"Can you make this?" is our favourite question. Most weeks something arrives as a phone-photo of a broken bracket or a CAD drawing for a thousand-off production run — and both follow the same path through the workshop. Here's what that journey looks like, and how to get yours started.
1. Your idea, in whatever form it's in
You don't need to be a CAD expert to get a part made. We work happily from:
- CAD files — DXF or DWG for flat parts, STEP for 3D and folded work. These let us quote and cut straight from your geometry.
- A sketch with dimensions — a hand drawing, marked-up photo or even a sample part to copy. We'll draw it up properly for you.
- A description — sometimes a clear brief and a couple of reference images is enough for us to propose a design.
2. A quote and a drawing to approve
We come back with a price, a lead time, and — for anything bespoke — a drawing or 3D model to sign off, so you can see exactly what you'll get before a single sheet is cut. This is the moment to tweak dimensions, material or finish; changes here cost nothing.
3. Laser cutting
Approved parts are nested onto sheet and cut on our fibre laser — fast, clean and accurate to tenths of a millimetre, with no tooling cost even for a one-off. Holes, slots, etch lines and intricate detail all come straight off the cutter. If you only need flat parts in a hurry, our sister service Next Day Laser can turn cut-only work around next day.
4. Folding & forming
Flat parts that need to become 3D go to the press brake, where they're folded to precise angles — brackets, boxes, trays, enclosures and frames. Getting the bend allowances right is where experience earns its keep, and it's why we model folded parts before cutting.
5. Welding & assembly
Where a part is made of several pieces, our welders bring them together — MIG and TIG depending on the material and the finish required — then dress the welds back so joints are clean and strong. Stainless and aluminium are no problem alongside mild steel.
6. Finishing
Finally the piece is finished to suit its job: powder coated in your chosen RAL colour, brushed and lacquered, or left as raw steel. Our finishes guide walks through the options.
One supplier, every step. Because cutting, folding, welding and finishing all happen under one roof in Andover, there's a single point of accountability — and no parts going missing between subcontractors. It's also why trade customers run their outsourced work through us; see trade accounts.
Ready to start?
Send us your file, sketch or idea and we'll take it from there. The earlier you bring us in, the more we can help with material choice and design-for-manufacture to keep the cost sensible.
More reading: choosing a finish and which steel lasts outdoors.