Metal Fabrication Blog: Guides and Comparisons

What anodizing is, how an anodized coating differs from painting aluminium, which colours are available and when to choose which option.

How cutting with water and abrasive works, why it beats laser and plasma for hardened steels and composites, and why it costs more.

Practical tips: which format to send your file in, which drawing mistakes most often stop the work, and what to specify for an accurate first-time quote.

What thicknesses a laser cuts, why a hole cannot be smaller than the metal thickness, where kerf taper comes from and when another technology is a better choice.

Why the flat pattern is not the sum of the sides, how short a flange can be, where the bend radius comes from and which drawing mistakes make a part unbendable.

Enclosures, covers, cable trays, brackets, facade parts — what sheet metal is used for, why a bent part beats a welded one and how to simplify a design.

An inside look at how a metalworking order moves through the shop: who handles it, how long each stage takes and where time is most often lost.