PARTS IN  1-3 DAYS

QUICK-TURN
U.S. SHEET METAL
FABRICATION ONLINE

We don’t have minimums, we deliver the best parts for your money, and meet your deadlines!

Every job is unique, and many require special considerations for materials, finishing, custom work, or urgent delivery – your commercial quote will be turned around by seasoned estimators who confirm all aspects of your job.

Amazing companies choose PROTOTEK for high-quality parts done fast!

Licenses, certifications
and real U.S-based sheet metal fabrication service

Expertise and quality are paramount. With more than three decades of experience in commercial sheet metal fabrication, we’ve achieved a rich set of certifications and provide high-touch attention and service to every quote – and every job.

We engage with our customers to help them design better and more cost-effective parts. We want to be your one-stop shop for commercial sheet metal fabrication. Most of our business is from returning customers, and to achieve that, we strive to hit our customer’s deadlines across all project types.

ITAR Badge Prototek

sam certified

Prototek FAB 40 2020 award

Better Business Bureau Prototek

CA - ISO

NH - ISO

WI - ISO

D&B Number Prototek

AS9100 D Certified

US Sheet Metal Fabrication Services Near Me – Working with PROTOTEK

Deep capabilities in commercial sheet metal and machining – design, sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing, finishing, and even complicated assemblies.

What do we do?

  • Sheet Metal Parts & Assemblies in 1-3 Days
  • CNC Milled and Turned Parts in 1-3 Days
  • Additive Manufactured Parts in 1 – 3 Days
  • Expedited Jobs

About our fast, flexible, personalized service:

  • ISO-9001:2015 Certified, ITAR Registered
  • Quotes within 24 Hours
  • Contact us about our expedited services

Our U.S. sheet metal fabrication capabilities start below but they don’t stop there. Want to talk to someone about a job, upload a file for quote or call us now.

QUOTES WITHIN 24HRS

We accept these file types STP, PRT, IGS, DXF, STL, and more!

PARTS & ASSEMBLIES – ONE STOP SHOP

NO ORDER TOO SMALL

EXPEDITED PARTS IN 1-3 DAYS

Why Prototek?

PROTOTEK AS SEEN ON MANUFACTURING MARVELS®

PROTOTEK's Capabilities

Sheet Metal

  • Manufacturing Design Assistance
  • Laser Cutting - Punching
  • Material Graining
  • Drilling - Countersinking - Tapping
  • Forming - Bending
  • Hardware Insertion
  • Mechanical Assembly
  • TIG, MIG, Spot Welding & Weld Grinding
  • Welded Assemblies & Frames

Machining

  • Up to 5-Axis Milling
  • Horizontal & Vertical Milling
  • 9-Axis Mill-Turn
  • Turning
  • CNC Routing
  • Surface Grinding
  • Lapping & Polishing
  • Welding / Post-Weld Machining
  • Heli-Coils / Hardware Inserts

Cutting & Engraving

  • Wire & Sinker EDM Cutting
  • Waterjet Cutting
  • CO2 Laser
  • Fiberoptic

Quality Assurance

  • Quality Engineering Assistance
  • CMM Inspection Services
  • First Article and AQL Inspections
  • Compliance and Document Control

Plastic & Composite Fabrication

  • Plastic Thermoforming - Bending
  • Annealing
  • Cryogenic Deflashing & Deburring
  • Plastic Welding
  • Thermal, Adhesive, & Mechanical Bonding
  • Vapor Polishing
  • Radiological Film-Cutting Services

Assembly

  • Manufacturing Design Assistance
  • Tooling and Fixture Fabrication
  • Electro-Mechanical Services
  • Welded, Mechanical, & Small Parts Assembly
  • Wire Harnessing
  • Laser Cutting – Polymers & Metals
  • Insert Installation

Finishing

  • Powder Coating
  • Painting
  • Chemical Agent Resistant Coating
  • Silk Screening
  • Laser Engraving
  • Chem Film
  • Anodizing
  • Black Oxide
  • Bead Blasting
  • Tumbling

Additive Manufacturing

  • Laser Sintering
  • Multi Jet Fusion
  • Stereolithography
  • Digital Light Processing
  • Fused Filament Fabrication
  • Material Jetting
  • Cast Urethane

Sheet Metal Fabrication in the United States – Near Me!

Choosing a U.S.-based sheet metal fabricator instead of outsourcing has many benefits, including quality control, efficiency and safety. US sheet metal fabricators can execute custom projects using a wide variety of materials and strategies.

