Dispelling Common Metal Fabrication Myths

At Cypress Metals, we’re your go-to experts for all areas of custom metal fabrication. From sheet metal fabricating services to precision metal cutting and much more, there’s no project or related industry we can’t assist with.

Unfortunately, our time in this industry has also revealed a number of common, popular myths that have invaded the world of metal fabrication. These myths not only hurt businesses like ours, but more importantly may cause significant issues for customers who don’t have the right information about what we do and how we can help. In this two-part blog, we’ll go over some of these misconceptions and set the record straight.

Myth #1: Who Needs an Engineer?

Perhaps the most common metal fabrication myth out there is the one stating that if you already have a design in place for your project, you don’t need fabrication from an engineer. But this misses the entire point here – an engineer during the design phase is vital for making sure the right pieces are present to translate your designs into actual parts.

Think about custom steel, for instance, which has a designated “design” stage and a designated “fabrication” stage. But then consider how many different steps come between these: Product design, engineering and prototyping all have to be done before you can get into the actual fabrication itself. Engineers and fabricators are essential to have on hand during these phases, even if you have your design already in mind.

Myth #2: Galvanization is Too Pricey

There’s actually a pretty good reason for this myth being out there: In the past, it used to be true. The galvanizing process, which involves coating every part of a given piece of metal to save major maintenance concerns, used to be by far the least affordable part of the fabrication process.

But today, the advent and improvement of hot-dip galvanization has made this a thing of the past. Galvanizing is now just as affordable as other components of fabrication, and even more so in some cases. It’s important to check for things like embrittlement, friction and zinc coating qualities here in advance – once again, this hammers home the importance of working with a specific fabrication expert, who can check for all these potential issues.

Myth #3: All Fabricators Are the Same

If you’re canvassing your options for fabrication (something we absolutely recommend), know that just because a company has a cool-looking logo and a good PowerPoint presentation showing their services doesn’t mean they can back this up. As about things like touring the facility and seeing previous work – not all fabricators are the same, and hiring an inexperienced one could lead to cut corners and lowered quality. Make sure any fabricator you consider has the proper space, tools and equipment to get your job done right, plus a history that shows this kind of work.

For more on myths surrounding metal fabrication, or to learn about any of our metal fabrication or chimney cap services, speak to the pros at Cypress Metals today.