Metal parts made to your drawing in Rockford
Send your drawing and the quantity. An estimator who has run the machines prices it and replies within one business day, with a ship date you can plan around. ISO 9001:2015 registered since 2009.
Mounting plate, 8 × 5 in
Mild steel, 11 ga (0.120 in), 100 pieces
- Price per part
- $3.08
- Order total
- $308.28
- Ships in
- 4 business days
- Fiber laser bed
- 144 × 60 in, up to 1 in steel
- Largest press brake
- 250 tons, 14 ft
- Tube laser
- 24 ft profiles
- 5-axis mill
- 30 × 20 × 20 in travels
What we do in house, and what goes out
A bracket that needs cutting, bending, a weld and a tapped hole is made here from start to finish. Only plating, powder coat and paint go to a partner shop.
Laser cutting
Two fiber lasers take sheet and plate up to 12 × 5 ft, and the tube laser takes profiles up to 24 ft long. Cut edges go straight to the brake or the welder with no grinding.
- Thickness
- up to 1 in mild steel
- Cut features
- ±0.005 in
Press-brake forming
Four CNC brakes from 60 to 250 tons, the largest with a 14 ft bed. The brake software checks each bend sequence before the first piece is bent, and the hardware press sets PEM nuts and studs on the same visit.
- Bend angles
- ±1°
- Longest bend
- 14 ft
Welding and fabrication
Repeat assemblies go to the robot cell. Everything else is welded by hand in four MIG bays and two TIG stations, on fixtures we build here. Welders are certified to AWS D1.1 and D1.3.
- Welded assemblies
- ±0.030 in
CNC milling and turning
A five-axis mill, two three-axis mills and two lathes, one with live tooling. They make machined parts, and they also cut the bores and faces a weldment needs after welding.
- Machined features
- ±0.001 in
- On request
- ±0.0005 in
- Bar stock
- up to 2.6 in
Finishing through partners
Powder coat, zinc plate, anodizing and paint are done by finishing shops a few miles away. Their parts come back here for inspection before they ship to you. Deburring and graining are done in house.
What happens to your part
From the drawing you upload to the box on your dock, in the order it runs through the shop.
1 of 8: You send a drawing
You send a drawing
Upload a STEP, DXF or PDF with the quantity you need. An estimator reads it and a priced quote comes back within one business day.
We program and nest it
Your part is laid out on the sheet next to other orders so as little steel as possible ends up as scrap. The bend sequence is simulated before anything is cut.
Laser cut
The 6 kW fiber laser cuts the outline, holes and slots in one pass. Edges come off clean enough to bend or weld without grinding.
Formed on the press brake
The flange is bent in the order the simulation set. The first piece is measured against your drawing before the rest of the order runs.
Welded
The gusset is clamped in a fixture and welded by a certified welder, or in the robot cell when the order repeats.
Finished
Powder coat, plating or paint is done by a finishing partner a few miles away. Deburring and graining are done here before the parts leave.
Inspected
Critical dimensions are checked against your drawing and written down. A first-article report is yours on request.
Packed and shipped
Parts are packed so the finish arrives unmarked, with the packing list and material certificates, on the ship date we gave you.
The equipment, and whether your part fits
Every machine on the floor with its work envelope and capacity. Type your part's size to see which machines can take it.
15 machines
| Machine | Process | Work envelope | Capacity | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber laser, 6 kW, with load and unload tower | Laser | 144 × 60 in sheet | 1 in mild steel, 3/4 in stainless, 1/2 in aluminum | 1 |
| Fiber laser, 4 kW | Laser | 120 × 60 in sheet | 5/8 in mild steel, 1/2 in stainless, 3/8 in aluminum | 1 |
| Tube laser, 3 kW | Laser | 24 ft tube, 6 in round or square | Round, square, rectangular and open profiles | 1 |
| CNC press brake, 6-axis backgauge | Forming | 14 ft bend length | 250 tons | 1 |
| CNC press brake | Forming | 10 ft bend length | 135 tons | 2 |
| Electric press brake | Forming | 6 ft bend length | 60 tons, small parts at high repeat | 1 |
| Hardware insertion press | Forming | 18 in throat | Self-clinching nuts, studs and standoffs | 1 |
| Robotic MIG cell, two-station positioner | Welding | 96 × 48 × 36 in per station | Steel and stainless, repeat assemblies | 1 |
| Pulsed MIG weld bay | Welding | 120 × 60 in fixture table | Steel, stainless, aluminum; AWS D1.1 and D1.3 | 4 |
| TIG weld station | Welding | 72 × 36 in table | Stainless and aluminum, thin wall | 2 |
| 5-axis vertical machining center | Milling | 30 × 20 × 20 in travels | 12,000 rpm, trunnion table | 1 |
| 3-axis vertical machining center | Milling | 40 × 20 × 25 in travels | 10,000 rpm, 4th-axis rotary | 2 |
| CNC lathe with bar feeder | Turning | 10.5 in swing, 20 in turning length | 2.6 in bar capacity | 1 |
| CNC lathe, live tooling and Y-axis | Turning | 14 in swing, 24 in turning length | Turn and mill in one setup | 1 |
| Coordinate measuring machine | Inspection | 40 × 28 × 24 in | First-article and in-process checks | 1 |
Materials we stock and the tolerances we hold
Common grades are on the rack, so most orders start the day the quote is accepted. Anything else is ordered from mills and service centers we buy from every week.