Certified Sheet Metal Fabricators

Sheet metal fabricators can obtain additional licenses and certifications to qualify them to work in certain industries. One such certification is the AS9100 Certification, which qualifies fabricators to work in the Aerospace industry. AS9100 is an international quality system that outlines the criteria for aerospace industry quality management systems. The standard is based on principles including a strong customer focus, robust supplier management, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement.

AS9100 certification helps ensure that customers consistently receive high-quality products and services. Certified manufacturers must conduct ongoing internal audits to ensure they are following guidelines.

Why Choose a US-Based Sheet Metal Fabricator

The International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, are export control regulations administered by the US Department of State (DOS). These regulations are used by the Department of State to regulate products on the United States Munitions List and the Missile Technology Control Regime. This includes anything designed for military or defense-related applications. For manufacturers, this means they must prove they are ITAR compliant before taking on any projects that fall into those categories. Employees outside of the United States cannot have access to any ITAR classified projects, meaning the manufacturer must have a US base.

Benefits of a US-Based Sheet Metal Fabricator

There are many financial and practical reasons to choose a US-based sheet metal fabricator rather than outsourcing to other countries. Manufacturing in the United States helps you to impose stricter safety measures in your workplace to protect your employees. Countries where production is often outsourced, may lack the same degree of safety standards as the United States, putting your workers at risk of injury while on the job.

Manufacturing in the US can also save money on delivery costs and time in the production process. Deliveries can be made faster, and back-and-forth communication isn’t slowed by time zone differences or language barriers. As a result of these benefits, the sales process is accelerated, and customer satisfaction is most likely higher.

Sheet Metal Fabrication Services That Are Supported in the US

U.S. sheet metal fabricators can handle a wide variety of manufacturing needs and complete any project you might have in mind.

Manufacturing Design Assistance

US sheet metal manufacturing companies are often happy to help with design assistance. They can also provide access to free software to bring your design to life.

Laser Cutting – Punching

Punching is a machining technique for removing scrap metal from a sheet of raw metal. It entails compressing a tool through a sheet of raw metal with a punch press. Punching is generally faster and less expensive than laser cutting.

Laser cutters cut sheet metal by focusing light energy into a laser beam and supplementing it with cutting gas. The sheet stays fixed as the laser head moves in the ‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’ axes, unlike punches. Part numbers and labels can also be etched with lasers. Laser cutters are more precise and give a more finished edge.

Material Graining

Graining is the method of giving sheet metal pieces a consistent surface finish. This is accomplished by grinding the metal with a belt grinder.

Drilling – Countersinking – Tapping

Drilling produces higher-quality holes that can be used in materials of greater thickness. After that, thread-tapping and countersinking are often done. Thread tapping produces a tapping inside the drilled hole so that a bolted link can be made later. Countersinking a drilled hole eliminates the sharp edge, provides a bevel, and a recess (deep bevel) for a blind bolt head.

Forming – Bending

Metal bending and shaping are cold working operations that require workpiece plastic deformation. The metal must be extended past its elastic limit without cracking or fracturing. Just a few metals and alloys have enough ductility for this use.

Hardware Insertion

Hardware insertion gives sheet metal parts more depth for load bearing threads. Hardware insertion makes use of existing holes created by high-precision machines like a laser cutter or a waterjet cutter, which improves the accuracy of the fastener’s placement.

Mechanical Assembly

Describes the process or final product of putting together sheet metal project components on an assembly line.

TIG, MIG, Spot Welding & Weld Grinding

Welding is used in creating more than half of all of the products manufactured in the United States. MIG welding is the fastest option, but the results do not appear as smooth as TIG welding.

Spot welding process is used primarily for welding two or more metal sheets together by applying pressure and heat from an electric current to the weld area.

Weld grinding is an important step in many metal fabrication processes, and it involves extracting excess weld metal in a clean and efficient manner.

Welded Assemblies & Frames

Sheet metal can be used to create complete welded assemblies and frames for large projects.

