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Non-fabrication services

In addition to our standard heavy gauge metal part and component fabricating services for OEMs and end-users, we offer a variety of non-fabricating services to aid in assisting with our customers needs. These additional services include:

• Assembly
• CAD services
• Design assistance
• Designing prototypes
• Expediting
• Fabricating prototypes
• Packaging
• Shipping and logistics
• Shipping from stock
• Tooling
• Tracking orders
• Warehousing
• Secondary services
  

Assembly services

Midwest Metal Fabrication offers final assembly services for the metal fabricated parts or components we process or are provided to us by our customers. Our workmen use jigs or fixture devices to ensure components are properly aligned before being assembled.

We offer the following assembly and post-assembly services:

• Mechanical fastening - This is a primary assembly process. We offer mechanical fastening for post fabrication parts or components that need to be mechanically fastened to create an assembly or sub-assembly. Parts or components are assembled using either threaded bolts and nuts, rivets, self-tapping screws, or bolt and locking pin combinations.

• Insertion - Midwest Metal Fabrication inserts customer size specified or supplied bearings into the specified orifices by hand or using a manual press. We do not use automated bearing insertion equipment. We insert shafts into the specified bearing races by hand and lock them into place with customer specified or supplied hardware.

• Inspection and testing - These are the final steps in the assembly process and we perform them to ensure the assembly or sub-assembly meets the customer’s specifications. Inspection and testing requirements are dictated by the customer and conducted based on the inspection protocol specified. We utilize and test fixtures to check critical dimensions. We load test at customer designated stress points and we pressure test to detect leaks in hydraulic fluid or air lines that were incorporated into the assembly or sub-assembly.

CAD services

Midwest Metal Fabrication operates two up to date CAD programs, AutoCAD 2006 and Inventor 10 and we can make these services available to customers.

Our Engineering Group consists of Mechanical Engineers, personnel skilled in drafting, and experienced CAD operators.

We can output files in industry standard .DWG and .DXF from AutoCad 2006 and .iam, .ipt, .idw, .ipn, .idv,.ide, and .sat files from AutoDesk Inventor 10 for use by our customers.

Design assistance

Midwest Metal Fabrication provides design assistance services including engineering, stress analysis, computer modeling, design modification, and assembly of fabrication show drawings and instructions.

Prior to beginning production, we will build prototypes if required to test the developed design.

Midwest Metal Fabrication is not a dedicated design firm, but we do provide excellent design assistance to our customers.

Designing prototypes

Midwest Metal Fabrication handles the design of your prototype from concept to drawing to final fabrication drawing. Our prototype design services include engineering, stress analysis, computer modeling, and assembly of fabrication shop drawings and instructions.

Midwest Metal Fabrication designs only mechanical prototypes. Most of the prototypes we design and have fabricated lead to production quantities. Midwest Metal Fabrication often assumes the fabrication of the product when production volumes are reached.

Expediting

Midwest Metal Fabrication will charge for the extra work if a customer changes a shipping schedule that causes additional work.

We routinely make partial shipments on orders.

Fabricating prototypes

Midwest Metal Fabrication is not a full-time prototype fabrication shop, but we offer in-house prototyping fabrication capabilities plus the ability to contract with a preferred outside source and act as an intermediary to get prototypes fabricated for our customers or build prototypes when production quantities are anticipated to follow the prototype.

Prototype development lead-time is dependent on its complexity. We can design and fabricate some prototypes in 3-4 days and others may take months, depending on the complexity.

Our prototypes typically have no tooling or minimal tooling requirements.

Packaging

Midwest Metal Fabrication offers the opportunity to utilize custom or special packaging. However, we charge for packaging, materials, and labor separately on a labor and expense basis.

We can produce custom or special packaging using boxes, wooden pallets, or skids. We are capable of shrink-wrapping shipments for needed weather protection or ease of shipment.

Shipping and logistics

Midwest Metal Fabrication can prepare shipping export documentation, if customers require.

Midwest Metal Fabrication selects freight carriers based on the lowest cost or follows customer specified carrier directions.

Normally, Midwest Metal Fabrication and our customers agree on shipping dates and they become the targets for us to use to schedule our production operations and source the needed materials.

Shipping from stock

Midwest Metal Fabrication offers our customers the ability to accept shipments from stock. The Midwest Metal Fabrication stocking level is mutually determined by the customer and us.

We ship orders within one or two days, once we obtain shipping papers.

Midwest Metal Fabrication charges for warehousing and shipping and negotiates these charges with our customers based on turnover, handling, and space requirements.

Tooling

Midwest Metal Fabrication does not construct our own tooling, but uses long-term outside tooling providers. We primarily use local tool making operations, but we utilize a toolmaker in Ohio for extremely difficult tooling assignments.

We charge for handling tooling sourcing by marking up the actual cost by 18%. Midwest Metal Fabrication normally requires a down payment for tooling with full payment due before final tool delivery. We are willing to negotiate the tooling cost as part of the eventual production piece price.

Lead-times on tooling will vary, but recent history indicates 10-12 weeks is typical.

Tracking orders

Midwest Metal Fabrication offers manual order tracking systems to check on order shipments from initial raw material orders through various manufacturing and metal fabricating steps to completion and our shipments to our customers.

We communicate order status to the customer when they inquire.

Warehousing

Midwest Metal Fabrication offers our customers the ability to warehouse their finished parts or components in our 200,000 square feet of metal fabricating space located in Gary, Indiana. We will provide short term warehousing for any of the fabricated metal parts or components that we make. We have both heated and dry inside storage and outside storage. Longer-term storage will be negotiated. We ask our customers to take title to all merchandise warehoused for them.

We are able and willing to ship warehoused parts and components as frequently as required, even daily.

Secondary services

Call us today at 1-219-931-3131, email us at sales@midwestmetalfabrication.com, or send a fax using 1-219-844-8512 to get a quick quote to help solve your heavy gauge steel fabricating problems.