Gauge Size Chart Mastery: Why 16ga Steel≠16ga Aluminum
If there is one system in manufacturing that I would love to abolish, it is the Gauge System. In my 30 years of managing sheet metal projects, I have seen more scrap parts and design failures caused by “Gauge Confusion” than almost any other factor. Here is the scenario: A junior designer specifies “16 Gauge” […]
How Much Does Metal Fabrication Cost?
One of the most common and frustrating questions we hear is, “Can you give me a ballpark price to make this?” The honest, and often unsatisfying, answer is: it’s complicated. Unlike a product on a shelf, a custom fabricated part has no sticker price. Its cost is the sum of every decision made, from the […]
How Much Does a 4×8 Sheet of Metal Cost?
Quick Answer: A standard 4-foot by 8-foot (4×8) sheet of metal can cost anywhere from $50 for a thin sheet of plain steel to over $1,000 for a thick plate of stainless steel. This massive price range exists because your question, while simple, depends on three critical factors: The Material: Steel, Aluminum, Stainless? The Thickness: Measured in […]
How Much Do Metal Fabricators Charge? The 4 Factors Driving Your Price
You have a design for a custom metal part—a bracket, a frame, a machine component. You send it out to a few local fabrication shops for a quote and get back a range of prices that leaves you confused. Why isn’t there a simple price list? How can one shop charge $200 while another quotes […]
What is a Forging Process? An Engineer’s Guide
This guide is written from my personal perspective as a professional engineer and a partner at RM (Rapid Manufacturing). It’s a question that gets to the very soul of working with metal. In a world dominated by CNC machines that carve away material with sterile precision, forging is something different. It’s elemental. It’s about heat, […]
