Metal fabrication shapes the material through mechanical or manual processes like robotics, laser cutting, welding, and grinding. Fabricators cut, bend, and assemble metal pieces to create a variety of objects, including everyday items like electrical components, auto parts, and jewelry. However, they also form substantial structures like building supports and even large-scale works of art, including Cloud Gate — better known as The Bean — in Chicago.

Metal Fabrication’s Role in Creating The Bean

The Bean, which received its nickname due to its shape, is a sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park that measures 66 feet by 33 feet and was dedicated in 2006. It is the product of a collaboration between an artist and more than 100 metal fabrication workers, including cutters, engineers, ironworkers, and erectors. Sculptor Anish Kapoor envisioned the project as an ethereal floating cloud that resembles liquid mercury.

The Building of the Sculpture

Two metal fabrication companies were tasked with constructing the sculpture. Curved, stainless steel plates in various shapes were created to form the reflective shell, with pieces averaging 7 feet wide and 11 feet long and weighing as much as 1,500 pounds.

The plates were pressed on a three-dimensional roller built specifically for the project to create the necessary curves. The pieces were shipped to Chicago, where they were stitch-welded onto a riblike support structure. It took more than five years for a team of skilled metal fabricators to finish the work of art.

The welders at C & C Machine in La Crosse, WI, specialize in metal fabrication and will provide the components you need for any sized project. To schedule a consultation with their sales manager, Tom Morehouse, call (608) 784-4427. Visit their website for more information about their work, including portable welding and CNC machine services, and follow them on Twitter for insight from the machine shop.