Precision metal fabrication is becoming an increasingly specialized industry. Greater demands for smaller and more precise applications require that engineers seek out new forms of fabrication technology to meet the growing needs of consumers and manufacturers.

There are currently six main precision metal fabrication techniques used today.

High-speed computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling is a computer assisted process that utilizes specially designed cutting tools and dies to alter the flat surface of sheet metal.CNC machining is perfect for intricate parts but it can be time consuming and is less cost-effective than fabrication processes like casting or molding. This is a popular form of precision metal fabrication, but is not suited for mass production products that needs to be completed quickly.

Metal-injection molding (MIM) begins by mixing small metal particles with a viscous binding agent. The solution is then injected into precisely formed molds to create mass quantities of intricate, solid construction parts. The parts are usually passed through a sintering oven that shrinks and hardens the parts.

Precision metal stamping can be performed with nearly any metal alloy and produces miniature metal parts for a wide variety of applications. The metal is forced over a set of dies, molds, or tools. The resulting miniature parts are complex and solid in construction.

Screw machining or Swiss screw machining often produces cylindrical parts. Tight-fitting, seamless connections that are ideal for electrical conduction are produced by screw machining. The process runs nearly automatically with little human intervention or supervision and can be used in conjunction with CNC machining.

Photochemical etching places a photographic blank over the sheet metal and passes a chemical substance over the blank to corrode precise areas of the metal. This creates a replica relief of the blank. The process is fast and relatively inexpensive.

Electrical-discharge machining (EDM) uses an electrical arc to erode the metal in precise places. A tightly stretched wire that passes through the metal at designated angles produces the electric arc. This is a highly adaptive and flexible procedure and is less expensive than CNC processing while producing complex patterns and three-dimensional parts.

Determining the precision metal fabrication process that is right for each production application depends on the desired number of parts produced, the speed at which the order must filled, the level of precision required, the number of man-hours available for the production process, as well as the set up and machinery budget allowed for the production process.

As new technology becomes available, the goal is to increase productivity and precision while keeping production costs down. Highly specialized processes may have little use in the mainstream production industry, especially if set-up costs are high. The ideal precision metal fabrication process is quick, exact, automated, easy to set-up and is performed in a cost-effective manner.