Sheet Metal Fabrication
Fiber laser cutting, CNC bending, welding and finishing — from one prototype piece to production batches, with FAI and material certificates.
Get a QuoteSheet Metal, Cut and Finished in One Supply Chain
Sheet metal parts fail for predictable reasons: bend allowance calculated with the wrong K-factor, a laser kerf ignored in a hole pattern, a welded enclosure that distorts enough to break its own gasket. Our job is to catch those on the drawing rather than on the inspection report.
We run a 6kW fiber laser, a 100t / 3200mm press brake and in-house TIG and laser welding under one roof. Surface treatment — powder coating, e-coating, hot-dip galvanizing, brushing and blasting — runs through established partner factories that we have used for years, so the finishing is repeatable across reorders rather than a different shop each time.
Every job starts with a DFM review of your drawing against our actual machine envelope. You get the feedback back before material is cut, not as a surprise on the first article.
Send a drawing, get a manufacturable answer
DXF, DWG or PDF with material, thickness, bends, welds and finish. One working day for a DFM note.
Prototype to production in one place
Same equipment, same fixtures, same welders whether you order 1 piece or 1,000.
Documented, not assumed
FAI report on the first batch, EN 10204 3.1 mill certificates, 30-day quote validity.
From DXF to Finished Part: Seven Steps
1. DFM review
Drawing checked against machine envelope: sheet size, bend reach, hole-to-edge distances, radii, weld access. You receive the notes before we cut.
2. Fiber laser cutting
6kW fiber laser, nesting on 3000×1500mm sheets. Kerf compensation applied so hole patterns come out at nominal size, not laser-width undersize.
3. Deburring and edge break
Standard 0.3–0.5mm edge break on all sharp edges unless you call out something else. Included in the price of every part.
4. CNC press brake bending
100t / 3200mm press brake, ±1° repeatability. Bend sequence planned so earlier bends never block later tooling access.
5. Welding
TIG and laser welding in-house, with fixtures and a planned sequence to control distortion. Spot welding is arranged through a partner shop.
6. Surface finishing
Powder coating, e-coating, hot-dip galvanizing, brushing or blasting, all subcontracted to long-standing partners with consistent batch colour.
7. Inspection and documentation
FAI on the first batch, sampling on roughly 10% of production pieces, and material certificates issued with the shipment.
Materials and Laser Cutting Thickness
| Material | Common Grades | Max Thickness | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Steel | Q235 / S235JR, Q345 / S355JR | 20 mm | Best edge quality and speed; standard choice for structural brackets and frames. |
| Stainless Steel | 304 / 304L, 316 / 316L, 430 | 12 mm | Nitrogen assist for 316L to limit heat tint; expect a thin oxide band on non-assisted cuts. |
| Aluminium | 5052, 6061, 6082, 7075 | 10 mm | High reflectivity demands dedicated parameters; 7075 cuts faster than stainless but needs a clean surface. |
| Galvanized Sheet | SGCC, DX51D, zinc-coated mild steel | Review per job | Accepted, but the cut edge is bare — specify edge corrosion protection if the part sees moisture. |
| Copper & Brass | C11000 copper, C26000 / C36000 brass | Review per job | Cut with dedicated reflective parameters at lower throughput — send grade and thickness for a firm answer. |
| Perforated / Honeycomb | Expanded mesh, honeycomb core panels | Review per job | Handling and fixturing dominate cost; confirm pattern orientation and whether the web is kept or trimmed. |
Thicknesses above the standard range for a given material are accepted after DFM review — they are quoted per job rather than listed, because cut quality at the limit depends heavily on part geometry.
CNC Press Brake Bending
Machine and tolerance
| Press brake | 100 t / 3200 mm |
| Angle repeatability | ±1° |
| Max bend length | 3200 mm full width |
| Min flange height | ≈ 1× material thickness |
Bend allowance is where quotes differ
Developed length is not the sum of your flange dimensions. It depends on the K-factor, which depends on the bend radius and the material's yield strength. Get this wrong and every hole in the flat lands in the wrong place in the finished part. We calculate the flat pattern with the correct K-factor before the first bend, not by eye. See bend radius and bend allowance for the method and worked examples.
Bend sequence and tooling access
A part with a flange that blocks the tool on the second bend has to be re-ordered, and re-ordering costs more than the bend. We plan the sequence so every bend is reachable, and flag back any geometry that cannot be formed as drawn.
Welding for Sheet Metal Assemblies
TIG welding
In-house. The default for stainless and aluminium, where the weld has to carry both a hermetic seal and a cosmetic surface. Purged where stainless gas-tightness is required.
Laser welding
In-house. Low heat input, so distortion stays small on thin panels and battery trays — the parts where TIG would distort the whole part.
Spot & resistance welding
Arranged through a partner shop for flat panels where projection welding is the economical route. We handle the fixturing and inspection.
Distortion is a design problem, not a welding problem. Weld shrinkage pulls the part out of flat, and no amount of weld quality fixes a poor fixture. For welded enclosures that must still seal a gasket, tell us at quotation stage — the sequence and fixturing options change the cost noticeably. The mechanics are covered in welding distortion control.
Surface Finishing
All finishing is subcontracted to long-standing partner factories rather than done in-house. That is a deliberate choice: powder coating ovens, e-coat lines and galvanizing kettles are capital equipment we would rather rent at scale than under-utilize. The practical benefit for you is that a reorder two years later goes to the same line with the same process sheet.