Materials
| Material | Grades | Thickness |
|---|---|---|
| Mild steel | A36, A1011, A1008 | 24 ga to 1 in |
| Stainless steel | 304, 316 | 24 ga to 3/4 in |
| Aluminum | 5052, 6061 | 0.040 to 1/2 in |
| Galvanized and galvanneal | G90, A60 | 24 ga to 10 ga |
| Abrasion-resistant plate | AR400, AR500 | 3/16 to 1/2 in |
| Bar stock for machining | 1018, 4140, 303, 6061, brass 360 | Up to 2.6 in bar |
Standard tolerances
| Feature | Tolerance |
|---|---|
| Laser-cut features | ±0.005 in |
| Hole to hole, same flat | ±0.005 in |
| Formed dimensions | ±0.010 in |
| Bend angles | ±1° |
| Welded assemblies | ±0.030 in |
| Machined features | ±0.001 in (±0.0005 in on request) |
When a drawing calls for tighter, mark it and the estimator prices the inspection it needs.
Certificates, and the checks on every order
Supplier quality teams ask for the certificates first. The checks happen on every order, whether or not the drawing asks for them.
- ISO 9001:2015
- Registered since 2009 and audited every year. The certificate comes in the supplier packet.
- AWS D1.1 and D1.3
- Current welder certifications for structural and sheet steel. Procedures and welder records come with the job when the drawing calls for them.
- AS9102 first article
- A first-article report on any new part number, in AS9102 format or on your own form.
- Mill certificates
- Kept for every heat of material. The packing list ties each part number to its heat number.
An estimator reads your drawing
Our estimators have all run the machines. If a bend radius or a tolerance will cost more than it needs to, they call you before they price it.
The first piece is measured
On every new setup an inspector checks the first part against your drawing and signs it off before the rest of the order runs.
The ship date is in writing
It is on the order acknowledgment. If anything moves it, you hear from us that day, with the new date.
Industries we make parts for
Most of our work is production parts for equipment makers in the Midwest, from ten pieces to a few thousand a month.
Agricultural equipment
Hopper sides and shield brackets in 10 ga steel.
Food processing
Stainless 304 guards and chutes, welded and grained.
Truck bodies and trailers
Aluminum toolbox lids and fender brackets.
Electrical enclosures
Cabinet doors and back panels with PEM studs.
HVAC and air handling
Galvanized housings and duct transitions.
Material handling
Conveyor side frames and cart weldments.
Architectural metal
Stair stringers and perforated panels.
Machine builders
Machine bases, milled after welding.
Typical lead times
From an accepted quote and approved drawings to parts on the truck. Repeat parts with a standing order can ship faster.
| Laser-cut flat parts | 3–5 business days |
|---|---|
| Cut and formed parts | 5–8 business days |
| Welded assemblies | 10–15 business days |
| Machined parts | 7–12 business days |
| With finishing through a partner | add 4–6 business days |
Send a drawing or call the shop
Quotes go to the estimating desk. Visitors are welcome for a walk through the shop; call ahead so someone can show you around.
- Address
- 2150 Harlow Industrial Pkwy
Rockford, IL 61109 - Phone
- (815) 555-0148
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 6:00 am to 4:30 pm
- Dock
- Two dock doors and a drive-in door. Will-call pickup until 3:30 pm.
