Fabrication Foundations

What gets CNC-machined in a fire-fabrication shop and what stays manual?

CNC is reserved for parts where dimensional tolerance is non-negotiable: fire-pump impellers, deluge valve internals, foam-nozzle orifices, and the apparatus pump-housing castings that get machined after sand-casting. Sprinkler pipe, hangers, brackets, and chassis members stay in the manual or semi-automated cells — cut, bevel, fit, weld. Rule of thumb: if a 0.005-inch deviation would change the flow rate or seal integrity, it goes on a CNC mill.

Related questions

• Should fire-protection brackets and apparatus panels be laser-cut or waterjet-cut?
• What does structural welding mean for fire-protection work and which AWS code applies?