Materials Available for U.S. Sheet Metal Fabrication

Material Grade / Alloy Max. Sheet 
Material Thickness 
(in) Heat Treatable Tensile Strength (Ultimate, PSI) Fatigue Strength (PSI) Hardness (Brinell) Machinability 
(AISI Rating)
Material Grade / Alloy Max. Sheet 
Material Thickness 
(in) Heat Treatable Tensile Strength (Ultimate, PSI) Fatigue Strength (PSI) Hardness (Brinell) Machinability 
(AISI Rating)
Aluminum 1100-0 0.190 No 13000 5000 23 360%
Aluminum 1100-H14 0.190 No 18000 7200 32 360%
Aluminum 2024-0 0.125 Yes 27000 13000 47 360%
Aluminum 2024-T3 0.190 Yes 63800 20000 120 360%
Aluminum 2024-T81 0.090 Yes 70300 19000 128 360%
Aluminum 3002-0 0.125 No N/A N/A N/A 360%
Aluminum 3002-0 0.800 No 16000 7300 28 360%
Aluminum 3003-H14 0.190 No 23000 8700 42 360%
Aluminum 3003-H22 0.250 No 20000 10000 37 360%
Aluminum 5005-H14 0.130 No 24000 9900 48 360%
Aluminum 5005-H34 0.130 No 23000 11000 43 360%
Aluminum 5052-H32 0.220 No 34000 17000 60 360%
Aluminum 5052-H34 0.125 No 37000 18000 68 360%
Aluminum 5083-H116 0.190 No 47000 23000 83 360%
Aluminum 5086-H116 0.190 No 44000 22000 81 360%
Aluminum 6061-0 0.190 Yes 19000 8800 33 360%
Aluminum 6061-T4 0.190 Yes 33000 14000 63 360%
Aluminum 6061-T6 0.190 Yes 45000 14000 93 360%
Aluminum 7075-0 0.190 Yes 35000 18000 59 360%
Aluminum 7075-T6 0.190 Yes 83000 23000 150 360%
Copper C11000 0.140 No 25000-29000 11000-17000 82-92 60%
Stainless Steel 301 0.125 Yes 85000-210000 31000-88000 190-440 N/A
Stainless Steel 304 0.250 Yes 84000-170000 30000-63000 170-360 40%
Stainless Steel 304L 0.250 Yes 78000-170000 25000-62000 160-350 40%
Stainless Steel 316 0.250 Yes 76000-170000 30000-63000 160-360 36%
Stainless Steel 316L 0.250 Yes 76000-170000 25000-65000 170-350 36%
Titanium 6AL-4V 0.125 Yes 131000 74000 334 22%
Titanium 6AL-4V ELI 0.125 Yes 125000 20300 326 22%
Titanium 3Al 2.5 0.171 No 89900 24700 256 N/A

Quality Assurance of US Sheet Metal Fabrication

U.S. sheet metal fabricators have numerous quality assurance measures in place, including:

Quality Engineering Assistance

In-house engineering and design teams will assist you in coming up with innovative approaches while staying on schedule and enhancing product manufacturability and quality.

CMM Inspection Services

A CMM (coordinate measuring machine) inspects and measures parts for quality. A CMM is used to measure the dimensions and characteristics of a part. It can measure a single point in a 3D shape or the whole shape. CMM is made up of three axes X, Y and Z, and each axis helps to measure the part and position it accurately in other precision machines.

First Article and AQL Inspections

Mass-produced parts are tested during FAI to ensure that all properties and dimensions are in accordance with the buyer’s product requirements, which should be included with the purchase order. Production will restart and the remainder of the order can be completed once this has been validated.

Compliance and Document Control

US manufacturers generally follow strict guidelines for compliance and document control. They typically use Document Control Software to ensure proper compliance posture.

SOLIDWORKS Inspection

SOLIDWORKS Inspection takes the time-consuming and frequently repetitive method of design inspection and automates it. The program allows you to automatically capture inspection measurements that are already present in the models and drawings and are vital to the design’s development.

Local U.S. Customer Testimonials

Are you asking yourself, “How can I find and trust local sheet metal fabrication near me?” Then you’ve come to the right place. Check out the various PROTOTEK testimonials below from satisfied customers.

“Thanks for the incredible and thorough work your team does for our company.”
– Senior Opto-Mechanical Systems Engineer, a Global Medical Company

“So many times we only hear negative feedback from customers.  I wanted to break that chain and say how pleased I was with the way Prototek responded to our challenging set of requirements and timelines.  Thanks for a job well done, and we hope this is a start of a good working relationship in the future.  You guys came up big for us, and we appreciate it. Please tell everyone that worked on our project that they knocked it out of the park! Thanks again.”
– Engineering, Gainesville, VA

“The corner welds and finishing is stunning and there’s no twisting or distortion from the welding process. Seriously I put the chassis on a slab of granite and tested, its dead flat. Quite an impressive display of metalworking.”
– Owner, Custom Amp Manufacturer

“The guitar amp chassis just arrived, they look phenomenal! VERY nicely done Prototek you are my new BFF shop!”
– Owner, Custom Amp Manufacturer

