PARTS IN  1-3 DAYS

Quick-Turn
Sheet Metal
Prototyping Quotes

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 sheet metal prototyping service

Expertise and quality are paramount. With more than three decades of commercial sheet metal prototyping experience, 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

Sheet Metal Prototyping Quotes – Working with PROTOTEK

Deep capabilities in commercial sheet metal and machining – design, sheet metal prototyping, manufacturing, finishing, and even challenging 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 prototyping services & other 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 In-house 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

Sourcing the Best Sheet Metal Prototypes in 2021

If you’ve worked with different fabrication and prototyping services, you know that they aren’t all created equally. PROTOTEK is known for our quick turnaround on sheet metal and machining parts, starting with our rapid quoting. That’s why so many engineers and designers rely on PROTOTEK as their “one-stop-shop” for all of their part needs.

Table of Contents

PROTOTEK: A One-Stop Sheet Metal Fabrication Company

PROTOTEK Process

  • Fast-Flexible Personalized Service
  • Quotes in 24 Hours
  • Same Day or Emergency Jobs – Call 1-800-403-9777
  • Precision Sheet Metal Parts & Assemblies in as Fast as 1-3 Days
  • CNC Milled and Turned Parts in as Fast as 1-3 Days
  • Finishing Options in House – No Added Delivery Time
  • We Bid Complex Jobs – Don’t Get No Bid
  • Silk Screening and Laser Engraving
  • ISO-9001 Certified, ITAR Registered
  • Estimates With or Without CAD Models

What is Precision Sheet Metal Fabrication?

When people talk about sheet metal fabrication, they are discussing the process that is used to manipulate materials to create a component that will be used in an end product. It involves a material being cut, formed and finished. Sheet metal fabrication is used in pretty much every sort of manufacturing field, notably in medical equipment, computers, electronics and appliances. Essentially, anything that is constructed out of or contains metal will have gone through these processes:

  • Cutting There are a number of ways that sheet metal can be cut into smaller pieces – shearing involves a cutting machine using shear stress to cut down a large piece of material into smaller ones; electrical discharge machining (EDM) involves conductive materials being melted with a spark from a charged electrode; abrasive cutting involves the use of grinders or saws to cut through material; and laser cutting involves the use of a laser for achieving precise cuts in sheet metal.

  • Forming After the metal has been cut, it will be formed into what shape is desired for the component it is needed for. There are several techniques of forming that can be used – rolling involves flat pieces of metal being shaped over and over with a roll stand; bending and forming involves the material being manipulated by hand; stamping involves the use of tools to stamp designs into the sheet metal; punching involves holes being put into the surface; and welding involves one piece of material being joined to another using heat.

  • Finishing Once the metal has been formed, it will be passed through a finishing process to ensure it is ready for use. This will involve the metal being sharpened or polished with an abrasive to remove or eliminate rough spots and edges. This process may also involve the metal being quickly cleaned or rinsed to ensure that it is completely clean when it is delivered to the factory for its intended purpose.

As you can see, sheet metal fabrication is highly important in the creation of any component that contains metal (from your laptop all the way through to the paperclips holding your files together). If you do not have the time or the resources to fabricate your own materials, you can employ a specialist fabricator to do this for you. Not only will this give you more time to focus on creating your products, but it will also ensure that you receive the best finish possible on your metal components.

  • Metal fabrication is the creation of metal structures by cutting, bending and assembling processes. It is a value-added process involving the creation of machines, parts, and structures from various raw materials.
  • Typically, a fabrication shop bids on a job, usually based on engineered drawings, and if awarded the contract, builds the product. Large fabrication shops employ a multitude of value-added processes, including welding, cutting, forming and machining.
  • Metal fabrication usually starts with drawings with precise dimensions and specifications. Fabrication shops are employed by contractors, OEMs and VARs. Typical projects include loose parts, structural frames for buildings, heavy equipment, stairs and hand railings.
  • As with other manufacturing processes, both human labor and automation are commonly used. A fabricated product may be called a fabrication, and shops specializing in this type of work are called fab shops. The end products of other common types of metalworking, such as machining, metal stamping, forging, and casting, may be similar in shape and function, but these processes are not classified as fabrication.

Sheet Metal Materials

  • Materials we work with include ESD-safe plastics and metals including Titanium, Gold, Copper and
    Stainless Steel.
  • We also work with ABS, Corzan, Delrin®, Ertalyte®, Kevlar, Kynar®, Lexan®, Nylon, PE, PP, PU,
    PlexiGlas®, PVC, Radel®, Ryton®, Semitron, Torlon®, Ultem®, Vespel® and Victrex®.

