Metal fabrication is essential in making your metal products and components last long. It requires high skill, experience, and adherence to strict quality standards. A good metal fabricator has many tools that can handle different projects. Their equipment is also well-maintained to ensure a high-quality finish.
Customization
A custom metal fabrication is made directly to the customer’s specifications. This cuts out the middleman and saves on overhead costs. This also reduces production time and the chance of errors that come with multiple points in a supply chain. Complex designs are like VIP guests at a metal party, demanding special attention from skilled pros, unique equipment, and extra welding or bending steps. These factors can add up quickly, resulting in higher cost sheets. Labor and materials are the stars of a fabricated story, but other elements are crucial plot twists. Smart strategizing can help balance these elements, keeping costs low without sacrificing quality. This includes planning for efficiency, optimizing material selection, and participating in value engineering conversations.
Reliability
Reliability is an important part of the manufacturing process for several reasons. It allows companies to deliver a high quality product and reduce the risk of costly downtime for their customers. Additionally, reliable products are more likely to gain market share over those that experience frequent outages or problems.
Custom fabrication services use advanced tools and equipment to produce durable and quality products. These machines can handle many fabrication processes, including CNC tube cutting & bending, shearing, and stamping. Some can even perform secondary processing like deburring and powder coating. They can also choose the type of metal most appropriate for a specific application. For example, if a project is exposed to salt water, they can use stainless steel to resist corrosion and prolong the product’s life.
Flexibility
Custom fabrication can create exactly what you need. This can be helpful if you are trying to create an entirely new product or machine–or just a part to keep your existing machinery running. Sometimes, the parts needed to make a new product don’t exist! Fabricators can translate your CAD design into programming for the machines cutting, punching, or shaping the metal.
Local metal fabricators can work more closely with you and your team to ensure the final product meets your needs. This close collaboration also helps minimize mistakes and speed up production. Working with a local metal fabrication company can also help reduce overhead costs by removing the middleman from the production chain.
Efficiency
Metal fabricators must keep up with the high demand for customization and efficiency. This is achieved through innovative processes, advanced technology, and a high-end team of skilled workers.
In addition, many fabricators have cost-saving strategies to keep prices down for clients. These include reducing the amount of material used, using less precise measurements if they aren’t necessary, and choosing cheaper metals for certain parts. Other factors that impact costs are the price of raw materials, which can go up and down depending on market conditions. Labor costs also play a part in the total cost of production, as do energy expenses.
Safety
Safety is the number one priority for every full-service metal fabricator. While some workplaces regard OSHA safety standards as nuisances or examples of regulatory overreach, experienced fabricators know that keeping their employees safe is the best way to control costs, avoid delays, and maintain quality customer results.
Keeping safety in mind helps reduce accidents and injuries on the production floor. Everyone, from management to the newest employee, is responsible for following critical safety protocols on the fabrication shop floor, especially around heavy machinery.
Taking precautions like wearing loose clothing, pulling back long hair, and removing jewelry can help prevent safety hazards around large equipment. Following proper material handling procedures can also reduce injuries. Providing extensive safety training and holding workers accountable for violating safety protocols can further boost the safety culture in metal fabrication shops.