Regardless of the industry or application, perfection in a custom steel fab part is possible. But it requires a skilled steel fabrication company and the incorporation of key elements into your project to ensure your part stands up to its perfect ten rating.
Steven Smucker of Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabrication grew up in the steel fabrication industry. Today, as the company’s general manager, Steven is backed by a talented team with decades of experience in laser cutting and custom metal and steel fabrication.
Here are five critical elements that Smucker says are essential to creating the perfect steel fabrication part:
#1: Great Design
Quality manufactured parts—from tiny hinges for a gate to a large fan cover for an exhaust system—all start with great design. The right design delivers not only better part performance, quality, and durability, but also more efficient production and better pricing. And as you can imagine, the wrong design will take you down the path to poor part quality, longer production timelines, and more dollars spent.
When looking at steel fabrication companies, choose one with design capabilities. Mid-Atlantic Steel offers 3D CAD design services. Our in-house experts can assist with engineering a new part or rethinking an existing one. The result? A better product that meets specifications and is manufactured in the most cost-efficient way.
#2: The Right Material & Thickness
Choosing the right part material and thickness is another important element of any steel fabrication project. Your choice could be determined by different factors—part size or application, desired aesthetic, or production volume, to name a few.
Mid-Atlantic Steel Fab has capabilities in carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. We offer metal cutting services for both large and small runs. We can cut bar, pipe, and tube, and we handle a wide range of material thicknesses. From thin-gauge sheet metal to heavier structural plates.
#3: Laser Cutting
The cutting technology used for your steel fab part can make or break how well that part performs. Metal laser cutting is the most exact method of cutting a design—making it ideal for precise parts with tight tolerances. When laser cutting a part, you can be sure both quality and tolerance are met.
Our laser cutting services are designed to handle a wide range of cutting tasks over many applications. Through our laser cutting service system (TRUMPF TruLaser 3030), our team headquartered in Lancaster, PA, provides laser cutting services in PA to machine and steel fabrication shops throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
#4: Secondary Operations
Secondary machining operations—like precisions forming, hardware insertion, metal tapping, and welding—are essential to achieving a perfect part with ease of assembly. If you’re looking for a steel fabricator to support your manufacturing needs, choose one that can be a single source for all services, including secondary operations.
Through our CNC forming services, Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabrication can bend, mold, and shape materials to exact requirements and handle metal-forming projects of many scopes and sizes—from simple to challenging.
Our secondary machining operations can create many unique types of assemblies based on precise specifications and tolerances, and our welding services can accommodate single-part projects or high-volume runs.
#5: Quality Finish
Finally, when it comes to production of that perfect steel fab part, choose a quality finish. Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabrication offers quality finishes like powder coating, hot dip galvanized, anodizing, and zinc coating. We guarantee the ultimate protection and most attractive aesthetic for your part.
Connect with Steve or another member of the Mid-Atlantic Steel Fabrication team to request a quote. Or, ask any questions you have about our laser cutting services or metal cutting services in PA.