Sheet Metal Materials List

Sheet Metal Material Grade / Alloy Max. Sheet 
Material Thickness 
(in) Heat Treatable Tensile Strength (Ultimate, PSI) Fatigue Strength (PSI) Hardness (Brinell) Machinability
 (AISI Rating)
Sheet Metal 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 13000 5000 23 360%
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 3003-0 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 77000-170000 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

Sheet Metal Design Considerations

  • The following sections address common areas.
  • By aligning to better designs, you can often save money on the cost of a part.

Corner Construction

Corner Construction Types and Tips

prototek overlaps

Full Overlap: Typically chosen when welding is not needed. Ensure proper bend relief is being used at the intersection of the 2 bends. This corner construction is the most economical choice and should be chosen where there is no need to secure the corner of a sheet metal part.

Half Lap: A preferred choice for steel and stainless parts when welding is required. This will allow for proper weld penetration and limit the amount of heat required when welding, which in turn will help reduce distortion. Proper bend relief should be ensured for half lap construction.

Open Corner: Chosen for Aluminum parts where a full weld penetration is important. Typically there is no need for bend relief when open corner construction is chosen. Open corner construction can also be used for other materials where parts are subject to high-stress environments.

Spot Weld Flanges: Another popular choice for corner construction. This construction is not seamless like fully welded corners but can be a more economical option. Proper bend relief and alignment holes should be considered when choosing to add spot weld flanges. Alignment holes can be filled with weld and ground smooth if required.

Pop Rivet Flanges: Similar to spot welds, flanges are typically the most economical choice to secure the corners of a sheet metal part. Holes are added through the walls with flanges where pop rivets are inserted to secure the corner.

Bends

What are bends? Adding bends to a flat sheet of metal transforms that metal into a three-dimensional piece.

Design considerations

Wall Thickness

What is Wall Thickness? Wall thickness refers to the overall thickness of the metal being used to create the part. Sheet metal parts are created from a single sheet of metal. This means the part needs to maintain a uniform wall thickness.

Wall Thickness Design Considerations

wall thickness best practice

Bend Relief

What is bend relief? Bend reliefs help strengthen transitions from bend to flat surface (or from bend to another bend) in sheet metal. When a bend is made close to an edge, there is the risk the material may tear. Bend reliefs are small cuts in the material perpendicular to the bend to help prevent tearing.

Bend Relief Design considerations

Bend Relief for Sheet Metal Fabrication

Slots and Holes

What are some design guidelines around slots and holes? Holes and slots generally need to follow guidelines around sizing and be placed at certain distances from edges and bends to avoid material warping and to maintain structural integrity. If hardware inserts are required, spacing should be according to manufacturer’s specifications.

Slots and Holes Design considerations

slots best practices

Tabs and Notches

What is notching? Notching is a metal-cutting process used on sheet metal or thin bar stock, sometimes on angle sections or tubes. A shearing or punching process is used in a press to cut vertically down and perpendicular to the surface, working from the edge of a workpiece. Sometimes the goal is merely the notch itself, but usually, this is a precursor to some other process: such as bending a corner in a sheet or joining two tubes at a tee joint, notching one to fit closely to the other.

What is the difference between a notch and a tab? Notching is a metal-cutting process in which an intrusion or cut is made on the edge of the sheet metal while a tab feature is created by adding material to the walls of the sheet metal component.

Design considerations

notches best practice

Hems

What is hemming? Hemming in sheet metal fabrication is when the edge of the sheet is folded back on itself or folded over another part to fasten two sheet metal parts. This may be done to improve the appearance of a part, reinforce part edges or increase the part stiffness. Hems can be open or closed.

Hem Design considerations

hems

Countersinks

What are countersinks? Countersinking is commonly used for holes that need to accept a flat head screw or fastener when the hardware needs to be flush with the surface of the part. They can be created either using machines like a drill press or formed with punch press tooling.

Countersink Design considerations

countersinks

Welding

What is welding? Welding in sheet metal is used to seal the edges of bent parts. Prototek offers resistance spot welding (RSW), gas metal arc welding (MIG) and gas tungsten arc welding (TIG). The type of welding will vary for each individual project.

Design considerations

welding

Offsets

What is an Offset in Sheet Metal? Offsets are a double bend on a piece of sheet metal that adds a second tier to your part, typically shaped like a z.

