Industrial companies and manufacturers rely on custom sheet metal fabrication when transforming sheet metal into a range of custom parts or products.
The custom sheet metal fabrication process can work with various materials, from low volume quality designs to mass production of sheet metal parts. In addition, it can be orchestrated to the exact customers’ specifications, allowing virtually any engineering marvel to come to fruition.
However, how does custom sheet metal fabrication work, and how do you know if you can conduct the sheet metal fabrication process in-house and under one roof or if you need a fabrication services provider? How does the answer to this question vary based on the material used, production volumes, or the assembly of the final sheet metal parts?
Generally speaking, an expert in custom metal fabrication services can provide detailed guidance on the process, from the design phase to the prototype to the production and assembly of detailed metal parts. In the meantime, it’s helpful to understand how the sheet metal fabrication process works from start to finish. This information will provide you with a clearer picture of what metal fabricators can accomplish and how they can support and enhance your business operations.
Table of Contents
How is Custom Metal Fabrication Different from Standard Metal Fabrication?
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrications
Design Phase and Production Phase
Choosing Sheet Metal Fabricators
Discover our Latest Achievements with Tatanka Racks
Learn More About Custom Sheet Metal Fabricators
What is Custom Metal Fabrication?
Custom metal fabrication is simply forming distinctive shapes and parts from varying sheet metal materials. This sounds like a basic explanation. However, the process is quite varied and is determined by a customer’s specifications for a given project.
Custom metal fabrication can include cutting, bending, welding, and finishing steps like applying powder coating or assembly. Therefore, the exact production steps required are based on customers’ needs. In addition, the custom sheet metal fabrication process also varies by the materials involved, as the machining or equipment required may differ for brass, copper, stainless steel, aluminum, or other metals.
All these factors combine to spell out how the production process will be orchestrated, and which tools will be capable of completing the customer’s project.
With custom metal fabrication, virtually any metal part can be formed, allowing businesses across all industries to create the exact products and features they require.
How is Custom Metal Fabrication Different from Standard Metal Fabrication?
Custom metal fabrication and standard metal fabrication are two terms that are often used interchangeably, but there is a big difference between these two production processes.
Standard Metal Fabrication
As the name implies, standard metal fabrication is inherently a more fundamental process, and it uses a suite of templates to turn sheet metal into varying but pre-determined shapes. Standard metal fabrication is best suited for projects with typical or generalized applications, and there is often a range of pre-designed options widely used in various industries. Examples include forming stainless steel parts for commonly found applications in the automotive industry. This can also include creating simple but fabricated parts of aluminum or other metal materials used in home features, like the roof, windows, or gutters.
In the standard metal fabrication process, metal fabricators provide a template or a prototype of the eventual fabricated sheet metal part to the customer, which other customers have commonly used in various industries.
This serves as a quick snapshot of the eventual sheet metal product, and once approved, the supplier or metal fabricator then conducts the metal fabrication production process based on these standard specifications. The results are durable and quality products that meet the customer’s specifications but do not have custom features designed for a business’s distinctive engineering needs.
It should also be noted that while the standard sheet metal fabrication process can align with most used metals and materials, special tools or capabilities may be required for more challenging metals like aluminum, copper, and brass.
Custom Metal Fabrication
Custom metal fabrication is different than the standard sheet metal fabrication process, as customers can create sheet metal parts based on their own distinctive designs.
In custom sheet metal fabrication, the customers set the tone of the project and supply their design or specifications to the metal fabricator or supplier, who creates quality products based on these exact specifications.
Like standard sheet metal fabrication, almost all materials and metals can undergo the metal fabrication process. This includes stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and other common materials found in the production of sheet metal parts across all industries. The main difference is the research, expertise, engineering, and tools the fabrication services supplier provides to allow the customers’ vision to come to life.
Every element of the custom sheet metal fabrication process is tailored to the customers’ needs. Everything from the initial prototype to the assembly to additional steps like welding or applying powder coating. (The best fabrication services providers can tackle every step of the production process under one roof so that customers only require one supplier to complete a project.)
Results with Custom Metal Fabrication
The result is a fully formed and quality product designed for a single business, which can be used for products that are truly one-of-a-kind.
Furthermore, many customers believe custom sheet metal fabrication is only suited for low volume projects with more complex materials like aluminum or copper. However, modern sheet metal fabrication services providers can handle even the most significant and most custom projects with virtually any material.
Best of all, with technological advances in every step of the production process, custom metal fabrication services are surprisingly affordable. From the tools utilized to conduct sheet metal fabrication to the engineering of intricate designs, costs remain reasonable regardless of the project’s specifications.
Custom Sheet Metal Fabrications – What They Do and How the Process Works
Most manufacturing companies partner with a metal fabrication services provider or custom metal fabricator when they need to create one unit or thousands of units of varying sheet metal parts or products. This is because custom metal fabrication service providers are cost-effective, efficient, and have the capabilities to create exact metal designs under one roof. Alternatively, you could find a supplier for individual aspects of the process, such as welding or assembly. However, purchasing all the equipment and tools in-house is often too costly and labor intensive for customers to take on.
The way that the custom metal fabrication process works varies by the customers’ exact needs and specifications. However, the production process generally entails the following.
Design Phase
The first step is creating the initial design of the formed metal or other material part, which the supplier or the customer can make. In our modern era, computer aided design (CAD) software is the preferred method for most custom metal fabricators. As a result, these metal fabrication service providers utilize advanced technology, including computer numerical control (CNC) machines, to cut, bend, punch, and fabricate metals and materials of all varieties.
