- Work
- 3D CAD modeling, 3D printing
- Used for
- Check pieces, fixtures, prototypes
- Then
- Fabricated in metal here
- Hours
- Open 24 hours
We model parts in 3D CAD and print them before anything gets cut, which is an unusual thing to find in a job shop and it saves material on the jobs where it matters.
The expensive version of a fabrication mistake is discovering it in steel. The cheap version is discovering it in a model, and the middle version is discovering it in a printed piece you can hold against the machine before committing material.
So on parts that are complicated, or expensive in material, or that have to fit into something we cannot bring into the shop, we model first. A printed check piece can be carried to your facility and offered up to the real assembly. If it does not fit, nothing has been lost except an afternoon.
The modeling also gives you something durable. Once a part exists as a model, the second one is not a second reverse engineering job, and a part that failed once and will fail again is much faster to replace the next time.
This sits alongside the metal work rather than replacing it. The printed piece is a step. The part we hand you is fabricated in aluminum, steel or stainless.
Send whatever you have. A drawing, a photograph of the broken part, a sketch on the back of a work order, or nothing but a description of what the thing has to do. Modeling is often the fastest way to turn the last of those into something that can actually be quoted and built.
| Situation | Model first? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Simple bracket, cheap material | No | The modeling costs more than the remake risk |
| Expensive plate or alloy | Yes | A mistake in material is paid for twice |
| Has to fit equipment that cannot come to the shop | Yes | A printed check piece can be carried to the machine |
| You will need it again | Yes | The second one is not a second reverse engineering job |
| Complex geometry or several mating faces | Yes | Fit problems are found on screen rather than in steel |
How a part gets modeled
The same sequence every time, so you know what you are buying.
3D CAD modeling
The part drawn properly before it is built, including parts worked back from a broken original.
Printed check pieces
A physical piece you can offer up to the real assembly before we cut material.
Fixtures and jigs
Printed tooling that makes the metal part faster and more repeatable to build.
Then fabricated in metal
The finished part comes out of the shop in aluminum, steel or stainless.
Find the mistake on the screen, not in the steel.
Modeling is not a technology feature, it is a way of not paying for material twice.
Questions about CAD and printing
Do you supply printed plastic parts as the finished product?
Printing is mainly used here for check pieces, fixtures and prototypes. The finished part is normally fabricated in metal.
Can you model a part that no longer has a drawing?
Yes, this is one of the most useful things about keeping CAD in a job shop. We can work back from the broken part.
Will I get the model?
Talk to us about it when you send the job. Having the part exist as a model is genuinely useful to you the second time it is needed.
Does this make the job slower?
On simple parts we skip it. On complicated or expensive ones it is usually faster overall, because it removes the remake.
What to send to start a model
Everything you leave out becomes an assumption, and assumptions are what make an invoice differ from a quote. None of this has to be formal.
A drawing, a photo of the broken part, a sketch, or just a description of what it has to do.
Having the part exist as a model is genuinely useful the second time it is needed.
A sentence is enough to start. Precision comes later.
At your facility, or can it come to the shop.
Including any shutdown or outage window, and whether the date is fixed.
For anything that already exists, a photo does more than several paragraphs.
Send us a part to model
Send whatever you have: a sketch, a photograph, a scan or an existing file. We will tell you what else the model needs.
Commercial, industrial and fleet work, plus awnings, handrails, gates and fences for anyone. We do not take farm work or home improvement jobs.
What happens after the model
The trades that most often turn up on the same job.
Aluminum, steel and stainless fabrication
Custom parts made to your print, or reverse engineered from the broken one you send us a photo of.
Precision tapping and machining
Threading and machined features held to the print, on new parts and on parts that have already been damaged.
On-site fabrication
Cutting, welding and fitting done at your facility, for the work that cannot leave the floor.