Offset Design considerations

offsets

Hardware Resources

Common Rejected or No Bid Prototypes

Received a no-bid on your prototype? Many companies will no-bid complex-forming operations or non-standard materials because of the expertise and machining needed to be able to deliver on it cost-effectively.

 

What are Commonly Rejected Sheet Metal Forming and Materials? Below is an image and list of some sheet metal examples commonly rejected.

emboss

  • Embossing
  • Dimples
  • Card Guides
  • Knockouts
  • Bridge Lancing
  • Ground Stamping
  • Progressive Ribs
  • Progressive Louvers
  • Custom Hinges
  • Exotic Forming – can work outside machine parameters
  • Forming of Polycarbonates
  • Extruded Taps
  • Corner Gussets

At Prototek, we handle everything above and more.

Prototek's Locations

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

What questions should I be asking a sheet metal prototyping company?

What is your current capacity?
What is your turn time?
Can you provide an NDA?
Do you quote from a solid model or drawings?
When can I expect my quote?
What materials do you work with?
What are your standard tolerances?
Do you install inserts?
Do you do tig welding?
Do you do any finishing?
Do you provide silk screening and assembly services?
Do you do design work or reverse engineering?
What are your standard radii?

What are some common reasons companies reject sheet metal prototypes?

Length or width issues
Thickness (too thin, too thick)
Material type
Tight tolerances
Special tooling or forming that requires tools or skills
The company does not have certifications to meet the requirements of the part
Machine limitations

What makes Prototek different is our ability to handle the most complex jobs – having the capability to quote most any prototyping project across processes and finishes.

How fast can Prototek respond to a quote?

In most cases, we will get back to you within 24 hrs. If all information required is not provided, we will contact you. If you require a quote much faster, please contact us and speak to one of our skilled team members.

What types of metals can be used for sheet metal forming?

Cold rolled steel, hot rolled steel, aluminum, stainless, copper, brass, beryllium, titanium, galvanized

What are common sheet metal material thickness ranges?

.005, .006, .010, .017, .020, .023, .025, .030, .032, .036, .040, .042, .048, .050, .059, .060, .063, .074, .075, .080, .090, .100, .104, .105, .134, .135, .160, .179, .188, .190, .239, .250, .312, .375, .437, .500, .625

What are minimum and maximum dimensions in inches?

We will discuss your dimension needs directly with you.

What are tolerances?

Tolerance is a limit or limits of a physical dimension, measured value, or physical property of a material or manufactured object.

What is air bending vs coining?

Air bending is a method where the material is forced into a V-die opening requiring less bend force and tonnage. You can use smaller tooling and the angle of the tool is less important. Air bending requires a little more attention as the angles will not be as consistent and require forming to a more acute angle due to spring back.

Prototek uses a press brake tool for air bending, coining, and bottoming. We can also work with designs needing three-point bending, folding, wiping, rotary bending, roll bending, elastomer bending and joggle bending.

Coining involves using enough tonnage to conform the material to the exact angle of the punch and die. Coining is used more in production where a lot of parts will be manufactured and need to hold exact tolerances and precise angle of your tooling.

What is plating?

Plating provides many benefits to products made from metal and other materials. Plating is a manufacturing process in which a thin layer of metal coats a substrate. This can be achieved through electroplating which requires an electric current or through electroless plating which is in an autocatalytic chemical process.

What is stitch welding?

Stitch welding or intermittent welding involves initiating a weld, typically indicated on a drawing, terminating the weld, and then starting again along with the joint a specified distance from the previous weld. Stitch welding can be used when air or liquid tightness (Seal) is not a requirement when structural integrity is not a concern or to control heat.

What is Prototek’s finishing process?

Prototek utilizes a multi-step process of anodizing & finishing which includes cleaning, treatment, anodizing, coloring, sealing, and numerous quality rinses in between each phase. We focus on controlling the pH, temperature, concentration, frequency, and duration. Our technicians maintain multiple controls in the tank to ensure a consistent, quality coating. As industrial craftsmen, these processes and quality phases are the art and science we take pride in delivering high-quality parts to our partners.

Prototek offers:

Powder-coating
Painting
Silk-screening
Laser engraving
Chem-film
Anodizing
Bead blasting
Tumbling

What is the range of part thickness Prototek works with?

Prototek can manufacture sheet metal parts ranging in thickness from .0.010 inches to .25 inches.