Once the design is set, metal fabricators provide a prototype or a quick snapshot of the result. Therefore, customers can review the fabricated part or product for quality and ensure it meets all specifications. (This is especially essential if eventual finishing or assembly is required, as it’s imperative that the custom sheet metal parts meet all engineering specifications to work together.)
Production Phase
Once the prototype or a quick snapshot of the design has been reviewed for quality and approved, the metal fabrication services provider can begin the sheet metal fabrication process. Based on the customer’s specifications and timeline, a low volume production run may be conducted first, to ensure the sheet metal materials are crafted to exact specifications.
Sheet metal fabricators have numerous tools and capabilities for the production phase. The best sheet metal fabricators utilize the latest technology to ensure a smooth production process from start to finish. This includes CAD software, laser metal cutting machines and/or plasma metal cutting machines, highly skilled engineering experts and technicians, and state-of-the-art facilities.
For example, let’s say that a customer in the automotive industry wants to create a highly specialized and quality stainless steel part for their newest vehicle. The automotive engineering team and the metal fabrication services provider will partner on the design via CAD software. Furthermore, they will feed these precise sets of cuts, bends, punching, or other stainless steel sheet metal applications to a laser cutting or other metal cutting machine.
The metal cutting machine then uses computer numerical control to follow the instructions exactly, transforming each sheet of stainless steel into the eventual steel part. This process is repeated again and again, utilizing as many sheets of stainless steel as required until the entire production run of the stainless steel parts is complete.
The key in the above example of creating a stainless steel part (or a part that’s made of any kind of material) is automatization.
Design and Production Phase
Even though the custom metal fabrication services provider is potentially creating thousands of stainless steel parts, each steel part is the same, as the process never varies from the first piece of steel sheet metal to the last.
Because of this, there is no variation from one steel part to the next, and every steel part is of perfect quality. As such, the automotive manufacturer can ensure a smooth assembly with the fabricated metal parts. Therefore, it does not have to worry about a delay in production or a lack of quality, thanks to the metal fabricator’s automated and highly advanced capabilities.
The final phase – finishing touches and assembly
Once the initial sheet metal fabrication process is complete, finishing touches can be made, often under one roof, provided that the metal fabrication services provider has the capabilities and custom materials required. These final steps can include applying a powder coating or other material, assembling fabricated parts, welding, or other production processes, depending on the custom metal supplier’s available tools and capabilities.
This final phase is optional as well. If preferred, the metal fabricator can simply ship the fabricated parts or products back to the business, which can conduct assembly or final touches as needed. Because custom metal fabricators work one-on-one with every customer, the exact steps of the production process can be pre-determined based on the customer’s distinctive needs.
Choosing Sheet Metal Fabricators– Factors to Consider
There are many options for sheet metal fabricators, so before you begin a partnership, be on the lookout for the following qualifications.
- Capabilities – The best sheet metal fabricators utilize the best technology to ensure quality results for every project.
- Versatility – Some sheet metal fabricators can only work with a specific type of metal or material. You want to ensure your sheet metal fabricator has the capabilities to tackle virtually every type of material, especially if you expect to use them as a partner for more than one project.
- Production time – Even with shipping or working with an unusual material or design, you want to ensure that your sheet metal fabricator can complete your project within a designated timeframe.
- Customer support – Exceptional sheet metal fabricators are constantly available to answer questions and provide customer support from the first step of the production process to the last.
- Cost – Custom sheet metal fabricators should be adept at handling any kind of material or project in a cost-effective manner. Be sure to discuss the cost of production projects before you get begin.
- Quality – Custom sheet metal fabricators that utilize the most advanced machinery and tools available and rely on automation provide the best quality results for every project.
Discover Our Latest Achievements with Tatanka Racks
At Steelway Laser Cutting, we specialize in custom metal fabrication, bringing our clients’ unique visions to life with precision and expertise. Our state-of-the-art laser cutting technology, combined with our skilled team, allows us to handle a wide range of projects, from intricate designs to large-scale production. We work closely with our clients throughout the entire process, ensuring that every detail is perfect. Our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction is evident in every piece we create, making us the go-to provider for all custom metal fabrication needs.
Take a look at one of our recent projects
Recently, we had the pleasure of collaborating with Tatanka Racks on an innovative storage system. When they approached us with their initial designs, we eagerly engaged in a collaborative process to refine and protect every aspect of the project. Using our advanced laser cutting, CNC forming, and powder coating capabilities, we transformed 12ga hot-rolled steel into durable and functional storage solution. The final product not only met but exceeded Tatanka Racks’ high standards, showcasing our dedication or precision and quality in custom metal fabrication.
Learn More About the Services that Custom Sheet Metal Fabricators Can Provide
At Steelway Laser Cutting, we have the capabilities, expertise, quality control, and technology to complete every custom sheet metal fabrication project.
From low volume orders to the mass production of highly intricate designs, we can work with any type of material and consistently produce the best quality results time after time for every client and every project.
Reach out to us today. Learn more about our custom sheet metal fabrication services in Pennsylvania and beyond. Together, you can start a partnership with an expert in every aspect of the metal fabrication process. With Steelway Laser Cutting as a resource, you have the freedom to make any manufacturing project or design come to vivid life.
Ready to start your next project?