Construction is Australia’s third largest industry, providing work for over 1.15 million people and the industry is continuously growing as the years come. There are many challenges that Australian construction companies are currently facing in the industry. Some of the challenges consist of the industry trailing behind when adopting new innovations and technologies as well as the productivity in comparison to other industries. Light Gauge Steel framing is an upcoming construction method that aids these challenges in the construction industry. Contrary to common belief, Light Gauge Steel is a reliable source of construction for structural walls, floor joists and roof trusses that provides a non-combustible benefit during all stages of the construction lifecycle.
What is Light Gauge Steel Framing?
Light Gauge Steel, which is also known as cold-formed steel, is a steel that is manufactured using a cold-form processing technique. The process begins with the production of raw steel, that is mixed with iron ore and steel scrap with small amounts of carbon using a furnace, just like normal steels are made. The next part of the process is reducing the steel to thinner strips, namely ‘hot band’. The hot band is then reduced to thinner strips which gives the quality of cold-formed steel. A protective layer is added for the galvanisation process and a ‘coil’ is produced.
The name ‘cold’-form comes from the fact that the light gauge steel can be easily penetrated where required without using heated techniques, i.e., the steel can be easily punctured and modified as required on site.
Who can benefit from Cold-Formed Steel?
Light Gauge Steel offers another option to the Australian market that is pre-dominantly reliant on timber framing. Since the timber crisis in Australia, we know that our reliability of a single resource for framing is a weakness in the market and put many builds to a stop because of fluctuating prices due to market demand. If you are a builder around Australia that is interested in innovation, faster processes, and build consistency then cold-form steel is an option worthy of looking into. The benefits do not only stop at builders, but light gauge steel also offers a level of flexibility never seen before by former framing techniques. It’s high strength-to-weight ratio allows architects to utilise long spans and features that is becoming a modern-day practice. The limitations of the materials capability and the ease of fabricating and designing gives a whole new world of opportunities when it comes to constructing buildings.
What’s the process of Light Gauge Steel Framing
Light Gauge Steel Framing is a process of simple steps that reduces the time frame of raising frames of structures significantly. The first step consists of a Light Gauge Steel Fabricator that follows architecture drawings and designs the house frame using a software that specialises in Light Gauge Steel design. The design includes the wall frame, windows, doors, joists, roof structure and trusses. The design is then reviewed and sent off to a factory that prints out the whole structure, all punctures required are also made. The structure is fabricated within the factory and stored. Once the whole structure is complete, a nominated truck is utilised to send the completed walls, roofs, and joists on-site where the frame is built like Legos based on the plan that numbers each wall, truss, and joist. The build is simple and easy, and an average house takes 1-2 days to fully build.