs is experienced in: a retail self-service kiosk. Fabrication covers CNC punching and laser cutting sheet metal panels into components. Press braking forms the required bends, followed by welding and grinding to create the frame or casing. A powder-coated finish is then applied. At this stage, light assembly may take place, such as fitting fabricated brackets, aligning mounting points or partially assembling the product to streamline later production steps.
Manufacturing then takes over, integrating the touchscreen display, wiring the electronics, fitting payment modules, running functional tests and packaging the completed kiosk for delivery.
Fabrication Scale and Flexibility
Although fabrication has often been associated with custom one-off or small-batch work, modern facilities like Unifabs support volumes from single units to multi-thousand-part orders, often matching the scale of full sheet metal fabrication and manufacturing projects. This flexibility allows fabrication to support both rapid development cycles and sustained, high-volume supply.
Why Sheet Metal Fabrication Still Matters
Fabrication remains vital to modern manufacturing, particularly in the UK where flexibility and precision are critical. It enables rapid prototyping, efficient design iteration, high levels of accuracy and quality control, reliable lead times, and strong visual and functional finishes.
Whether you are building a complete product or a single sub-assembly, in-house fabrication helps maintain consistency and control.
When to Use Fabrication in Manufacturing
Fabrication is well suited to a wide range of applications, including:
- Electrical enclosures
- Mounting brackets
- Cabinet frames and chassis
- Retail and industrial display units
- Welded box sections
- Fully finished metal products
Fabrication becomes even more valuable when it is delivered by the same supplier responsible for later assembly and integration. At Unifabs, this reduces delays, improves quality and simplifies communication and can even help lower production costs.
You can find real examples and sector insights on our Sectors We Serve page, and learn more about design and fabrication fundamentals in our Sheet Metal Fabrication FAQs and Design for Manufacture pages.
The Role of Fabrication in UK Manufacturing
In modern UK manufacturing, fabrication and manufacturing work hand in hand. Fabrication forms the structural and functional backbone of many products, particularly those made from sheet metal.
At Unifabs, our design-to-delivery service means we handle fabrication, assembly and product delivery under one roof. This allows us to support everything from one-off prototypes to full production runs with precision, speed and consistency.
We hope that this article has given you some insight the differences between fabrication and manufacturing. If you’re involved in production planning or selecting a supplier, understanding both is key. At Unifabs, we support projects from initial design through to final delivery, offering precision sheet metal fabrication alongside complete product assembly. Whether you need individual components, sub-assemblies, or fully finished products, our team can guide you on the best approach to bring your ideas to life efficiently and reliably. Explore our sheet metal fabrication services and manufacturing capabilities to see how we can support your next project from start to finish.
Everything you need to know about Sheet Metal Fabrication
Here is an overview of questions that we are most commonly asked.
Want to learn more?
Fabrication refers to producing parts or assemblies, often from metal, by cutting, shaping and joining materials. At Unifabs, this includes sheet metal processes such as laser cutting, bending, welding and coating.
Fabrication is the process of building parts or products from raw materials through forming, joining and finishing. In industrial settings, it usually refers to metal fabrication using CNC equipment and manual or robotic welding.
No. Fabrication is a subset of manufacturing. It involves creating the parts or sub-assemblies that go into a finished product. Manufacturing includes fabrication along with assembly, testing and logistics.
