METAL FABRICATION

What it takes to design, quote, and build custom fabricated parts and assemblies.

How to Know If Your Part Needs Custom Fabrication vs. Off-the-Shelf Components

One of the most common decisions engineers and product designers face is whether to specify an off-the-shelf (COTS) component or invest in custom metal fabrication. While stock parts offer immediate availability and lower unit costs at low volumes, custom fabrication provides exact specifications and optimized performance.

Evaluating Tolerances and Fit

Stock components are manufactured to general tolerances that suit a wide range of applications. If your assembly requires tight tolerances to function correctly, modifying a stock part often introduces more variability and cost than fabricating it from scratch. Custom fabrication ensures the part is designed specifically for your assembly's tolerance stack-up from day one.

Material Requirements

Off-the-shelf brackets, enclosures, and structural members are typically available in mild steel, 304 stainless, or 5052 aluminum. If your application demands specific corrosion resistance, weight reduction, or thermal properties requiring specialty alloys (like 316L stainless, chromoly, or specific aluminum tempers), custom fabrication is usually the only viable path.

Volume and Cost Tradeoffs

For prototypes and runs under 50 units, modifying COTS parts might seem economical. However, as volume scales, the labor cost of secondary operations (drilling new holes, cutting to size, re-finishing) quickly outpaces the setup costs of custom fabrication. A custom part designed for manufacturability can drastically reduce assembly time and overall unit cost at scale.

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