Powder coating — RAL/ Pantone colour matching, textured and gloss, on steel and aluminium
E-coating — uniform thin film, good for uniform corrosion protection at low visual priority
Hot-dip galvanizing — for outdoor or wet environments; adds dimensional allowance for the zinc layer
Brushing & polishing — cosmetic grain direction for stainless covers and panels
Blasting & anodizing — via partner; anodizing is limited to aluminium and adds a dielectric layer
Passivation — for stainless parts in contact with food, medical or chemical environments
Drawings That Come Back Cheaper
Internal radius minimum
An inside corner sharper than the material thickness forces either a huge outside radius or a cracked weld. 1×t is the floor; 2×t to 3×t removes the constraint entirely.
Hole to edge distance
Keep holes at least one material thickness plus the bend radius from a bend line. Closer than that and the hole distorts or the edge tears during forming.
Bend it, don't machine it
A 3mm plate with a machined 5mm-deep boss costs more than the material. Ask whether the feature can be formed, or moved to a separate machined component.
Specify cosmetic faces
Mark the visible side and the grain or brush direction. Without it, the part can arrive with the finish on the wrong face and it becomes your problem, not ours.
The full rule set, with minimum values by material and thickness, is in the design guideline pages.
Quality Control and Documentation
FAI on first batch
Full first article inspection report before the batch ships.
10% in-process sampling
Sampled through production so drift is caught before the whole batch is finished.
EN 10204 3.1 certs
Mill certificates supplied with steel and aluminium material.
30-day quote validity
Pricing and drawing review hold for 30 days from quotation.
Tolerance: what the process can actually hold
| Feature | Achievable | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Laser cut profile | ±0.05mm | Thickness, cut length, heat input |
| Hole position | ±0.1mm | Sheet distortion from clamping and heat |
| Bend angle | ±1° | Material yield strength, spring-back |
| Flange length | ±0.5mm | Flat pattern calculation, tool wear |
| Welded assembly flatness | Per review | Weld size, sequence, fixturing — always discuss at RFQ stage |
Full tolerance discussion, including how surface treatment changes effective dimensions, is in tolerance and surface finish.
Typical Applications
Electronics enclosures
Chassis, mounting plates, blanking panels and 19-inch front panels in cold-rolled, aluminium and stainless.
Machine builders
Guard panels, access doors, base frames and covers where vibration and tolerance of assembly both matter.
Energy and electrical
Cabinet bodies, busbar supports and transformer lamination stacks, often galvanized for outdoor duty.
Appliances and hardware
Brackets, trays and fascia panels in stainless and pre-finished sheet, powder coated to colour.
Telecom and infrastructure
Cabinet shells, antenna mounts and pole hardware in hot-dip galvanized steel.
Prototype and pre-production
One-off fixtures, jigs and evaluation units — the reason most of our sheet metal work starts at one piece.
Sheet Metal Fabrication or Stamping?
These are different processes, not competing versions of the same one. Choosing wrong is the most common reason a sheet metal quote comes back higher than expected.
| Factor | Laser cut & bend (this page) | Progressive die stamping |
|---|---|---|
| Tooling cost | None | Die required, quoted separately |
| Economical volume | 1 to a few hundred | Above roughly 50–500 depending on complexity |
| Design change | Free — edit the DXF | New die |
| Repeatability | ±0.05mm class, checked by sampling | Tighter, part-to-part |
| Best for | Prototypes, low volume, evolving designs | High volume, flat simple shapes |
See our stamping service for the high-volume route or send your drawing and we will tell you which process fits.
Sheet Metal Fabrication FAQ
What is the minimum order quantity?
One piece. There is no tooling or setup fee that forces a batch, so prototypes and single replacement parts are quoted the same way as production runs. Above roughly 50 pieces the economics shift toward progressive die stamping, and we will tell you when your volume crosses that line.
How accurate is fiber laser cutting?
Standard cutting tolerance is ±0.05mm. ±0.02mm is achievable on favourable geometries — thin material, short cut length, clean part — and is quoted case by case rather than advertised as standard. Cut accuracy is not assembly accuracy: hole-to-hole position and hole-to-edge distance each carry their own tolerance, and bending adds its own angle variation.
Which materials can you cut?
Carbon steel to 20mm, stainless steel to 12mm and aluminium to 10mm on our 6kW fiber laser. Copper, brass and other high-reflectivity metals are cut with dedicated parameters at lower throughput — send material and thickness for review. Galvanized and pre-plated sheet is accepted, but the cut edge is bare, so edge corrosion protection has to be specified.
Can you bend, weld and finish as well as cut?
Yes. A 100t / 3200mm press brake handles bending to ±1°, TIG and laser welding are in-house, and powder coating, e-coating, hot-dip galvanizing, brushing and blasting run through established partner factories. Parts arrive assembled and finished, not as raw cut blanks.
How long does a part take?
Prototypes are 5–7 working days and production batches are typically 2–3 weeks from approved drawing. Finishing adds time: powder coating and e-coating each add roughly 3–5 working days, and galvanizing depends on the partner's queue. Lead time is quoted per part.
What documentation comes with the parts?
A first article inspection (FAI) report on the first batch, in-process sampling on roughly 10% of production pieces, and EN 10204 3.1 material certificates for steel and aluminium. Quote validity is 30 days.
Should I use fabrication or stamping?
Laser-cut-and-bend is right below roughly 50 to 500 pieces depending on complexity: no tooling cost and free design changes. Progressive die stamping wins above that once volume justifies the die. Stamped parts hold tighter repeatability across very long runs; laser-cut parts win on prototypes, low volume and iteration.
What do you need from me to quote?
A 2D drawing (DXF, DWG or PDF) with material, thickness, bend angles, weld details and finishing, plus the quantity split between prototype and production. A 3D STEP file alone is workable but slows quoting, because every bend line has to be inferred. Mark any datum-critical or cosmetic face and we return a DFM note within one working day.
Send a Drawing, Get a Manufacturable Quote
DXF, DWG or PDF with material, thickness and quantity. DFM feedback within one working day, quote valid 30 days.
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