“You guys have always been our go to for complex parts.”
– Engineer, Golden, CO

“Prototek has always been a trusted go-to vendor for me.”
– Senior Mechanical Engineer, Woburn, MA

“I regularly recommend Prototek for my team.”
– Mechanical Engineering Team Lead, Torrance, CA

“We would love to take advantage of your open capacity! You have done quality work for us before.”
– Associate Designer, Royal Oak, MI

“Thank you for accommodating our rush job so handily and for hosting me on the inspection of the finished parts. We appreciate your pulling out all the stops to get these parts completed, packaged, and shipped to Palo Alto in time for our installation.”
– Studio Director, Brooklyn, NY

“Wanted to thank you again for Prototek’s support during our ventilator push this past couple of weeks. We couldn’t have done what we did without all the hard work from your team… you guys came through for us in a big way.”
– Co-Founder/CEO, Sommerville, MA

“The seal I had you do came out pretty nice, we’ll surely keep you in mind for future applications … the quick turn around and reasonable pricing is a real plus.”
– Mechanical Engineer, Victor, NY

“Thank you for your quick turnaround on our parts this week. I got the first set of parts in yesterday and they were perfectly to drawing. Prototek won our business for this job thanks to all of your quick responses, expedite capabilities, and competitive prices. I think I received a quote within 3 hours of my request on Friday? That was very impressive. I’ll be sure to send you other parts as they come up. I’ve told our other mechanical engineer here to send parts your way as well.”
– R&D Project Manager, Woburn, MA

“Last year, we had quick-turn rework done on some heatsinks at your Sunnyvale, CA facility. Were happy with that. We’ll continue to use you for similar work in the future.”
– Senior Design Engineer, San Jose, CA

“We currently use Prototek for all our quick turn prototyping needs… Prototek is usually our first option and we have come to rely on you guys for quick turn parts that are done well.”
– Mechanical Engineer, Boston, MA

Finding custom U.S. metal fabrication near you is easy and will result in a more streamlined process and higher-quality final result. Outsourcing may seem like a less expensive option, but the additional time spent on delivery and communication, as well as the possibility that they may take shortcuts in metal fabrication, can result in unexpected costs that lower margins.

We ship parts ANYWHERE in the US
in as little as 1-3 days!

We ship parts ANYWHERE in the US in as little as 1-3 days!

We have 9 locations that cover the US

Prototek
215 Devcon Dr.
San Jose, CA 95112
Directions

Sac EDM a Prototek Company
11341 Sunrise Park Dr.
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
Directions

Midwest Prototyping a Prototek Company
1100 W 120th Ave #100
Westminster, CO 80234
Directions

Prototek
900 Cheyenne Ave.
Grafton, WI 53024
Directions

Midwest Prototyping a Prototek Company
10949 Blackhawk Dr
Blue Mounds, WI 53517
Directions

Prototype Solutions Group a Prototek Company
1621 Indianhead Drive
Menomonie, WI 54751
Directions

Prototek
205 Pine St.
Contoocook, NH 03229
Directions

Prototek
244 Burnham Intervale Rd.
Contoocook, NH 03229
Directions

ProtoCAM A Prototek Company
6620 Grant Way
Allentown, PA 18106
Directions

Prototek Trending Topics

Sheet Metal

CNC Machining

Additive Manufacturing

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you a broker or a manufacturer?

We are a full service sheet metal and machining manufacturer with four U.S. production facilities across the nation allowing us to deliver your high-quality parts FAST.

Does PROTOTEK manufacture in higher-volume quantities?

We focus on prototypes to low-volume production and can do larger runs. All our parts, from one – to 100 – to 1,000+ are always delivered with production-quality finish.

What are your payment terms?

PROTOTEK offers Net 30 payment terms for established customers with good credit.

What file formats are required or suggested for requesting a quote?

We accept .STP, .DWG, .IGS, .PDF, Parasolid files, and more.

What if I need help with my part design?

Our estimators are on hand to discuss your specific job needs. Our expert team can help you move your project smoothly through the design process and on to delivery.

If I do not have a CAD model, can you quote/fabricate my parts?

Yes, we can work directly from your drawings. Additional engineering charge (NRC) may apply depending on complexity.

How do I submit my NDA and other document requests?

Submit your NDA, Approved Vendor and other document requests to your sales rep or estimator.

How long is a quote valid?

Our quotes stand firm for 7 days from the date of issue.

How fast can I get my order?

Lead time for standard orders is 10 business days. Expediting options are available, including emergency service – down to as fast as 1-2 business days, depending on complexity of work and materials.